Tasty Christmas Bites: Molasses Spice Cookies

By Beth V

It’s only fitting that the final recipe in the Christmas Bites series is for a delicious cookie. This is one of the most delicious cookie recipes ever. I’ve made them for the past several years. They do not even contain an ounce of chocolate. They do contain a very odd-sounding ingredient, for a cookie.

Black pepper. Wait, black pepper cookies don’t sound quite as appealing as chocolate, do they? Well, black pepper is just one of the many ingredients that make for the very complex collection of flavors in these Molasses Spice cookies.  These are big, flavorful cookies that really do taste amazing. They are a little crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and spicy with a teeny bit of heat from the black pepper. They are almost like a big, soft gingersnap. These are SO good that it is bad for me to make them because I feel compelled to eat them. I sacrificed for my faithful blog readers. I promise more waist-line friendly recipes will be coming in the New Year!

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Tasty Bites: Father Tim's Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

By Beth V

Several years ago, my mom gifted me with a copy of Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. In Jan Karon’s books,  Father Tim and the other characters are always whipping up delicious meals, so she published a cookbook of those recipes.  One recipe in particular has worked it’s way into our family’s Christmas tradition - Father Tim’s Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole. My husband began making this one year and now even my nephew makes it some years, but someone always makes it every  year. This is perfect for Christmas morning because it is assembled the night before and allowed to sit in the refrigerator, ready to bake. 

Start by browning a pound of pork sausage in a skillet. While it is browning, thinly slice three green onions, using the white and most of the green parts, and throw them in when the sausage is almost done browning. Use a slotted spoon to transfer this to a paper towel-lined plate.

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Tasty Bites: Tammy's Crab Meltaways

By Beth V

Last week, I started a series on Christmas recipes that have become enduring family favorites. This week I’d like to feature a favorite appetizer that is always found  at a family Christmas or New Year’s Eve party. This has been one of my sister, Tammy’s, signature recipes for years. These are bubbly, cheesy, crab-i-ness on a toasty English muffin. They are very easy to make and they are just simply delicious.

Add a softened stick of butter, a couple of spoonfuls of mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon of seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon of garlic salt and a jar of Kraft Old English cheese spread to your mixing bowl and blend well.

What is Kraft Old English cheese, you might ask (as I did)?  It is a sharp cheddar  processed cheese spread that is sold in 5 oz, glass jars and found in the cheese/dairy case at the grocery store. Well, it seems to be the holy grail of cheesiness because I could not find a well-accepted recipe for a substitution. All of the recipes I read that called for this ingredient specifically said you MUST use Old English or it will NOT be the same. So, I decided I better not mess with trying to come up with a less-processed alternative and just stick with what works well for this special occasion treat. If you feel adventurous, this recipe for Port Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread may work well as a substitute. but I haven’t tried it yet. I think I am going to try it for Christmas this year because my sister Tammy and my other sisters and brother also happen to love Port Wine Cheddar spread on crackers…it reminds us of our childhood Christmases. My dad always purchased a large crock of  Port Wine cheese spread to have with crackers during the holidays. It certainly evokes many fond memories. But, I digress…back to the recipe.

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Tasty Christmas Bites: Candy Bark

By Beth V

For the next few weeks, I’d like to feature some of my favorite Christmas recipes that are likely to be found on my own table and the tables of my sisters as we come together to celebrate Christ‘s birth. A few Christmases ago, just after my Dad passed away suddenly, I was understandably struck with a greater appreciation for the brevity of life. I created a memory book of family recipes with pictures from our childhood Christmases, photographs of recipes written out by mother’s hand over the years, recipes that my mom and her sisters brought to those family gatherings and new ones that I and my sisters and sister-in-law (and brother!) have added to the collection.  I gave one to each of my siblings and my mom as a Christmas gift that year. This recipe comes from this cookbook - The Family Cookbook, as we have come to call it - contributed by my sister, Bonnie. I love this bark recipe. It is amazingly simple, easy and inexpensive and  it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. For such a small investment of time and money, the deliciousness factor of this recipe is out of this world.

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Tasty Bites: My Favorite Fall Salad with Apple Cider Dressing

By Beth V

When I think of a great salad,  I am struck by the balance of  flavors…sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, juicy. All at once the flavors combine into a delight for the senses. This is a great salad and it’s ingredients are simple…salad greens, red onion, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and crumbled feta cheese. These ingredients are available any time of year and do not suffer from being out-of-season like those pink tomatoes you see at the grocery store through the cold-weather months.

Before preparing the rest of the salad, toast some walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Give these a stir every few minutes until they start to smell fragrant and then turn off the heat and set aside. Toasting the walnuts brings out a whole new dimension to their flavor. They are also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and protein.

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