Peppermint Bark

PEPPERMINT BARK

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1 lb. almond bark
1 pkg. (7 oz.) peppermint candy

Break bark into pieces and place in 2 quart bowl. Microwave at 50% power for approximately 5-6 minutes until pieces are soft. Stir after 3 minutes. While bark is melting, process candy in food processor until it is fine powder. Add candy to melted bark and stir well. Spread on wax paper 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and allow to harden in refrigerator. Break into pieces. Freezes well.

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Bark

Makes 2 1/4 pounds or one 11-by-17-inch sheet
If you don’t have a double boiler, use a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water.


2 pounds white chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

12 large candy canes

1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil

1. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment, and set aside.

2. In the top of a double boiler, melt white chocolate, stirring constantly.

3. With a chef’s knife or meat tenderizer, cut or pound candy canes into 1/4-inch pieces.

4. Stir pieces of candy canes and peppermint oil into the melted chocolate. Remove from heat, and pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet; spread evenly. Chill until firm, 25 to 30 minutes. Break into pieces, and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Mom: Sage Stuffing/Dressing

It just isn't a holiday without mom's Sage Stuffing

Sage Dressing/Stuffing

12 cups stale bread broken into bits
1 T. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped onion
1 t. ground sage
1-1 1/2  turkey broth, chicken stock, or water
1/4 c. melted butter
1 cup celery-opional
1 t. poltry seasoning
1 t. paprica
Mix together in large bowl and stuff into bird or cover in cassarole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

GW: Baked Hash Browns

My mother-in-laws recipe.   Very yummy.  Reserved for special occasions :)

Baked Hash Browns
2 # frozen hash browns
1 can condensed cream of potato soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup melted butter (or less)
1 teaspoon salt
2 T. grated onion
mix and pour over hash browns in a 9x13 baking dish.
Sprinkle with crushed corn flakes or paprika
Bake in a preheated over at 350 degrees F. 1 hour and 15 minutes uncovered

Deviled Eggs

I am the designated Deviled Egg bringer for most family gatherings involving a meal.
Here is my recipe. Sometimes I change it up, but we always come back to the same basic recipe.
I don't measure. These are my best guesstimates.

You will need:
8 hard boiled eggs peeled and halved lengthwise
Yolks separated into a medium bowl
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup light mayo (you can use regular mayo if you want)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sweet Paprika
4 green olives, halved

Hard cook your eggs.
I always make a couple extra in case some explode. If they don't, then those are the cooks goodies. :)
Cover eggs in a medium saucepan with water and a pinch of salt. Cover pan with tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Turn the burner off, but leave the eggs on the burner. Leave them there with the lid on for 15 minutes.

Place pan under faucet and cool the eggs with cold water.
Remove the eggs to a bowl and chill the eggs for at least 1 hour.

Take eggs out of fridge. Peel.
One trick is to hold the egg in one hand with a towel, and crack the egg in half with the knife, with the shell still on. This works especially good with those stuburn eggs with tight shells.

Carefully scoop the entire egg out of the shell with a spoon.
If you use water to remove some of the little pieces of shells, be sure to pat the eggs dry with some paper toweling.

Separate the yolks to a medium bowl,
Place the egg white halves on a tray, large plate, or cutting board.

Mash the yolks with the back of a fork, or a pastry cutter.

Add S & P to the yolks, the Dijon, and the mayo.
Stir to combine.
Adjust the seasoning if needed.

Place the yolk mixture into a sandwich baggie. Twist the top, and clip a small hole into the tip of the bag.
While squeezing with the top hand and using the bottom hand to guide, squeeze the mixture into the whites where the yolk used to be.

Dust the top of the eggs with some paprika.

Insert an olive half into half of the eggs if desired.

Transfer to serving tray. If you transfer the eggs before you add the paprika, you will have it all over your serving tray.

Enjoy

Sage Stuffing

This is my grandma's recipe. It's just not Thanksgiving or Christmas to me, without it.

12 cups of stale bread, torn into bite size pieces
1 T. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped onion
1 t. ground sage
1 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. sweet paprika
1/4 cup butter
1 c. or more boiling water

melt the butter in the boiling water.
pour everything, including the herbs and onion and eggs over the bread in a large bowl. Stir until combined.
You may need more water. You will need enough water to hold it all together.
Stuff into bird or place in a buttered 2 quart cassarole dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.