Puppy Chow

This is one of those recipes that you assume everyone has had....BUT, if not, this is one you don't want to miss out on.

Even yesterday, with all of the Thanksgiving food, snacks, and desserts still out on the tables, my youngest son asked, "Where's the Puppy Chow?". It's something we have a lot during the five week stretch after Thanksgiving, through Christmas, and until New Year's.

Puppy Chow

1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Butter
1 cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
9 cups Crispix or Corn Chex cereal
1-1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir well. Place the cereal in a very large bowl. Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering. Place powdered sugar in large container with a lid. Pour in coated cereal, seal the lid and SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE until it's well coated. Another way to do it is to put the powdered sugar in a paper sack, then pour in the coated cereal and fold down top of bag or scrunch it together at the top (hold it very securely)...then shake to coat cereal. Store in airtight container.

Note: If you happen to have kids in 4-H, Puppy Chow makes a great 4-H demonstration for the yearly demonstration contest. It's easy to demonstrate and most kids enjoy practicing for the contest because they get to eat the snack afterwards!

Pickle - Ham Spirals

Posted by Lori:
These make great little appetizers or snacks for yourself and your family. To make it a low-carb recipe use regular cream cheese or if you would rather have low fat, use the light or fat free variety.

1 package ham slices
1 jar kosher dill spears, drained
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened

Pat ham and pickles dry with a paper towel. Spread 13 ham slices each with about 1 tablespoon cream cheese or enough to cover the ham slice. Top each slice with 1 pickle & roll up. Refrigerate at least one hour. Slice each pickle roll into 5 to 6 pieces. May secure with a toothpick if desired. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Bacon Roll-Ups Appetizer

Posted by Lori:
I asked my sister-in-law, Robin, to send me this recipe. Every year at our Thanksgiving Eve get-together, she brings this appetizer. It's one of those things she is "expected" to bring by many in our family.

Bacon Roll-Ups Appetizer

20 slices white bread (trim crusts)
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon or turkey bacon
2 cups shredded American cheese

Roll bread flat with rolling pin. Set aside. In small bowl, combine Eagle brand, mustard and worcestershire sauce. Cut bacon slices in half and lay 3 halves close together on flat surface. Place bread on top and spread with 1 T. of Eagle Brand mixture. Sprinkle 1 heaping T. of cheese on top. Roll bacon around bread, jelly-roll style, securing with a toothpick. Repeat with all. Chill. Preheat oven to 375.

With sharp knife, make 3 pinwheels out of each one by carefully cutting between each bacon strip. Bake on a greased pan for 30 minutes or until bacon is done.

(Note from Robin: This recipe is from my friend Sherry H., and I've been bringing it to Thanksgiving for many years!)

Thanks, Robin!

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cake

Posted by Donna:

Tonight after our worship services, we had a going away pot luck meal for our youth minister and his family. It's always fun trying out the recipes that the ladies bring. We all come home with something new to try. I decided to try this new one out as well.

1-3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 T. milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3 eggs
1-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. cocoa
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips, divided
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Pour boiling water over the oatmeal; let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. To the oatmeal add the sugars, milk, butter, and eggs; beat well. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Gradually stir into oatmeal mixture. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Srinkle the remaining chocolate chips and walnuts or pecans on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

This cake is very moist.

Chocolate Chip Doozies

Posted by Lori:
Our children enjoy getting cookies at the mall from time to time.  They especially like the ones with the icing in the middle.  It always makes me think of my Grandpa Gene when I buy them the cookies.  If he was ever with us at the mall, he just couldn't understand how anyone could pay a dollar (or more!) for a cookie.  I don't ever remember him getting one, but if he had, he might have been "hooked" like his great-grandkids are!

Our son, Zachary, decided recently he would duplicate the mall cookies.  He and his big sister already had their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but he went online and searched for an icing recipe to go in between.  His "doozies" were quite a success and a new favorite in our household.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter (not margarine), softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 small package (3.5 ounce) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by spoonfuls (or use cookie scoops...Zachary used a 1 inch cookie scoop for the little doozies) onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks.  When cool, place in airtight container or make into "Doozies".

Doozie Icing
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter (not margarine), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, cream together butter and shortening.  Add vanilla.  Blend in the powdered sugar - one cup at a time - beating well in between additions.  Add milk and mix until light and fluffy.  Spread bottom of one chocolate chip cookie with the doozie icing.  Top with another chocolate chip cookie (bottom of cookie to the icing side) to form doozie.

Tuna Biscuit Sandwiches

Posted by Lori:
When our youngest three children were little, this was one of their favorite foods to eat. I made it for them at least once a week. I don't make it very often now, but when I do, they are always excited. It reminds them of their younger days. Our fourth child doesn't like anything with tuna in it, so he's not so excited.

Tuna Biscuit Sandwiches
1 can refrigerated biscuits
1 can tuna, drained
1 - 2 Tablespoons Miracle Whip (or mayo if you prefer)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Dash of celery seed (optional)
Dash of onion powder (optional)
Dash of pepper (optional)
Milk (a little more than 1/2 cup)
Crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Flatten out each refrigerated biscuit into a circle (3-4 inches)and place on cookie sheet. In small bowl mix tuna and cheddar cheese. Stir in Miracle Whip or mayo...just enough to make it not quite so dry. Mix in celery seed, onion powder, and pepper if desired. Place a heaping spoonful of tuna mixture in the middle of each biscuit circle. Fold in half and seal edges.

Have milk in small bowl or small flat dish. Dip tuna biscuits into milk and coat with crushed potato chips. You can mash the biscuits down a little bit to help coat them with the crushed chips. Place biscuits on cookie sheet and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cornbread Dressing

Posted by Donna:

I know Lori posted her recipe for dressing a few weeks back. Hers is very, very good. I've eaten it quite often; but, I also wanted to post my recipe that I always fix for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Dressing is my favorite part of the meal. Of course, this originally came from my mother, who as I've said before was a wonderful cook.

1 large pan cornbread. I, too, cook my onion and celery in the cornbread. I use about 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion and 2 stalks of finely chopped celery. If you prefer not to cook it in with your cornbread, you can also let it cook in the canned chicken broth until it's tender. I used to do that, until I realized it's so much easier to cook it in with the cornbread.

To the crumbled cornbread, add:

1 can chicken broth

1 cup of broth from the turk

1 can celery soup

1 can chicken soup

I use anywhere from 2 - 3 tsp. of sage ( As we all know, this is a personal thing---strictly based on what we like.)

black pepper to taste

At times, I also add a stick of melted margarine to this. It makes it richer.

5 or 6 slices of bread that I've dried a couple of days before and crumbled

Mix well and bake about 20 minutes at 375 degrees.


Now for the gravy: My Grandmother Nell is responsible for this recipe I use. It's very simple, but it still tastes great.

3 cans cream of chicken soup.

1 can or more of broth from the turkey

1 can of water

These three amounts of ingredients are approximates. I constantly taste and re-taste to get this just like I want it.

Also add 1 or 2 chopped boiled eggs and cut up liver.





*****While I was at the dentist's office this week, one of the patients was reading a magazine and shared an idea it showed for cranberry sauce. I can't wait to let my granchildren do this for our meal. Slice the canned jellied cranberry sauce, and then let your youngsters cut shapes out of each piece with cookie cutters. The picture showed leaves, pumpkins, and turkeys. How much fun!!!!!!!