~Best Sour Cream Christmas Sugar Cookies~

Best Sour Cream Christmas Sugar Cookies
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It's the time of year to add unsalted Butter and Sour Cream to your grocery list!  You just might think that these ingredients are some of the ones used to make a special dessert.  You are correct and it is special!  The dessert is Best Sour Cream Christmas Sugar Cookies!

Imagine holding a pretty cut out sugar cookie and then taking a bite of it.  The taste of Nutmeg pops out while you are chewing this cookie.  It's delicious!  Now, imagine that you will be baking a batch of these wonderful light yummy cookies and enjoying them with your family and friends during the holidays.       

These cookies are made in 2 steps! 

Day 1- Prepare the dough and refrigerate it.

Day 2- Take out your rolling pin, rolling mat, cookie cutters, colored sugars for decorating and remove the dough from your fridge.

On Day 2 the fun will begin deciding which cookie cutter to use first.  The aroma in your kitchen will be so good while these cookies are baking!  A "taste test" always takes place when I bake these treats!

Rolling out the dough!
(File photo)

An added plus to baking these cookies before the holidays is that they freeze very well!  When you plan on serving them, take the cookies out of the freezer to defrost and enjoy.

Bake a batch of Best Sour Cream Christmas Sugar Cookies! Click here for my recipe! 

Just remember to add unsalted Butter and Sour Cream to your grocery list!  Add decorative colored sugars and Nutmeg, too, if you do not have these ingredients.  These cookies are so delicious!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

 

Turkey a la King

On the next two days after the Thanksgiving holiday it is very easy to decide what to prepare for dinner!  There are choices.  Hot Turkey Sandwiches are usually enjoyed on the first day after we have feasted on roasted turkey.  If there is a bit of stuffing saved in the fridge, that is also reheated and enjoyed very quickly along with a salad.  

Turkey a la King
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There is another quick and easy dinner that does not require too much effort and is just plain delicious- Turkey a la King!  Picture small pieces of the roasted turkey in a creamy sauce that are mixed with vegetables and served over toasted bread.  It is so good!  

You probably see Turkey or Chicken Pot Pies on menus at restaurants.  However, that very tasty combination of small turkey pieces and cooked veggies served over toast is so much easier than rolling out a pie crust or even remembering to purchase unbaked pie crusts at the grocery store.  Turkey a la King is easy and  delicious!

A package of frozen mixed vegetables containing peas, carrots and corn work very well here.  Usually, I prepare a double batch and freeze portions to enjoy again at dinner in the next few weeks.  

***If you also freeze portions, adding a little milk when reheating works very well. 

My recipe for Turkey a la King is the same that I use for Chicken a la King, but I substitute the Turkey for the Chicken.

Click here for my recipe for Turkey a la King.   

Just remember to serve Cranberry Sauce, too!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

~Happy Thanksgiving!~

Have a Happy
and
a Safe Thanksgiving!!!

 Enjoy the day!

Butternut Squash Pancakes

Butternut Squash Pancakes
only need the Butter/ Margarine and Maple Syrup on top
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It's the season of the delicious orange colored vegetable- Butternut Squash!  Whenever we enjoy this veggie at dinner I save out about 1 Cup of the mashed Butternut Squash to prepare a very tasty pancake for breakfast the next morning.  Butternut Squash Pancakes!  They are so good!  

While each pancake is cooking on the griddle, the aroma of Cinnamon, of Nutmeg and of Ground Ginger gives you a hint of how great they will taste.  Top them with Butter/ Margarine and Maple Syrup! Yum! 

The price of Eggs is a bit more since I originally posted my recipe, so these days while preparing these pancakes I use a combination of 2 Egg Whites and 1 Whole Egg instead of 4 Egg Whites. 

**Remember the formula while cooking/ baking: 1 Whole Egg = 2 Egg Whites.

Click here for my recipe for Butternut Squash Pancakes!  Plan on preparing a batch during this month of November!  Freeze the extra pancakes for an easy breakfast on busy mornings!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

       

Butternut Squash Bread!

Butternut Squash Bread
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Butternut Squash Bread! What a delicious dessert!  Yes, I did write Butternut Squash. For years- that has led to decades- I have been using this veggie instead of pumpkin when preparing this dessert bread.  It is so yummy that you may just want to enjoy a half slice as a snack! 

Lately, the amount of Butternuts in the bushel container in our garage has been reduced.

The Bushel of Butternut Squash

Many of the squash have been cooked/ mashed.  Labeled freezer bags of this orange veggie are on their designated freezer shelf.  This weekend the remaining squash will be prepared and more bags will be frozen.   

One delicious treat that is made using the mashed Butternut Squash is Butternut Squash Bread.  Usually I bake 2 breads at once, so I double the recipe and stagger the pans in the oven before/ when baking.  This weekend I will be using the freshly mashed Butternut Squash when baking these breads.  

During the year I defrost a bag containing 2 cups to bake 2 breads.  The Butternut Squash will defrost overnight in the fridge.    

This dessert bread is very easy to prepare!  While it is baking the aroma of Cinnamon and Nutmeg will float from your kitchen to other rooms in your home.  A small amount of Ground Cloves can be added to the batter, too.  It is also at this time of year that one of the 2 breads that I bake will be placed in our freezer to enjoy over Thanksgiving.  If you will also be doing this, after the bread cools, wrap in heavy duty foil, label and freeze.

I use Egg Whites in this recipe. 
Remember- when baking:

***2 Egg Whites = 1 Whole Egg

With the current price of Eggs, you may want to use  2 Egg Whites + 1 Whole Egg for 1 bread. 
When baking that would equal or be the same as using 4 Egg Whites.     

Click here for my recipe for Butternut Squash Bread!  It is a family favorite in my home and it just may become a favorite for you and your family, too!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

                

Freezing Butternut Squash!

Preparing Butternut Squash
for the freezer!
(File Photo)

It's that time of year!  The new "buy local" crop of Butternut Squash is available in October!  This yummy orange veggie is a great side dish at dinner and we have always enjoyed it!  For that reason we purchase a bushel of Butternut Squash at one of the local farms and prep the squash to freeze.  Yes, they can be purchased individually and sold by the pound at roadside stands and grocery stores, but we purchase a bushel and store it in our garage.  Then, a new project is added to our "to do" list.  Preparing the squash for the freezer.  

In addition to enjoying this vegetable as a delicious side dish at dinner, I use the prepared/ cooked/ mashed Butternut Squash in recipes by replacing it for canned pumpkin.  It works so well!  More on that later.   

The process for prepping and freezing the squash is quite simple.  After the individual squash are washed under cool running water, dry them.  Then, remove the stem, seeds and skin.  Cut into chunks and steam.  There is more to the process, so click here for my process/ recipe.  It works very well and before you know it you will have this tasty vegetable in your freezer, too!

Freezing Butternut Squash 

It will be in your freezer ready to take out whenever you want this tasty veggie to be included with your dinner or you will be using it in baking a treat.  The frozen Butternut Squash is defrosted in the microwave very easily!  Or it can be defrosted overnight in your fridge!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

 

Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp

Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp
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My dessert is currently baking in my oven.

Today was the day! The day to bake a Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp!  The dessert that has fresh apple slices that are baked with an oat topping that also contains Cinnamon and Nutmeg.  Nothing beats enjoying this dessert when it is prepared with fresh apples.  In Autumn I use McIntosh or Cortland apples or a combination of the two.  Craisins (dried cranberries) and raisins are placed in the baking dish along with the apple slices.  

When this dessert is baking the wonderful aroma of apples, Cinnamon and Nutmeg float through our home.  It is a teaser of how great it will taste- later.  

You are one click away from my recipe.  Click here!

Bake a Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp soon.  Do not forget to purchase the vanilla ice cream.  A small scoop tastes so good on top.

Enjoy!
Yummy!