Fall is in the air – that lovely little nip at your nose and toes. The way the air swirls in your lungs, colder than normal and invigorating. I love fall and the promise of the coming holidays--holidays and meals and parties. Since my house is frequently hosting said meals, I thought I’d share two of my absolute favorite holiday staples.
One is Sweet… and so loved that it inspired one super sexy scene in my holiday romance Hollywood Holiday!
Gingerbread Men Cookies1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 ½ cups dark molasses
2/3 cup water
6 cups Gold Medal flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
You can (my mother has) burn up your mixer with this, so please:
Mix brown sugar, shortening, water & molasses together. STIR in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Heat your over to 350 degrees. Lightly Pam or grease your cookie sheet. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut out (with well floured cookie cutters) cookies. Place a few inches apart and bake 10-12 minutes. Once cool, decorate with frosting, red hots, gumdrops, and whatever yummy deliciousness you want to use on your cookies.
This is also a perfect recipe for a gingerbread house! Which, to me, is the perfect centerpiece for any holiday table.
The other is Savory… a recipe from my mom. This is a super easy, relatively inexpensive treat for parties.
Shrimp Roll-ups (Crab Roll-ups)
I loaf white bread
1 lb butter
½ lb Velveeta
7 or 8oz. shredded crab or canned shrimp
1 can sesame seeds
In saucepan, melt cheese and butter. Cool and add crab or shrimp. Stir until completely blended.
Set aside ends of loaf. Cut crusts of bread and roll each piece as thin and flat as you can. Spread a mixture of cheese and seafood on each slice and roll them jelly-roll style. Arrange seam-side down on a cookie sheet. Melt the butter in a pan, brush rolls (well) with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Freeze.
Whenever you’re ready, pull some from the freezer, cut each roll into 3-4 pieces and broil until golden brown. Serve hot.
Have any staple recipe for the holidays? If you decide to make one of these, I hope you enjoy it!
9 comments:
Good morning Sasha! I have a cheese ball recipe that my guys love. Also I make fresh homemade pumpkin pies. I'm hoping this year I can do a little more cooking.
Um! These sound delicious, Sasha. I think the holidays are my favorite times of the year for baking. I love trying out new recipes and seeing what works, what doesn't and adapting the recipes for a diabetic diet. Sometimes not the easiest thing in the world, but it can be done and still taste good.
Thanks for the lovely post (and the great recipes too)!
Hi, Sasha! I used to do so much cooking and just sorta dropped off. I love making a cranberry crunch and chocolate dipped fruitcake.
Yum, thank you! I love the holidays. Who doesn't? I need to start losing a few pounds now so I can eat away when the holidays get here.
Hi Princess Sasha!
Your recipes sounds scrumptious.
My favorite quick making for last minute snack recipe is very simple:
Rotisserie chicken, chopped.
Cream cheese, softened.
Chunky picante sauce.
Tortillas.
Combine ingredients on a tortilla and wrap. Then cut into pinwheels. Wallah! A flavorful snack for those parties.
Sounds yummy Sasha! I'm on a cherry and white chocolate scone mode. I've made them each weekend so I have a treat for work each morning!
It was just yesterday I was thinking, "got to look for a great gingerbread recipe"... I'm in the mood to bake this year, yay! Thanks for sharing!
Just got in from work - football game - orchestra concert! Thanks for the feedback. I love baking and new recipes. I also love experimenting with whatever I have in the kitchen. Not always successful, but - hey - it's fun!
What a great recipe! Thanks for sharing it!
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