White Chocolate Party Mix

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by Cindy

 

  I love to have people over to my house, but since I've moved only my family has been for Thanksgiving and Christmas, etc.  I used to have the Christmas meeting of the United Methodist Women every year, and I loved it.  I would bake and freeze cookies and goodies so it wouldn't be so hard the days before the meeting.  The women invited me to attend this year and it was to be held in Henderson, but there was a death in the church so it was postponed.  As it turned out, I offered to have it at my house, and the ladies and the preacher came over on Monday night.  Since it was last minute and I was gone over the weekend, I did ask them to bring food to accompany my Italian Beef Sandwiches and Red Velvet Cake (my fave!).  Thanks ladies and Brother Michael for making the hour drive and coming to visit and fellowship at my home.  It was heart warming to be with them again. All of the food was wonderful, and we had our dirty Santa gift exchange.  There is always one gift that everyone wants but it was taken from me. lol.  I sent everyone home with a goodie sack of White Chocolate Party Mix.   It is so quick and easy to make, and it is so addictive.  If you need something fast and easy, this is for you.  It makes quite a bit too. 

I'm enjoying the season and hope you are too.  Share the love, make someone something special.  

White Chocolate Party Mix

3 cups Cheerios

3 cups Rice Chex

3 cups Corn Chex

2 cups tiny pretzels

2 cups dry roasted peanuts

2 cups M&Ms or 1-12oz pkg

1 cup raisins

24 oz pkg white almond bark

Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.  

 

Melt bark over boiling water or in a microwave. There are directions on the package on how to melt it.  I just followed those directions and melted it in the microwave. 

 

 Pour white chocolate over the mixture and stir well gently to cover all pieces.  Spread on wax paper to dry.  

 

Break up pieces, and store in an air tight container. 

 

 

recipe origin unknown

given to me by a friend

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German Chocolate Bundt Cake

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By Christy

It's the time of year when friends and families get together, companies and church groups have potlucks, dinner parties, cocktail parties, tacky Christmas parties….. (It's the time of year you get out your "big" pants you save in the back of you closet. lol) But I love this time of year because so many people feel inspired to turn on their ovens and bake all kinds of delicious treats! 

Bundt cakes are all the rage in Nashville (and probably other surrounding cities) right now. Between having mini bundt cake pans all the way to bakeries focused specifically on bundt cakes (Seriously…. Nothing Bundt Cakes are AWESOME! For locations, click on this hyperlink!), these delicious dense cakes are having their share of time in the spotlight right now. If you want to jump on the band wagon for one of your events here is a delicious recipe for a super moist and tasty twist on a german chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups water

1/4 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup flaked coconut

2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 package german chocolate cake mix prepared according to box

In a small sauce pan, heat the water and butter until the butter is melted. Stir in the brown sugar and mix well. Pour into the bottom of the bundt pan. Sprinkle the following onto the butter mixture in this order: Coconut, chocolate, pecans and lastly marshmallows. 

Prepare the cake batter according to the box directions. Carefully pour the batter into the pan over the other ingredients. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box and cook until a toothpick inserted near the center tests clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a platter. 

Enjoy!

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Red Velvet Brownies

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by Cindy

Everyone who knows me knows I love Red Velvet Cake.  That's true, but what I really love is the icing on top of the Red Velvet Cake.  I usually make red velvet cake for Thanksgiving, but decided that it wasn't a good idea.  I knew that there would be leftover cake, and that I would eat every last morsel until it was all gone.  Pretty good will power huh?  If it's not it in the house, I can't eat it.  lol  I did have to break down and make some last night.  I'm taking Red Velvet Cupcakes to my dentist's office today.  I have one right here on my desk to sample just to make sure they taste acceptable. 

 Anyway, I was walking through Dillards the other night and in the makeup section I passed some Southern Living Christmas Cookbooks that were on the counter.  I have always loved these cookbooks, because they have great decoration ideas, meal planning ideas, and of course great recipes.  On the cover is a picture of Red Velvet Brownies, and that is what sold the cookbook.  The price was another reason, and  I went ahead and bought three.  They were only $10 each.  One for me, one for Sarah, and one for Christy. 

I just had to make these they looked so good.  They do taste wonderful.  The brownie tastes just like a normal brownie with red fool coloring added to it.  It is a delicious brownie.  It's dense, moist, and very chocolatey.  The icing is the cream cheese type and is very smooth, creamy and sweet.  The combination is wonderful as usual and they look really lovely.  I doubled the recipes and used a 9x13 inch pan. 

Red Velvet Brownies

Makes 16 servings

Hands-on Time:  15 minutes Total Time: 3 hr., 9 min., including cream cheese frosting

1 (4-oz) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped  (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)

3/4 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (1-oz.) bottle red liquid food coloring

1 1/2 t baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

Small-Batch Cream Cheese Frosting

Garnish:  white chocolate curls

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.

2.  Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals.  Whisk in sugar.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition.  Gently stir in flour and next 4 ingredients.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.

3.  Bake at 350 for 44 to 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Cool completely on wire rack (about 2 hours).

4.  Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles; gently remove foil.  Spread Small-Batch Cream Cheese Frosting on top of brownies, and cut into 16 squares. Garnish, if desired.

Small Batch Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes about 1 2/3 cups

Hands-on Time: 10 min. Total Time: 10 min.

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Gradually add powdered sugar and salt, beating until blended.  Stir in vanilla.

Here is a picture of my cupcake that I'm getting ready to eat with my morning coffee.  Yummy!

Recipe from

Southern Living

Cooking for Christmas

Special edition presented exclusively by Dillard's

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Miss Margie's Pecan Pie

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by Cindy

Wow is it December already?  Christmas is right upon us and it seems like yesterday was summer.  It feels like summer today too with this wonderful warm weather. The last few weeks have been incredibly busy but so wonderful. 

Since all of my family couldn't be together at one time on Thanksgiving, I had two "sittings"at my house that day.  We all enjoyed the food and being together.  It was great to have my mom, brother, and my brother's family over for the first sitting.  My mom, Sarah, Nick and Carter, and Christy and her boyfriend, Ish, came for the 2nd sitting. Christy's boyfriend's mother, Paula, and JD, a friend from Clay, came to eat with us too.  I love to have friends and family at my house.  It's been a little over a year since I moved from Clay, and even though our family circumstances have changed so much, life is good.  I still miss my friends and church family, but I'm making new friends, and I rejoined the church where I attended as a child just last Sunday. 

The week after Thanksgiving I was lucky enough to have my daughter, Sarah, and her son come and stay with me for three days while she attended a work training.  I took off from work and took care of my favorite little boy, Carter.  I know I had a fantastic time and I hope he did too.. He'll be two years old next week, and it doesn't seem possible.  Sarah's getting ready to have another baby in early February, and we're so excited about number 2.

  For one of my Thanksgiving desserts, I made pecan pie.  Margie, Sarah and Christy's aunt, always brought pecan pie to every Thanksgiving that I held at my house and to many church potluck dinners.  Everyone in Clay knew and loved Miss Margie. For many years, she was the heart of Clay School.  Pecan pie was one of her specialties.  I was wondering about her recipe a few years ago and remembered that it was in an old Clay Elementary Cookbook.  In honor of her, I made her pecan pie recipe for Thanksgiving.  It turned out great, but I did have to cook it longer than the recipe said.  It had a great pecan crunch on top and the middle was sweet, gooey, and rich.  My mom told me the key to cooking a pecan pie long enough is to cook it until it cracks in the center.  The pecan top kind of puffs up and causes the crack, and that's when to take it out of the oven.  I covered the edge of the crust with a gadget that protects the edges, otherwise the crust would have gotten too brown. You can't go wrong with Miss Margie's Pecan Pie, so give it a try during this holiday season.   

Miss Margie's Pecan Pie

1 unbaked pie shell

1 cup sugar

dash salt

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

2 T melted butter

1 cup pecans (chopped or whole)

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Beat sugar, eggs, and salt.

  Add the other ingredients and mix. 

Pour into an unbaked pie shell. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until it sets. (I say about 45 to 60 minutes until it cracks)

Recipe from

Butter 'n Love Recipes

Clay Elementary School

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