An Old Fashioned Christmas

   We have been toying with the idea of an Old Fashioned Christmas all year.  What really nailed it down for us was the resent story over the Thanksgiving Holiday of the Wal-Mart pepper spraying.  We have all lost sight of the True Meaning of Christmas. 
   So What is an Old Fashioned Christmas?  A simple none commercialized, family oriented time, to give thanks to God for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So no store bought things, we are going to exchange homemade gifts.  
  I know what your thinking your kids will hate you.  I have a 16 year old and a 5 year old at home now,  and 2 grown children.  The teenager is cool with it he understands what were trying to do.  And the 5 year old is still young enough to think that anything he gets will be cool.  I have always made some things for my family at Christmas, and they have always loved them.  So for the next 25 days we are going to enjoy spending time together learning the true meaning of Christmas, not shopping.
  During the month of December I'll be posting on my homemade gift ideas.  I hope you all have an Old-Fashioned Christmas this year.  Just remember the things you make will be cherished and passed down for generations.  The things you buy will be at Good Will or a garage sale with in the next 2 years.
  
  Note to bloggers if you have any gift ideas leave them in the comment box with your info....I'll be featuring some every week until Christmas....Don't forget to sign up......And grab an Old-Fashioned Christmas Button..... 

Fried Pies

I have seen a dozen fried pies bring over $100
at a charity auction....People love Fried Pies...
HEY...they're PIE...and they're FRIED....And this recipe
is one of the best I have made...It came from
my friend Lynda T.

Click Here For Recipe

Advent Calendar

My 5 year old has been after me to make a
Christmas Countdown...So I hit the Bloggisphere
for ideas...and I found the cutest one over at Makoodle.....
And I managed to do it for $12

Inside each one of these tins is a treat and an activity...
For activity Ideas check out Destination Craft.
I Love this Idea, and I can't wait to get started
with my little one.  I think this will become a

                              Holiday Tradition!

Click Here for How To

Holiday Hand Towel

I love to spruce up store bought bargins.....Check out
how to add this cute little ruffle detail to just
about anything.....

Tutorial

The Farmer's Wife week 3

This weeks blocks were a little more challenging,  but  It was
worth it....Birds in the Air has 40 pieces....Make sure you have a fresh (sharp) needle when working with these small pieces or else the fabric will get pulled into the bobbin hole..
I speak from......experience.....

(7) Birds in the Air

(8) Bouquet

(9) Box

 Click here for week 1
 Click here for week 2

A Quilted Christmas

I just love placemats....and pot holders....I've made
quilts and they just set in a box because I don't want my
heathens to ruin them.....And there aren't enough walls in my home for all the wall hangings i've made...but placemats are
 quick, decorative and easy to repair.
And lets be realistic it's a project that stands a chance of getting finished.

Click here for Tutorial

I got the inspiration for these projects from a
Fons and Porter book called Our Best Seasonal Quilts
The design was used in a large quilt......I loved it but I didn't need a Christmas bedspread......I did need a tree skirt...
.......I also made throw pillows...
And I didn't use any real Christmas material here...the main fabric came from Hobby Lobby....

Cream Cheese Danish

Light...Soft...buttery...Sweet...What else can I say 
these are so good......
Take them to your next Holiday get-together and be
 the hit of the party.......They're made with my
 Overnight Cinnamon Roll dough Recipe....
Once you've made your dough
click on the tutorial link below and see where to go from there..

Danish Tutorial

Danish Tutorial

This Danish is made with my 

"Overnight Cinnamon Roll Recipe"

Remove dough from fridge and place onto a 
lightly floured surface.
Cut in 2 Pieces.(This will make large danishes you may prefer to cut into 3-4 pieces)  Roll out each piece into a rectangle about a 1/4 an  inch thick.
Smear Cream Cheese Filling down the middle and make cuts 1" apart up the sides.  Lap the cuts one over the other and place on a cookie sheet to rise for one hour.

Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes.

After cooling completely, drizzle with Icing from Cinnamon Roll Recipe.  You can do this so many ways, you can put a cherry pie filling over the cream cheese or apple what ever floats your boat....Enjoy!

Grandma P's Holiday Sweet Potatoes

My fondest childhood memories are of Holiday meals 
at my Grandma P's house.
She took such care in the preparations and always seemed to make everyones favorite dishes.  The tiny little house would be filled to the brim with cousins, aunts and uncles.  
And the most wonderful smells.....
One of my favorite things were her sweet potatoes covered
in a buttery syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon.  
We would all fuss over the empty pan...
so that we could take her wonderful rolls and sop up the syrup...But more than the food
it was the love that went into it and the satisfied look on her face to see us all together and happy...She's gone now and my Aunt carries on this tradition.......But I have sense moved
 800 miles away and won't be there this year....
But I'll be thinking of them and my
sweet Grandmother and sharing those stories with my children over
Grandma's Sweet Potatoes....and Rolls....

Click here for Recipe

Easy Yeast Rolls

This recipe came from my mother-in-law.....They're
kind of famous in the west end of the county...
They're easy and
there are no eggs or milk....it always amazes me how yeast, water and flour can taste so good......If you've never made
yeast rolls try these...

Click here for Recipe

Lemon Tartlets

I Know this seems like a summer dish but my first
Lemon crop came in a few weeks ago and
I wanted to do something Special with them....
I think these are pretty darn Special.......

                                                          

                           

LemonCurd

Tart Dough

                           

                                                                        

                                  

                                                      

                                

Fruit Pizza Pie

The next time you make pizza use that 

extra dough for dessert...

This dessert pizza is so easy.... 

and you can make any flavor you like...

All you need is the Pizza dough recipe and a can of pie filling....

Click here for Tutorial

Chicken Mole' Pizza

Well I wish I could take the credit for this one but.....
It was Country Daddy's idea......This lovely pizza is topped with homemade Mole' sauce, chicken, peppers, cilantro, black beans and mexican cheese........And it is to die for......
A few months ago my hubby built us a brick oven in the back 
yard...So plan for more pizza recipes to come......
you don't need your own brick oven
just use a pizza stone......

Click here for Recipe

Decorating Cents: A Thanksgiving Printable

Check out this cute idea over at Decorating Cents...

I think I'll do this for my Mother In Law for

Christmas.....And use all the grandkids names...

Click the link below for her Tutorial...

But please come on back....

Decorating Cents: A Thanksgiving Printable

Overnight "Cinnamon Rolls"

Just like grandma used to make.......
When I was a child my Grandma P. made the
 BEST cinnamon rolls in the county.
 But sense she did everything by memory
 I had no recipe to recreate them.
  After years of trying different recipes I came up with 
this one, and it's pretty darn close.

  The best thing about them is you can make 'em 
the night before.

Click here for Recipe

Sweet Potato Biscotti

A Southern twist on an Italian favorite,

these Sweet potato Biscotti

loaded with Candied Pecans and drizzled with icing are

something to be Thankful for!

Click here for Recipe

Best Biscuits

I have several biscuit recipes....but this is the BEST..
You'll notice I use this term for other recipes as well..
These are light and crispy on the bottoms and filled with Butter Love..
ENJOY..

Click here for Recipe

Spreadable Olive Oil Butter

How and Why?
Butter...cream and salt right!  Easy...right! Read the label on your butter spread, 

go on I'll wait here!  How many 12 letter words were in it? 

 My rule is if the ingredients have words with 12 letters or more we don't eat it....We also stay away from milk with rBGH in it....so finding a butter spread that would please this Country Momma was impossible.....but then through Local Harvest I found a milk man who I redevue with every saturday morning.  He has milk, cream, ricotta, mozzarella and BUTTER from grass feed cows with no added hormones!  So with his beautiful butter I make my spread, heres how...

First don't make fun of my old food processor it still works...
next take 8 oz. room temp butter,(make sure to drain any water that may be in package) place into food processor and blend
now slowly add 1/2 c. of good extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Thats it!  It spreads and the olive oil is good for you and there is nothing on the market
this good.  This will keep for 2-3 weeks.
Now if you can't find good butter make your own.  In a stand mixer beat organic cream
after about 5 minutes you'll have butter just drain off the water.  

Chicken fried Chicken

Chicken Fry.....Men write songs about it .....
And have even been known to
pick their wives by their ability to make it...
and truck drivers will drive out of their way to find it...
I'm not a big meat eater BUT in the words of
Zack Brown.........Ya know I like my Chicken Fry...........So here
it is my SECRET to the perfect Chicken Fry.

Click here for Secret Recipe  

Cornbread Salad

Using up left over cornbread has never been easier 

or more delicious.......You will be making extra cornbread on 

purpose just for this.... 

Click here for Recipe

Lemon Meringue Pie

The perfect blend of sweet and sour topped with a luscious

cloud of meringue....

Click here for Recipe

Apple Cake

This Apple Cake smothered with rich Carmel Sauce is sooo.... good 

your family with think you slaved for hours on it.

But its quick and easy!

Click here for Recipe

Mexican Night

Menu

These three simple ingredients will transform into the most

 awesome Poblano Sauce you will ever eat.

Make it mild, medium or hot depending on the amount of Jalapenos used.

And its easy as one, two, three...... 

Cheese Enchilada's with Poblano Sauce served with
Tex-mex Rice and Refried Beans with a bowl of Picante' Sauce
and fresh hot Sopaipillas drizzled with honey for dessert.
The perfect Mexican Fiesta.

Sweet Potato Rolls

These slightly sweet and oh so tender Sweet Potato Rolls are sure to put a smile on any Pilgrims  face.

Add this recipe to ZipList!

• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 4 Tbs. honey
• 1/2 c. sweet potato puree
• 1/2 c. water (115 deg)
• 3 Tbs. melted butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 c. bread flour

1.   Dissolve honey in water and add yeast allow to bloom 5 min. 
2.   Add sweet potato, butter, salt, eggs and flour 1 cup at a time.  Mix until dough clings to the hook.  
3.   Place dough on floured surface and knead about 1 min. until smooth.
4.   Place in oiled bowl cover and let rise 1 hr.
5.   Punch dough down and shape into balls place in lightly oiled pan.
6.   Let rise 1 more hour.
7.   Bake at 375 degrees f for 15 min. or until golden brown. 

Click here for Tutorial

Sweet Potato Rolls Tutorial

Bake a sweet potato in the microwave.  After it has cooled peal and chop.

Puree.  Mix up bread as described in the above recipe.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead for 1 min.

After one hour punch down dough.

Pinch dough between your thumb and forefinger and form a ball.  Place into muffin pan,  I put two in each space but you can even do three.

Squash Dressing

This summer Squash Dressing made with sweet Cornbread is a nice change from the ordinary  Thanksgiving dinner.

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• 2 cans of  squash or fresh cooked and blended in blender
• 3 ribs of celery
• 1 sm. onion
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 1 tbs. butter
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 Tbs. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. sage
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 c. vegetable broth or chicken
• left over cornbread about half a skillet 
• half a loaf of left oner french bread

 Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Crumble cornbread and cut up french bread into small pieces and set aside.  Saute veggies in butter and oil until translucent.  Add flour and seasonings and cook for 1 min.  Slowly add broth letting it thicken.  Add squash and remove from heat and add bread.  Place in a buttered 9x9 pan and bake for 40 min.


Click here for Tutorial

Squash Dressing Tutorial

Crumble bread crumbs, chop veggies

This year I canned summer squash like crazy.  Drain the water and blend 

Add seasoned flour to translucent veggies and cook

Slowly add broth and blended squash

Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs

Put a few pats of butter on the top and bake.  This receives 5 stars at our house.

Squash Soup

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• 1 roasted pealed and chopped butternut squash
• 1 roasted onion
• 1 c. sweet potato puree
• 2 c. pumpkin puree
• 1 c. veggie stock or chicken broth
• 2 Tbs. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 c. heavy cream

1. Place all ing. except cream into a blender and blend.
2. pour into a pot and heat through add cream last and heat a few more min.

Click here for Tutorial

Squash Soup Tutorial

Cut Butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds

then brush with olive oil

Place onion in foil, brush with oil and close.  Place squash and onion in baking sheet and bake for about an hour on 350 deg.

Puree away!  Finish as directed in above recipe.