Christmas Tip

One of the most over-looked tips at Christmas time is that the whole outdoors can function as a spare refrigerator.  And unheated spot will do.  When I was a kid we used the laundry room and my step-mother would set all her baked goods there to keep until we delivered them.. This was a spot of genius until the squirrels chewed an access to the room and ate the pecan gracing each cookie.  It didn't touch the cookie, just the pecan,  The past few years I've used an ice chest I keep in the back of the car. I keep an ice chest in my car to keep the ice cream cooler in the summer's drive home or keep the rotisserie chicken warm on the drive home in the winter.  You can also put your pies straight into the trunk of the car.  At Christmas the outside temperature is about the same as the refrigerator.

Kat's Eazy Breezy Corn Casserole

We've had a casserole served at church suppers for years that everyone always loves but nobody has ever known who made it.  It was like Magic Farries visited every single supper and faded into the background.  One of the teenagers, aware of going off to college and possibly never getting this acasserole again, spent her time at this year's Christmas Dinner asking around  and found out who was making this casserole.  It turns out it was the church secretary who got it from one our now departed saints who probably got it from someone else.  Thanks Kat!

1 egg

¼ cup of butter (I melted it J)

1 8 ¾ oz. can whole kernel corn (drained)

1 8 ¾ oz. can cream style corn

1 box of Jiffy Cornbread mix

1 8 oz. carton of plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients and pour into an 8X8 inch pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

Suzanna's Seasoned Christmas Crackers

Beaven's cousin has sent us these for the past two years and I finally got the recipe from her.  It was simply called "seasoned crackers" but I've decided she needs a snack named for her.  It just sounds better this way.  Suzanna isn't the only lady in the world making these, though.  When I took them to bible study last week another woman had the same snack but with different crackers.  Good thing, too, because we ate them both right down to the last cracker.  I added some of them to my Texas Trash.  I guess I'll list that recipe here, too.  Or you could just buy a box of wheat chex cereal and the recipe is on the box.

1 package oyster crackers
1 package Good Season Italian Dressing mix (the other lady at bible study used Hidden Valley dressing mix)
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2/3 cup oil (I used olive oil)
* Suzanna said you can also add crushed red pepper-which I think she did to mine.  Very tasty addition)

combine it all and give the oil time to soak in.

Oven S'mores

I was skeptical at first but can now tell you from making a batch of these yesterday that they are PERFECT for an open house.  I AM somewhat of a purist when it comes to my S'mores with all my Girl Scout and Youth Group camping experience. Yes, they are infinitely better around a real camp fire.  But these are just as tasty and can be prepared a whole day in advance.

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

line cookie sheet with aluminum foild.  Place about six or eight graham crackers on the foil.  Top each one with a regular size marshmallow.  Heat in the oven for 5 minutes or until the marshmallow is lightly brown on top.

Add a half of a  bar of chocolate and top with the second graham cracker.  Mash lightly to set it all together..  If you're short on chocolate a quarter of a bar will work.  Put back into the oven to heat the chocolate a bit.  Watch carefully because you don't want a melted mess on your hands.  Just a little softening of the chocolate is best.

For some reason I can't explain it takes a really long time for the chocolate to set up once you take it out of the oven.  This is one time it actually is better a few hours later than eating it immediately.  Plan ahead. If you make them a day ahead you can even cut them into fourths for bite-sized pieces.