Snowballs

Another great Snowball recipe. I can't believe I've never made these before! I think I'll give these a go as well for Christmas this year! Check out the recipe here.

Sparkling Lemon Snowballs

Don't these look amazing?! Yum!! I can't wait to try them. I think they're going on my Christmas baking list! Check out the recipe here!

Puppy Chow

I've come across a lot of people that don't even know what Puppy Chow is!!! I find that so crazy!!! SO I thought I'd post a little photo/link reminder or (for some) education! Check out the recipe here! I think once you've made it you'll forever be hooked!!

Baking My Way: Autumn Leaf Cookies

 I was really looking forward to making these Pillsbury Autumn Leaf cookies and they were a pretty big let down. They didn't turn out at all like how the photo showed and the icing just taste like the icing sugar, it doesn't look like the photo or like that rich sugar cookie type of icing like it reads as. AND the colouring directions are wrong. I had to add heaps more to get the colour even close to orange. I won't be making these cookies again. It wasn't a great recipe and there are many other sugar cookie recipes I love way more. The one thing I do like is the cream cheese in there. It does make the cookies softer and creamier. I might take the recipe and change it around to make it more interesting. What I ended up doing is making chocolate filled sandwich cookies with these. It made them a ton better! (Chocolate has been saving the day a lot lately)

Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 (3-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups powdered sugar

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

8 drops red food color

8 drops yellow food color

• In large bowl, combine sugar, 1 cup margarine and cream cheese; beat until light and fluffy. Add orange peel, orange juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Using stockinette-covered rolling pin and floured pastry cloth, roll out 1/4 of dough at a time to 1/8-inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated.) Cut with floured leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 375°F. for 4 to 6 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets; cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled.
• In large bowl, combine butter and shortening; beat until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Add 2 tablespoons milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add enough additional milk for desired spreading consistency.
• Divide frosting into 2 small bowls. To one bowl of frosting, add melted chocolate; beat until well blended. To other bowl of frosting, add red and yellow food color; blend well. Spread cooled cookies with 1 of the frostings; pipe veins on leaves with other frosting. Let stand until set.

Chicken Pot Pie

Photo source

I love chicken pot pie. I hadn't made one before so I found the recipes I wanted, twisted them a little, and man, was it good!! I highly recommend this recipe! I want to make it again right now! So good for a chilly day!


Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water

 In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.

Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

(Double the recipe to make a crust for the top and the bottom of the pie) 

Pie Filling
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
 1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery.

Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, drain and set aside. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent.

Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough.

Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipes adapted from here and here 

Link: Homemade Butterfinger Candy Bars

Oh yum! I have a lot of candy corn now so I think trying this is a must! Check out the recipe here.

Homemade Jolly Ranchers

Don't these look yummy? I have so many candy recipes I want to try! Check out this one here.