OMG If I make half of these I'll gain a ton! They all look so good though. It's Mills Fleet Farm, and Blain's Farm and Fleet. two different families. Not sure if they were ever connected or not. They are both Wisconsin Based companies though. Woodman's is too, in fact Phil Woodman's children went to may School years ago.

Well, that clears up the mystery about the two Fleet stores ! (at least mostly...) I can't remember how long ago we discovered Woodman's, but we go there every time we get down that way; there was a slight initial shock when we discovered we couldn't use a credit card there, though! (only debit cards and personal checks, for those not familiar with the store)

tveguy3 said:OMG If I make half of these I'll gain a ton!

Here's another of my favorite low-cal (NOT!) recipes, Pumpkin Cake Roll with Cream Cheese Filling:

http://cubits.org/recipedujour...

I've had the Pumpkin Cake Roll, and it's mmm mmm good!

Thanks - I have no bro let puttin them here also

I have also made the pumpkin roll with cream cheese frosting filling. Luscious. I have so many cookie and bar and general dessert recipes I will have to pick my very very favorite. Like that's going to be easy.

I hear ya Mary, those tend to be my favorite .... mmmm sweets. That's why I chose one I thought folks may never have heard of. I have a Betty Crocker cookie/bar/candy recipe book (paperback), and you should see that book. It's quite the mess. I've found lots of good sweets recipes in that book over the years.

Christmas Menu
This will not be a usual Debbie menu as everyone complains that there is way too
much food so we are focusing more on appetizers and less on the main meat entre.

Appetizers
Shrimp Cocktail
Cheese Tray
Italian cold cut tray
Deviled eggs
Corn beef casserole
Piggies in the blanket
Mozzarella on toasted bread with roasted peppers, olive oil and basil
Fried shrimp

Dinner
Ravoli
Meatballs, sausage and braciole
Lasagna (small tray) (maybe)
Fried chicken cutlets

Desserts
Butter cookies
Chocolate chip cookies
Rainbow cookies
Pizzelle
Pignoli cookies
Fig cookies
Pinulata (sp) with honey

We will either have 8 or 14 people all family member

With that menu you better invite all 14, plus go out to the street corners and invite in the poor. lol And my husband thinks I cook way too much. We have cut back so much on eating that if I serve up a lot of stuff before the meal, D and I are already full. Not sure that applies to the rest of the herd though. I have heard of the pepper cookies but as pfefferneuse. (sp)

Pfeffernusse is Pepper nuts in German. There are lots of ways to make them.

I was reading the other thread where it was mentioned not to post random comments here, but only recipes otherwise it will get filled up with other stuff. So is that to be the rule. I think it makes lots of sense. We yammer all over the place on other threads but this one should be maybe only recipes. Just wondering.

Flower Pot Dessert

20 ounce bag chocolate Oreo cookies, crushed in a blender
1 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened 1 stick)
2 (3 1/2 ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding
4 cups milk
12 ounces heavy cream
1 cup confectioners sugar




Instructions

Make pudding according to package directions and refrigerate until set.. Whip cream to very stiff peaks and set aside. When pudding is ready fold cream into the pudding.

In a large bowl, cream the softened cream cheese, and butter together until blended then add the pudding and cream mixture and confectioners sugar. mix smooth and creamy.

Using a plastic flower pot (large enough to hold everything) lined with plastic wrap make a layer with the rushed Oreo cookies followed by a layer of pudding mixture. Continue layering until you reach the top ending with a layer of Oreos.

Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.



Notes

Presentation
Remove wrap and decorate with some plastic flowers. You can even add gummy worms sticking out of the (dirt). For baby showers you can use pink and blue ribbons. If you want to make a beach scene use vanilla Oreos. For bigger parties make a triple batch and use a window box plastic container.

Onion-Braised Beef Brisket

By Jennifer Segal, adapted from Nach Waxman's recipe in The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins



Servings: Serves 8-10




Total Time: 4-5 Hours


Ingredients
1 5-6 pound first cut (a.k.a. flat cut) beef brisket, trimmed so a thin layer of fat remains in some spots (do not over-trim!)
1 heaping tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic
6 carrots, peeled and halved
Handful fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)


Instructions

Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Season the brisket on both sides with salt and pepper. Lightly dust the brisket with the flour, then shake and turn to coat evenly. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy flameproof roasting pan or ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot just large enough to hold the brisket and carrots snugly. Add the brisket to the pan and sear on both sides until crusty brown areas appear on the surface here and there, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Transfer the brisket to a platter, then add the onions to the pot and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the onions are softened and golden brown, about 15 minutes. (If browned bits stick to the bottom of the pan and start to burn, add a few tablespoons of water and scrape with a wooden spoon to release them.)
Turn off the heat and place the brisket, fatty side up, and any accumulated juices on top of the onions. Spread the tomato paste evenly over the brisket, then scatter the garlic and carrots around the edges of the pot. Cover the pot very tightly with aluminum foil (preferably heavy duty or two layers) or a lid, then transfer to the oven and cook for 1-1/2 hours.
Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and, using an electric or very sharp knife, slice the meat across the grain into approximately 1/8-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Check the seasonings and correct if necessary. If the sauce appears dry, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the pot. Cover the pot tightly and return to the oven.
Lower the heat to 325°F and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 hours, or longer if necessary. Check once or twice during cooking to make sure that the liquid is not bubbling away. If it is, add a few more teaspoons of water—but not more. Also, each time you check, spoon some of the liquid on top of the roast so that it drips down between the slices. It is ready to serve with its juices, but, in fact, it's even better the second day. It also freezes well.

The Chinese word for this is Bows

Bows (Pork Filled Buns)
Dough
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 ¼ cups of unsifted, all purpose flour
Melted butter or margarine

Pork Filling
1 medium onion chopped, reserved
1 ½ pounds boneless lean pork cut into ½ inch cubes. Season with:
2 cloves garlic, minced, ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce and mix together.
In a bowl combine and reserve 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dry sherry and ¼ cup water.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or wide frying pan over high heat. When the oil is hot , add pork and stir fry until browned (about 5 minutes). Add chopped onion and continue cooking until onion is limp (about 2 minutes more) Stir cornstarch mixture, add to pork and cook stirring, until sauce bubbles and thickens. Set aside to cool.
Dough
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water, blend in sugar, oil, and salt. Let stand in a warm place until bubbly (about 15 minutes). Add 3 ¼ cups of flour and mix until dough holds together. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour and 15 minutes)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Shape into a rectangle. With a floured knife, cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise 6 times to make 12 equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a round about 4 ½ inches in diameter. Press outside edges of dough to make them slightly thinner than the rest of the round. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling in center of each round. Pull edges of dough up around filling and twist to seal.
Place buns about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet, cover with a clean cloth and let rise until puffy and light, about 30 minutes. Brush with melted butter and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown.

I used ground ginger and minced garlic from a jar.

For an experiment, I will use packaged bread dough to make a few next time.

I forgot to add that this is my mushroom dip

8 ounces fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons onions, chopped
1 -2 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 -3 tablespoons flour (separated)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup light cream or 1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
1 Cut the mushrooms into slices.
2 Melt butter in large frying pan. Add in onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until onions are soft.
3 Blend in 2 T. flour and stir.
4 Add in the chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened while stirring frequently.
5 Stir cream with additional 1 T. flour and seasonings. Add in cream to soup. Heat to thicken while stirring frequently.
6 Serve and enjoy!

Note - Between step 5 and 6 I added an additional tablespoon of flour because I like the soup a bit thicker.

I had to share this picture of a beautiful dessert table from one if my baking sites. The snowmen are just too cute and easy to make. Just search for BROWNIE POP SNOWMAN and you will see how to do them. Tap on pic to enlarge it.

Karen - I will check out the recipe for the snowman, thanks

here's some pictures I took yesterday as we get ready for Christmas dinner

fried meatballs ready for the pasta sauce



lasagna






butter cookies






decorations

Cream Puffs


1 stick of butter
1 cup of water
A pinch of salt
1 cup of flower
4 eggs
1 pkg. (3 1/2 oz.) cook and serve vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 pint heavy cream



Instructions

Cook pudding using the milk until it comes to a full boil. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on pudding. Refrigerate until set. (can be made the day before)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium pot add water, butter, and salt. As it starts to boil, add he flour and stir very fast to bring it all together into a ball. Continue cooking over medium heat just or a minute to cook off the raw flour. Take off the stove and add one egg at a time, mixing well with each addition.

On an ungreased cookie sheet place one full tablespoon of batter and with a spoon flatten it into a nice round shape. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Whip the cream to a stiff stage and fold into the pudding.

Slice the top off the puff, remove the center and fill with cream mixture. Put the top back on

What a beautiful spread. If you can't figure out the snowman, let me know. They are really easy if you start with a good brownie mix.

Deb made a few changes to our Christmas Menu

Appetizers

Shrimp Cocktail

Cheese Tray

Sapppasatta & Proscutti

Deviled Eggs

Cornbeef Casserole

Piggies in the Blanket

Mozzarella and Roasted Peppers

Rice Balls - Hot and Regular

Spinach Dip


Dinner

Lasagna and Ravioli

Meatball, Sausage and Braciole

Fried Chicken Cutlets

Cookies

Butter and Chocolate chip

Rainbow and Fig

Pizzelles

Pinulatt

Candy

Turtles

Raisin and Coconut Clusters

Peanut Cluster


Our Christmas Eve Menu will be

Filet Migion

Fried Shrimp

Eggplant Parm

Salad

Stuffed Artichoke

Potatoes with Onions