Holm Family Cookbook

Maple Bacon Cupcakes!

I started baking just for fun and family get-togethers about a year ago. My mother in law asked me to bake some cupcakes and cake pops for a church group event she was hosting and I jumped at the chance. She kept telling me to make up some kind of price list because the women there were going to want to order more cupcakes from me after this, and I kept procrastinating. Finally, I sat down the night before delivery and made up a few price points for cupcakes and cake pops. From that one party I have filled over 100 orders! It has tree branched/snow balled into quite the busy little hobby for me. I have done everything from 1st birthdays to funerals.

Guinness Cupcake (the manly cupcake!)

The most interesting thing has been all of the different people I have met throughout my baking adventures. From people who love my cupcakes and cake pops, to people who have never had a cake pop, and are a little scared to try one. I love it when people come to me and ask me to make a flavor I have never made before – like the Apple Pie. A customer asked what kind of autumn flavors I could make and the first thing that came to mind was of course, Pumpkin Spice. She agreed and asked if I could maybe try to make an Apple Cupcake that tasted like pie as well. I told her to give me 2 days to work this out and when I did she would be the first to taste it. I figured it out and let her try it and she fell in love with it. It is a lightly spiced vanilla cupcake with homemade apple pie filling in the middle and vanilla butter cream on top. She also loved the Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes as well (which has Cinnamon Cream Cheese frosting on top) and ordered 2-dozen of each!

The Apple Pie Cupcake

Baking helps me relax after spending all day taking care of all the duties of a stay-at-home mom. So for me it's not about orders to be filled, it's more about how I am helping someone out that doesn’t have the time to bake for themself. And as stressful as it can be, in the end, when I deliver their orders and see how excited they are about how I have decorated their goodies and personalized something as simple as a cupcake just for them – that is a really good feeling for me.

Pumpkin Cupcake

Lavender Honey Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons dried lavender (you can usually find it at health food stores like Van’s)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup milk

Honey Frosting (recipe below)

Dried lavender (optional for a light sprinkle on the top of the frosting)

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Meanwhile line cupcake pans with cupcake papers. In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, 2 teaspoons of lavender and salt.

In another mixing bowl mix together the butter and eggs with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Once mixed together add sugar, honey and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour and the milk.

Spoon batter in to cupcake pan with liners and fill about 3/4 the way full.

Bake 10-12 minutes (Depending on your oven, you will need to keep an eye on them. For me it takes about 15 minutes but I am constantly checking in them after about 10 minutes). Cool completely, then frost and sprinkle with dried lavender.

Honey Frosting

1-8ounce package of Cream Cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powder sugar

3 tablespoons honey

Beat together cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add vanilla and honey and beat well. Add powder sugar slowly (or it will blow up and into your face!) and mix well. Continue to add powder sugar until the frosting forms peaks and they don’t move. If your frosting is too thick add about one teaspoon of milk to thin it back out.

Good luck and happy baking!

~ Cousin Kellie Alcon

 Tiny Treats Cupcakes - Click the Facebook icon for more information about Kellie's Tiny Treats.

The tray of mini desserts that I served on Christmas Day

Mini desserts are the rage at restaurants, catered events, and parties these days. Most people want something sweet after dinner and don't want a large dessert. Many of us also like to try a few different things, so the minis are just perfect. I decided to serve mini desserts after dinner on Christmas day this year and my guests were excited that I served them.

To make it easy on myself I bought two premade mini desserts and my daughter, Whitney, and I made one. One of the desserts that I bought was a box of mini cheesecakes from Costco. There were actually three flavors of cheesecakes in the box, which brought the number of different desserts up to five. The second dessert that I bought were mini chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream cones from Trader Joe's. These were a hit. My guests were thrilled to get the ice cream cones.

Mini cheesecakes from Costco

Mini chocolate dipped vanilla ice cream cones from Trader Joe's

The dessert that Whitney and I made was a chocolate mousse layered with crushed Oreo cookies that we topped with fresh whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and a Hershey's Kiss all made in shot glasses. Most dessert recipes can be prepared in mini containers.  I purchased the shot glasses that I served them in at World Market. Pier 1 Imports currently has a nice selection of mini glasses and other serving dishes for mini desserts and appetizers. If you stop by the store, Pier 1 Imports has a pamphlet about tasting parties that includes ideas and some recipes. The Pier 1 Imports website has a beautiful display of photos and recipes - click here to check them out.

Chocolate mousse layered mini desserts that my daughter and I made for after dinner on Christmas Day

Mini martini glasses available at Pier 1 Imports stores

Mini sampler set available at Pier 1 Imports

The mini desserts can be easy to make. Whitney and I really did not follow a recipe. We made a packaged mousse recipe, crushed Oreos, and made some whipped cream. To get the mousse and the whipped cream into the glasses without making a mess all over the sides of the glasses, we put the mousse and whipped cream into plastic zip-lock bags with a hole cut into one corner of each bag and piped the mousse and whipped cream into the glasses.  I put a frosting tip into the hole in the bag with the whipped cream so that the whipped cream looked a bit more decorative. We sprinkled some decorative candies on top of the whipped cream and topped the dessert with a Hershey's kiss.

Surprise your guests this New Year's Eve with some mini desserts. Go crazy with them!

~merry~

A sample of the wide variety of cookies and candies from this year's exchange: chocolate crinkles, double orange, snickerdoodle biscotti, shortbread, English toffee, lemon drops, chocolate balls

Three years ago I blogged about a Christmas cookie exchange 11 of my coworkers and I started that year at work. At the first exchange we were wowed by the French chocolate bark our coworker Louella brought for the exchange. She neatly packed the bark into twelve small green glass bread pans. The wife of another coworker brought chocolate Christmas mice, which were also a hit.  Click here to read about the first exchange

That year I brought the spritz cookies that my family and I make at a yearly spritz cookie making party. To read about the cookie making party and see the recipe, click here. 

Last year, I was not into making cookies for the exchange, so I made homemade peanut brittle. Believe it or not, peanut brittle is quicker and easier to make than cookies. Click here to learn how to make it and get the recipe.

I spent some time this past weekend prepping for the third annual cookie exchange. I made muddy buddies, a snack mix, instead of cookies. And, as I am writing this blog, it is 6:30 a.m. and I have potatoes baking in the oven for the luncheon we have in conjunction with the cookie exchange. The first year we had a taco and taco salad bar at the luncheon.  I made easy picante chicken in a crockpot for the tacos and salad. Click here for the recipe.  Last year we had a baked potato bar. When the call went out this year for ideas for the luncheon some people wanted tacos again, others wanted baked potatoes. There were no suggestions for anything new, so we are having a taco and baked potato bar.

It's now 9:30 p.m. and I'm feeling a bit queasy from all of the decadent sweets that I ate today. The variety of cookies and candy that my coworkers made for today's cookie exchange was incredible. There were snickerdoodle biscotti, lemon drop cookies, shortbread, English toffee, oatmeal raisin cookies, double orange cookies, chocolate mint chip cookies, and chocolate crinkles. Louella wowed us again this year with some chocolate balls made from an Ina Garten recipe. Besides the wide assortment of cookies and candies, there was also a variety of packages that the cookies were packed in.

A sample of the cookie packagings

Muddy buddies

Muddy Buddies

Ingredients

9 cups Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, or Chocolate Chex cereal (or combination)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Measure the cereal into a large bowl and set aside. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high for 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 20 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the cereal, stirring until evenly coated, and taking care to not break the cereal. Pour into a 2-gallon resealable food-storage (Ziploc) plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal the bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

NOTE: If you don't have a 2-gallon resealable Ziploc bag, use two 1-gallon bags. Put 1/2 of the cereal mixture and powdered sugar into each bag. Rotate shaking the bags.

~merry~

Christmas cookies and happy hearts, this is how the holiday starts.

Our friend, and recipe tester, Robert Mukhar, has made his Whiskey Cake on several occasions. I knew some of our readers would enjoy the recipe! He got the recipe from his mom who had ripped it out of an old magazine, probably the Ladies Home Journal. Thank goodness for those magazines!

Robert first made the Whiskey Cake for an “inventory potluck” at Macy's. Robert works in the Lancome department as Merchandising Manager. On those nights when they all have to work late to take inventory, “it makes for a better evening while counting those Lancome lipsticks!” Ever since then, Robert has made it for birthdays and during the holidays at the guest’s suggestion or request. Robert says, “It always makes for a festive affair! Please enjoy & drink (eat) responsibly. I made it the other day with a devil’s food cake mix & everyone loved it even more!”

Whiskey Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (without pudding) or devils food (yum!)

1 box instant vanilla pudding or chocolate (if making the devils food version)

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup milk

1 shot whiskey (a double shot is ok too)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine all ingredients except nuts. Mix 3 minutes on high speed. Add nuts. Pour into well greased bunt pan. Bake at 350* for 30 to 50 minutes. My gas oven cooks fast so it's done in about a 1/2 an hour.

Topping

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup whiskey (or a little more)

Melt butter. Add sugar and whiskey. Cook until dissolved and almost of a syrup texture. After removing cake from oven, poke holes in top (I use a chop stick) leave the cake in the pan while doing this. Pour about 1/2 of the topping on the cake, let cake sit in pan to cool for a while, and allow topping to settle in. Remove cake and pour the rest of topping over it. Serve alone or with whipped cream or ice cream—enjoy!

I love whiskey, even in cake. Thanks for sharing Robert!! ~ Susie

Josey, Rory, Robert and Brenda at the Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth Texas, modeling aprons from the "Apron Chronicles" Exhibit

"Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."  W.C. Fields

Strawberry shortcake

Throughout my career in IT I have had the opportunity to host and mentor interns. Several years ago I participated in a program that brought native Hawaiians to the mainland to learn a variety of technologies, such as networking, computer hardware repair, and vacuum technology. I really enjoyed working with the Hawaiians. I learned a lot about the islands and the Hawaiian culture. Also, most of the Hawaiians would bring me macadamia nut shortbread. If you have not had these cookies before, you ought to try them. They are awesome.

This summer I had the opportunity to mentor a student named Whitney from a small college in South Carolina. She is the sweetest and most polite young lady I think I have ever met. I'm hoping some of her southern manners rubbed off on me.

The time Whitney was here just flew by--it seemed like she had just arrived and it was already time for her to go back to South Carolina. To send her off, I hosted a luncheon at my house.  Since the luncheon was during a workday, I had to make things that were quick to make, but  I also wanted the food to be good. I ended up serving chicken Marsala (click here to go to the recipe. I am telling you folks, this chicken Marsala rocks!), baked potatoes, Caesar salad, fresh fruit display, strawberry shortcake, and Trader Joe's tiramisu.

Chicken Marsala

When it came to the strawberry shortcake, instead of making individual shortcakes, I made one large cake. In the interest of time, I used canned whipped cream instead of whipping my own. I found the recipe on-line and it looked beautiful when served. Unfortunately it looked a lot better than it tasted. The cake was heavy, hard, and I could taste the shortening.

Since this cake looked so nice when it was ready to serve and was fairly easy to make, I was determined to tweak the recipe to make one that tasted as good as it looked and I think I succeeded.  Here is my tweaked recipe:

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups sliced strawberries

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar, plus 4 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

2 cups heavy whipped cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease and flour one 9 inch round cake pan.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar onto the strawberries. Mix in and let the sit. 

Into a medium sized mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add 1/3 cup sugar and mix. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter with the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. 

Break the egg into a small bowl and beat the egg.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk and beaten egg. Use a fork to mix the ingredients. Mix until nearly all of the flour is mixed in. Roll up the mixture and kneed two times, while still in the bowl to mix all of the flour in.

The egg and milk poured into the "well" in the center of the flour

Spread the batter into the greased and floured cake pan. Sprinkle a bit of sugar on top. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for about 15 minutes on a wire rack.  To remove the cake from the pan, place a platter that is larger than the cake pan over the top of the pan. Hold the plate onto the pan and turn the pan upside down. The cake should drop onto the plate. Cut the cake in half, making two layers. If part of the shortcake breaks while you are cutting it, no worries. You can use the whipped cream to hold it together.

The dough spread into the cake pan

Shortcake baked to a golden brown

Pour the whipped cream into a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and sugar. Whip the cream until you can form peaks.

Spread 1/3 of the whipping cream on the bottom layer of the cake. Spread half of the strawberries on top of the whipped cream. Place the top layer of the cake on top of the bottom layer. Spread 1/3 of the whipping cream on the top layer of the cake and spread the rest of the strawberries on the top.

Serve each piece of shortcake with a dollop of whipped cream.

~merry~

In preparation for National Ice Cream Day on July 17th, we wanted to share our Granny’s famous ice cream recipe. Our cousin Lori and her family came out from Texas this 4th of July and she whipped up a batch of the strawberry ice cream for the family reunion on the Circle H Ranch.

A good time was had by all, and the ice cream was quickly inhaled.

Taking a dip in the cement pond - holding water since 1938!

Granny saved ice cream making for special summer occasions—such as birthdays, Father’s Day, or the Fourth of July.

Before she got an electric ice cream maker, the cousins would all get to take turns turning the crank on the old ice cream machine. I can remember all the cousins fighting over who would get to lick the dasher from inside the ice cream machine.

The famous ice cream dasher

Here are my favorites from Granny’s ice cream recipes.

Granny’s Strawberry Ice Cream

6 pints ripe strawberries, cleaned and hulled

2 pints heavy whipping cream

1 pint half-and-half

3/4 cup sugar

11/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a food processor or blender, process 5 pints of the berries until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the fruit with the cream, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Mash the remaining pint of strawberries with a potato masher and stir into the cream mixture. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Makes 5 quarts.

Granny’s Peach Ice Cream

8 ripe medium-size peaches

2 pints heavy whipping cream

1 pint half-and-half

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons amaretto

Drop the peaches into a large pot of boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and cool. Slip the skins off of the peaches, cut in half, and remove the pits. Process 6 of the peaches in a food processor or blender until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the fruit with the cream, half-and-half, sugar, and amaretto and mix well. Cut the remaining 2 peaches into 1/4-inch dice; stir them into the cream mixture. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Makes 4 quarts.

~ Lori Neely South

Jamie (a few years ago) with green beans picked in Papa's Garden

My niece Jamie has a yearly bake-off competition at work and this year she won 1st place!  There were about 12 entries in this year's competition.  Some of the items entered were cupcakes, chocolate sheet cake, key lime pie and almond bars.  Jamie made a chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting using recipes from the Cake Doctor book, which she modified.  She layered fresh cut strawberries in between the layers. Everyone told Jamie that her cake was very moist and not too rich.

Jamie gets to keep the “Baker of the Year” trophy on her desk for the year.

Jamie's "Baker of the Year" trophy

I’m so glad to see the skill of baking has carried over to the 5th generation of the Holm family.

Congratulations Jamie!

~Wendy~

Jamie's award winning cake

Jamie's Winning Cake Recipe

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pans

Flour for dusting the pans

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix

1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/3 cups of water

1 cup of melted Hershey chocolate chips

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

Chocolate Frosting Recipe

2 sticks of butter (softened)

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

8 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

6 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions for cake:

Cook at 350 F.  Lightly mist two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust the pans with flour.  Shake out the excess flour and set pans aside

Place cake mix, pudding mix, cocoa powder, water, melted chocolate chips, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed.  The batter should look thin and well combined.  Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops withthe rubber spatula.  Place the pans in the oven side by side.

Bake the cake layers for approximately 30-35 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wireracks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes.  Run a dinner knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes.  Invert each layer onto wire rack then invert again to another rack so that the cakes are right side up.  Let the layers cool completed, 20 minutes longer. 

Meanwhile, make the chocolate frosting and slice the strawberries.

Slice the two 9 inch cakes evenly in order to make a four layer cake. Layer the chocolate frosting and strawberries between each layer.  Frost the top and side of the cake, working with smooth, clean strokes.  Top the cake with three uncut strawberries.

Directions for Frosting:

Place butter, cocoa powder and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Add the powdered sugar and also add the tablespoons of milk.  If frosting is not moist enough, add another tablespoon of water.  Mix until soft and creamy.

You may not realize this, but today is National Chocolate Chip Day, who would have known?!

An entire day set aside for America’s favorite cookie. No one has been able to discover any congressional records or presidential proclamations for the occassion, but the chocolate chip cookie is certainly deserving of the accolades.The marvelous, melt-in-your-mouth treats haven’t been around all that long. According to wikipedia.com the stories goes like this...

The chocolate chip cookie was accidentally developed by Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1930. She owned the Toll House Inn, in Whitman, Massachusetts, a very popular restaurant that featured home cooking in the 1930s. The restaurant's popularity was not just due to its home-cooked style meals; her policy was to give diners a whole extra helping of their entrées to take home with them and a serving of her homemade cookies for dessert. Her cookbook, Toll House Tried and True Recipes,

was published in 1936 by M. Barrows & Company, New York. It included the recipe "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie", which rapidly became a favorite to be baked in American homes (that included the Holm family, this is by far our mother's FAVORITE cookie of all times, she was 7 at the time of publication, no wonder!).

When googling “chocolate chip cookie recipe” you discover 1,300,000 pages dedicated to the chocolate treasure, that’s a lot o’ chocolate chips!! Some of the mainstays that popped up were Betty Crocker’s “Ultimate” Chocolate Chip Cookie, Sunset Magazine’s “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookie, Hershey’s also had the “perfect” cookie (how's a woman to choose??). Of course Martha Stewart has a recipe, “soft and chewy” as she brings up the age old question, “thin and crispy or soft and chewy?” Land O’ Lakes Butter touts a gluten free recipe, and just to cover our bases, and there is no shortage of vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes, 344,000 vegan chocolate chip recipes can be found on google, and supervegan.com had “The best vegan chocolate chip cookie ever. Serious." And then we really need to remember the source, Nestle Toll House, the original recipe. But when it comes right down to it, we stick with our Granny’s recipe, found in The Holm Family Cookbook!!

Granny’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ione Teeter Holm

Makes 4 dozen cookies

1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco), plus more to oil the pans

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

21/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (12-ounce) package chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375˚F and oil (or spray) several cookie sheets. In a bowl, cream together the shortening and both sugars. Add the eggs, water, and vanilla and mix until well blended. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed shortening mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the nuts and chocolate chips and mix again. Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until light brown.

Happy Baking!! Nancy

Philadelphia style Jewish apple cake

Several weeks ago I pulled a recipe for Jewish apple cake out of the Relish magazine that comes as an insert in my newspaper. I had never heard of nor eaten Jewish apple cake before I saw the recipe in the Relish magazine, but being a lover of almost anything with apples and cinnamon it was something I wanted to try. The article that accompanied the recipe said that you will find Jewish apple cake in the bakery cases at coffeehouses in Philadelphia, which has the fourth-largest Jewish population in America. The cake is often served at gatherings during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, when eating sweet foods is believed to ensure a sweet year. In the Jewish apple cake, vegetable oil and orange juice are used in place of milk and butter, to meet kosher laws saying that dairy cannot be eaten at the same meal as meat.

I bought the Granny Smith apples needed for the recipe and when I started to make the cake I discovered I only had three eggs and I needed four. So a week later I bought the eggs and had the apples only to discover that I didn't have the orange juice. Yesterday the stars were aligned. Finally, I had all of the ingredients needed for the cake and the time to make it. My 15-year old daughter Whitney and I worked as a team to make the cake and we got it in the oven in no time.

The cake turned out great and tasted as good as it looks.

The ingredients for the Jewish apple cake.

The last layer of apples

The last layer of batter

A slice of the Jewish apple cake

Jewish Apple Cake - Philadelphia Style - serves 16

Ingredients

6  cups peeled and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples (about 3 large)

1/2  cup plus 5 tablespoons, granulated sugar, divided

4  teaspoons cinnamon

3  cups all purpose flour

1  tablespoon baking powder

1/2  teaspoon salt

4  eggs

1/2  cup light brown sugar

1  cup vegetable oil

1/2  cup orange juice

2 1/2  teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease, sugar and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan. Be sure to grease the Bundt pan really well. If you use cooking spray, be sure to heavily coat the pan with oil, otherwise the cake will stick. Combine apple slices with 5 tablespoons granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat eggs with remaining granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add vegetable oil, orange juice and vanilla; beat well. Gradually blend in flour mixture and mix until well blended (about one minute). Pour one third of the batter into the pan. Top with half the apple slices, draining off any liquid. Pour in half the remaining batter and top with remaining apple slices. Top with remaining batter, making sure the apples are covered. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until the top turns golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Recipe by Carolyn Wyman.

NOTE: I used olive oil in my cake because that's usually the only oil that I have. If you use olive oil in baking, be sure it is an extra virgin oil, otherwise the strong taste of olive oil will flavor your baked goods.

Happy Monday!

~merry~

I'm worried, is this enough dessert???

Our family has never been shy when it comes to dessert - as the 1960's table above paints quite a picture! As we were gathering recipes for the cookbook, we realized we had as many dessert recipes as all the other sections combined. Some of the mainstays from the table pictured above include Sophie's Danish Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cowboy Cookies, Oatmeal Crisps, Russian Tea Cakes, Rosettes, and Spritz (I think our all time favorite) pictured below with the recipe. All of these recipes, and many, many more our found in The Holm Family Cookbook.

Spritz Cookies

Granny carried on the Danish tradition of celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve by inviting friends and relatives for lunch. She served traditional foods such as her famous Danish pickles,open-face sandwiches, and spritzkage or butter cookies. This is her recipe. She used a cookie press (we still use her's, shown in the picture below), which is needed for these cookies. In the evening, the Holm children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren opened presents and sang discordant carols. Ione’s granddaughters have carried on her tradition of making spritz cookies at Christmastime. In true Holm fashion, they make a party out of it. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

 - Ione Teeter Holm

21/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3/4 cup sugar

Dash salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time. Put the dough in a cookie press using the 1/8-inch ridged cookie design disk and press the dough out onto cool, unbuttered cookie sheets.

Bake until set but not brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cut the strips into 3-inch lengths while they are still hot.

The End!

During the holidays I often make peanut brittle or English toffee to give as gifts. I also make canning jar bread, which is pumpkin or zucchini bread made in wide mouth canning jars and sealed. People really seem to appreciate receiving homemade gifts and for those people that have everything, consumables are usually the best gifts. I have already made six batches of peanut brittle to give as gifts during this holiday season.

Tins filled with peanut brittle and ready to give as gifts

The thought of making candy used to scare me as I mistakenly thought making candy would be a very long, complicated process. I have since discovered that as long as you can follow instructions and read a thermometer, you can make candy. In most cases it is not a long process. The peanut brittle that I make takes less than an hour. The English toffee is a two step process because you have to wait for the toffee to cool before you put the chocolate on it, but in total it too takes less than an hour and the outcome is very impressive.

The recipe that I use for the peanut brittle is from our cookbook. The ingredients are very common and you probably have most of them in your pantry, with the exception of the raw Spanish peanuts. Many grocery stores carry the raw Spanish peanuts during the holiday, but if you can't find them at a grocery store, try a health food store. Here is the recipe with very detailed instructions.

Mimi's Peanut Brittle - Serves 12

Equipment needed:

Candy thermometer

3-quart pot

Silicone or heat resistant spatula--don't use metal utensils or you could burn yourself

Measuring cups and teaspoon

14-inch by 20-inch baking sheet

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup hot water

Pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups raw peanuts - Spanish peanuts work well

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

The Peanut Brittle Ingredients

Instructions

Lightly butter the baking sheet. I don't have 14-inch by 20-inch baking sheet, but I have a 10-inch by 16-inch pan with sides. The sides are important if you don't have the larger cookie sheet--without the sides the hot molten candy will spill onto your counter.

Lightly Buttered Cookie Sheet

Before you start cooking, be sure to measure out the baking soda and vanilla into separate containers. If you have to take the time to measure them out later, the peanut brittle will burn.

In the 3-quart pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt. Mix well. Cook over high heat until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F or the hard crack stage. It will take at least 15 minutes from the time the sugar mixture starts to boil until it reaches 300 degrees.

The Boiling Sugar Mixture

Slowly add the raw peanuts to the boiling sugar mixture and stir in the peanuts. Reduce the temperature to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a soft yellow. Note:  This is the trickiest part of making the peanut brittle. Adding the peanuts to the mixture will reduce the temperature of the sugar mixture. The peanuts will become a cluster that you will need to keep stirring and mixing or the peanuts will burn. It is important to maintain the 300 degree temperature. Keep mixing the peanuts until the peanut cluster loosens up and all of mixture is boiling again. It is easier to stir the peanuts if you don't have the thermometer in the pot at this time, but be sure to make sure the temperature doesn't get too hot or too low.

Once the sugar mixture has turned a soft yellow and the peanuts have become a shade darker, stir in the baking soda and the vanilla, and still well until it is all mixed in. The mixture will boil up to the top of the pot. This is why it is very important to have a 3-quart pot--to prevent the candy from boiling up all over the stove.

The Yellow Peanut Brittle Mixture Boiling Up to the Top of the Pot

Continue to stir well or the bottom will burn. Turn the candy out onto the baking sheet and spread the peanut brittle mixture into a thin sheet. When cool, break it into pieces and store in an air-tight container.

When I give the peanut brittle as gifts, I put the peanut brittle it into quart-size or sandwich-size ziploc bags and put the ziploc bag into decorative tins. One batch of peanut brittle will yield about three 12-ounce quart-size bags or four sandwich size bags.

Peanut Brittle Turned Out onto the Lightly Buttered Cookie Sheet

The Peanut Brittle Broken Up into Bite Sized Pieces

~merry~

Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting.

 ~ Princess Elizabeth, Asquith Bibesco

Summer time means fair time for the Holm family. The annual Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, CA, has played significant and varied roles in our lives. Many of us have been exhibitors at the fair. As a small child, I remember going to the fair to see my grandfather’s hay on display. It was at the same fair that I saw an “iron lung.”

Because agriculture has been such a large part of our lives, the Junior Livestock Show and Auction is the event in which most Holm family members have participated. The Holms, Calhouns, Neelys, and Carters have all exhibited market lambs, beef cattle, and horses, with many of their 4H and Future Farmers of America projects being sold at the Junior Livestock Auction. Dick and Ione Holm were ardent supporters and stayed late into the evening, bidding on and buying not only their family’s animals, but also their friend’s. We continue to honor Dick and Ione by sponsoring an award in their name each year. Bob Holm continues the tradition of buying at the auction and has been buyer of many champion lots. Numerous family members help host the Junior Livestock Booster’s annual barbecue.

Livestock is not the only area in which the Holm family has competed for prizes and won! Tilli Calhoun and Nancy Mueller both have won prizes in the Fine Arts and Photography Department. Petra Holm has wowed the judges with her beautiful knitting and crochet.

For some of us, the fair has been a place of employment. I began working at the racetrack, where Hank Neely would often enjoy an afternoon. Merry Carter, Wendy Howe, Nancy Mueller, Patsy Neely, and I have all spent summers working in the Competitive Exhibit Department, working with everything from art to wine, and pies to pigs.

Gelato was a main staple during the 2010 fair. Matt the owner of Colossal Gelato likes to use local produce…It is made fresh daily. At the Alameda County Fair he used fresh ollalaberries, blueberries and blackberries from Brentwood for Berry Mountain, Fresh Blood oranges for Blood Orange and fresh cherries for Cherry Chocolate Chip – he invited in the fair manager’s family to learn how to make it. He also had frequent buyer cards available – buy 5 get one free. His next stop on the fair circuit is Santa Maria, so you can only imagine how delicious the strawberry will be!!

Our next stop on the fair circuit is the Amador County Fair in Plymouth, CA,  July 29 - August 1, my husband Troy Bowers happens to be the CEO. Through a fair connection, I was invited to go on a blind date with Troy - what good fortune - I married him! Troy’s father, Bates, was the fair manager and his mother, Jean, was the secretary of the Kings District Fair in Hanford. (The fair must run deep in our blood!)

We have not often entered baked goods in the county fair, but our longtime family friend Howard Bettencourt has. He graciously gave us his award-winning pie recipe to include in our cookbook. His pies are a remarkable sight—and delicious. (It looks best when it's whole, before they cut into it for the judging!)

Howard’s Blue Ribbon Boysenberry Pie  

Howard Bettencourt has been entering pies in the Alameda County Fair for more than 15 years and he has a box of blue and gold ribbons to show for his efforts! He is famous for his crust, which he rolls out between sheets of wax paper, rather than a floured countertop. He says avoiding the extra flour keeps the crust tender.

Pastry crust

2½ cups sifted unbleached or all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter-flavored Crisco

5 tablespoons cold water

Filling

4 tablespoons instant tapioca

4 cups fresh boysenberries

1½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

To make the crust, in a medium bowl mix together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or a pair of knives, cut the shortening into the flour. Add the water all at once and mix with a fork.

Then pull the dough together with your hands. Divide the dough in half and roll out 1 piece between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Line the bottom of an 8-inch pie pan with the dough. Set aside.

To make the filling, grind the tapioca in a coffee grinder to break it down. In a bowl, mix the tapioca with the berries, sugar, and lemon juice and toss well. Pour the fruit into the uncooked pastry shell. Roll out the second piece of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper and cover theberries with it. Press the edges together to seal, then crimp them. Cut vents in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Let cool before serving.  Makes one 8-inch 2-crust pie

~ Susie Calhoun

"Fair time is fun time!!"

I love Dutch oven cooking. For those of you that are not familiar with it, Dutch oven cooking is done outdoors with cast iron cookware and hot coals. This method of cooking is a great way to have a good hot meal when you are out in the middle of nowhere without electricity or don’t have an oven or stove available.

To keep things simple and easy to clean up, I use the match light or the light in the bag coals. I light the coals in a disposable aluminum turkey pan. I use another aluminum turkey pan by lining the bottom with a specific number of coals, place the Dutch oven on top of the coals, and then put a specific number of coals on the top. The disposable turkey pans are fairly sturdy and I have used the same ones for a few years.

Dutch oven in aluminum turkey pan

The competitive Dutch oven chefs have special equipment for heating the coals and holding the coals and Dutch ovens while the food is cooking.

Dutch oven table used by a competitive Dutch oven chef

A favorite dessert that I make for special occasions at the family party barn is a caramel apple crisp. I found this recipe a few years ago on Byron’s Dutch Oven Cooking Page website.

Caramel apple crisp

Caramel Apple Crisp Serves 16

Filling

8-10 large granny smith apples; peeled, cored and sliced

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

3/4 tsp. salt

1 (12 oz.) jar caramel sauce

Topping

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 cup instant oatmeal

1 cup butter; melted

½ cup chopped walnuts

In a buttered 12" Dutch oven add apples and lemon juice; stir to coat apples. In a separate dish combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt; stir to mix. Pour dry ingredients over apples and stir until apples are well coated. Spread out apples and pour caramel sauce over the top. In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and walnuts; stir to mix. Using a fork, mix in melted butter to form coarse crumbs. Spread topping evenly over apples. Cover Dutch oven and bake using 10-12 briquettes bottom and 16-18 briquettes top for 60 minutes. 

Little known fact - our family has married into royalty - strange but true. In the small grotto of Hollister, CA, our cousin, Patti Knoblich, married the ‘Cot King (Gary Gonzales) and has summarily been crowned the ‘Cot Queen! If we are so proud of our nobility, you are probably scratching your head and wondering, “What is a ‘Cot?” for crying out loud.

If you grew up in an agricultural area of Northern California before the 70’s, you knew that a ‘cot was an Apricot! Yes, before Silicon Valley became the computer capitol it is today, it was the capitol of ‘cots. In the 1920’s and 30’s, over 2,737 apricot growers farmed over 18,631 acres, one family being Frank and Mary Gonzales, parents to Gary, who was bequeathed the Gary, King of ‘Cots, and is now our cousin Patti’s husband; i.e. family royalty.

Our family has been intertwined with ‘cots for generations now. Our dad Wayne, and his brother Ken Calhoun used to “cut” cots for their father’s cousin that had orchards in the Niles District (now Fremont), when they were as young as 7 years old (no child labor laws back then, kept them out of trouble!), being paid 7 – 10 cents per box. They “cut” the apricots in half, removed the seeds, and would lay them on flats to dry. Our mother Tilli and her friend Nancy Henry Lyons used to pick and cut ‘cots in Turlock when they were in high school in the 40’s, for 10 cents a box (and the boxes were big, no complaining about minimum wage okay).

With H.P., Cisco, Apple, 3Com and Adobe moving into town and cementing the fields, most growers have moved East to the San Joaquin Valley where apricots are predominately found today. We Californian’s are proud to be the producers of over 95% of all apricots grown in the United States!

There are songs written about apricots, Apricot Stone,  an Apricots Restaurant you can dine in, an Apricot Hotel you can stay in (if you are traveling to Istanbul?!), and even a celebration in honor of the mighty apricot, the Apricot Fiesta in the town of Patterson!

So in the middle of winter when you are longing for those juicy summer stone fruits, choose a dried apricot, they’re good for you! Here's one of the Gonzales Family recipes, give it a try, or visit their website www.apricotking.com for more apricot ideas, or purchase apricot products, a couple of my favorites are Apricot Puddles and Apricot Pepper Syrup.

Mom's Favorite Apricot Squares

Ingredients (filling)

12 oz. (2 heaping cups) dried Blenheim apricots

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups water (about 12 oz.)

Directions (filling)

Place the apricots in a large saucepan and add water. It should cover the apricots by about an inch. If it doesn't add or remove water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until apricots are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Drain and save any remaining liquid.

Combine the reserved apricot liquid with the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in chopped apricots and set the mixture aside to cool.

Ingredients (crust)

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)

Directions (crust)

In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the flour and add nuts. The mixture will be crumbly.

Directions (assembly)

Set aside about 1 1/2 cups of the crust mixture. Pat the remaining mixture into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake the crust in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Remove crust from oven and spread apricot mixture evenly over it. Sprinkle with reserved crust mixture and more nuts. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the squares begin to turn a light, golden brown.

Remove from oven and place the pan on a rack to cool. Cut into 2" squares.

To learn more about our mighty California 'Cot visit califapricots.com, apricotproducers.com or apricotfacts.com.

Nancy, Cousin to the Queen of 'Cots

Our family has participated in and worked at the Alameda County Fair for three generations. We have helped to coordinate the wine competition for close to three decades now, and a number of years back, Courtney Townsend catered the awards dinner, and we have enjoyed working with her ever since. Courtney is a graduate of Paris' Le Cordon Bleu, a professional chef and the Fine Foods Editor for the San Francisco Sentinel. She recently published a story "Freedom Pie," and a recipe for "Freedom Sauce" in memory of Martin Luther King Jr., and we wanted to share this recipe with you…

“Freedom Sauce”

Caramel sauce with roasted pecans

THE RECIPE

4oz unsalted butter

1cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

8oz evaporated milk or heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey

6oz Georgia pecan halves- toasted

Pinch salt

THE PROCESS

1. Heat a dry sauté pan on medium high heat. Toast the pecans till lightly fragrant. Immediately remove from pan and set aside.

2. Cube your butter into equal pieces. Add to a heavy bottomed saucepot with the brown sugar. This next step is the most important one! Melt together over medium low heat. Your goal is for the brown sugar granules to dissolve into the butter while it barely gives the butter a slightly nutty flavor. Quickly whisk until smooth.

3. When the mixture comes to just under a boil. It should appear a bit like molten lava. Remove from heat. Whisk in your salt & cream.

4. Allow sauce to cool for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the whiskey and vanilla.

5. Dip and go!

Key Tips/Comments

· If your sauce comes out a bit too loose, return to the heat and reduce on low for several minutes.

· Package your sauce in a glass jar to maintain true flavor. It will keep in the refrigerator for easily a month or longer.

· You can easily attain “Freedom” pie by adding a layer of warm “Freedom” sauce over your favorite sweet potatoe pie or any other pie for that matter!

Click here to read the entire story.

~ Susie and Nancy

During the summer my kids love to get crepes at the Livermore Farmers Market on Thursday nights. This morning I decided to try my hand at making crepes at home to serve to a daughter and one of her friends for breakfast. Instead of quickly finding a recipe on the Internet, I decided to look for one in the plethora of cookbooks I own. After consulting about five cookbooks, I found a recipe in an old Fannie Farmer Cookbook. 

1965 edition of Fannie Farmer Cookbook

I found the crepes fairly easy to make and there are many things you can stuff them with or spread on them. The ingredients for a crepe itself is very basic and found in most homes. They are versatile--depending on the filling, crepes can be made for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. For a breakfast filling, I spread Nutella on the crepes and put a row of sliced bananas on them and then rolled them up (the crepes my kids eat at the Farmers Market also have strawberries in them, but I did not have any this morning). Then I dusted them with powdered sugar. While eating them my 14-year old daughter told me I should be a chef, so I'm pretty sure she liked them.

Crepe with strawberries, Nutella, and bananas

Another of my kids’ favorite crepes at the Farmer’s Market has chicken, mushrooms, and pesto in them.

Below is the recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook where they are also called French pancakes. The cookbook says that these crepes are "the basis for some exceptional luncheon dishes and an epicurean way to use leftovers."  ~merry carter~

Crepes or French Pancakes

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup milk

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup all purpose or pastry flour

Directions

In a medium bowl, beat eggs only until well blended. Add the other ingredients. Stir until smooth. Cover and let stand at least ½ hour. The batter should be thin—just thick enough to coat a spoon dipped in it. If the batter is too thick, stir in a little more milk.

Heat a 5 or 6-inch frying pan and grease lightly with salad oil. Pour in just enough batter to cover the pan with a very thin layer. Tilt the pan so that the batter spreads evenly. If there is a little too much, tip the pan over the mixing bowl and pour the extra back.

Cook on one side, turn with a spatula, and brown the other side. Cook the pancakes one by one. Roll up or fold in quarters.

Keep warm if you are serving them immediately, or set aside and reheat in the oven. Makes 18 to 24.

We have demonstrated the Raspberry Trifle that is in our cookbook at a few events (see recipe below). When prepared and served in a trifle bowl it makes a beautiful dessert, as well as a delicious one. The first time I made this dessert it was the night before we were to demo it at a book-signing event. It took my cousin Wendy and me over two hours to make it, which really concerned us because we had about 30 minutes to make it during our demo.  Since that day I have made it several times and have it down to about 25 minutes–-except for the pudding that is folded into the whipped cream needs to be made either the night before or a few hours before assembly.  A couple of times I have substituted the raspberries and raspberry jam with cherries and cherry jam. While I really like the cherry version, a couple of the other Circle H Cowgirls like the raspberry best.  ~merry carter~

Here's a picture of the cherry trifle that I made for dessert on Christmas Day.

Cherry Trifle

Raspberry Trifle, serves 12

Trifle

1 (3-ounce) package of regular vanilla pudding (not instant)

2 cups half-and-half

1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum or 1 teaspoon rum flavoring

1 pound of pound cake

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons sugar

1 (10-ounce) jar raspberry jam

1/2 cup cream sherry

1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed

Topping

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 tablespoons sugar

Fresh raspberries or slivered almonds, for garnish (optional)

Make the pudding according to the package instructions, using the half-and-half and

rum in place of the milk. Chill the pudding thoroughly. When the pudding is chilled, cut the cake into 3 layers, horizontally. Cut each layer into 1-inch cubes, keeping each layer separate. Whip 1 cup of the heavy cream, beat in the vanilla and sugar. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled pudding.

To assemble the trifle, spread the sides of a 9-inch round clear glass bowl with some of

the jam. Put the cubes from 1 cake layer into the bowl. Spread jam on each square and

sprinkle 1/3 of the sherry over the cake squares. Add a layer of raspberries followed by

a layer of pudding. Continue adding layers in this order: cake squares with jam, sherry,

raspberries, and pudding. Be sure to spread the bottom of each cake square with jam

before adding. Repeat as many times as you can, making 2 or 3 layers.

To make the topping, whip the cream with the vanilla and sugar to taste. Spread the

whipped cream on the top of the trifle. Garnish with fresh berries or slivered almonds,

if desired. Chill the trifle for a couple of hours before serving.

Some lessons learned from making this trifle:

- Cut the poundcake in half lengthwise and then cut into squares, leaving the squares in place. Spread a thick coating of the jam over the squares. This is a huge time saver.

- I recommend making the trifle the night before so that the cake absorbs the liquid.

Today was a first annual cookie exchange with some of my coworkers. We are very optimistic that we'll be able to pull off another one next year, thus the "annual." There was a wide array of cookies and a couple confections. One of the tastiest and best presented was the French chocolate bark. My coworker, Louella, found this recipe by Ina Garten on the Food Network website (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-chocolate-bark-recipe/index.html). Below is a picture of the French chocolate bark. The bark was strategically arranged by Louella in small green bread pans and each attendee received one.

French chocolate bark

Our coworker, Ron, brought his wife, Mary, to work for the exchange. For an after-lunch treat, Mary brought a tray of Christmas mice, which were made of chocolate covered maraschino cherries and Hershey's Kisses. They each had ears of corn flakes and a tiny nose and eyes made of frosting. Below is a picture of one of the mice and the directions provided by Mary. Not only were the mice cute (this picture doesn't do it justice), but they were also tasty. My 16-year old daughter was the taste tester of the one pictured and she gave it a nod and a smile, which means it was really good. The recipe for the mouse follows.  ~merry carter~

Christmas Mice Recipe

Ingredients and Preparations

Honey Corn Flakes (Or Frosted Flakes) pour out on a plate and find pairs of flakes that are similar size, set aside

Hershey’s Kisses (unwrap)

Maraschino cherries with stems (rinse, lie on paper towels and pat dry)

Baker’s Dipping Chocolate (follow directions exactly, my micro required 3- 30 second rounds)

Decorating Gel (red or white) small tubes next to frosting

Wax or parchment paper (line a tray)

Directions

Do all preparations above and create assembly workspace. Holding the stem, dip a cherry into chocolate until covered, lift, let chocolate run off for a few seconds. Place cherry on its side on wax paper; press and hold Hershey kiss onto the opposite side from stem (this is the head of the mouse); let go, if kiss stays, move on to the next one; dip cherry, place on tray, press kiss into place.  After 10 mice are ready, dip the edges of a pair of corn flakes into the dipping chocolate; place flakes between the kiss and the cherry, hold for a few seconds until they stay in place. Repeat. After all mice are assembled, snip top of gel tube and squeeze gel onto a plate until you have a nice flow of gel. Now add two dots of gel onto the Hershey kiss for eyes, and one dot onto the tip of the Hershey Kiss for a nose. Do not refrigerate. Store in container where neither plastic wrap nor a lid will touch the mice.

Every year on a Saturday close to Christmas, some of my family members, a family friend, and I continue to carry on our grandmother's yearly tradition of making spritz cookies. The spritz cookie is a thin butter cookie that is made with a cookie press. Yesterday was our yearly cookie making event that includes a pre-cookie making dinner, wine, and lots of talking. This year we broke our record of seven batches of spritz and made eight batches. We had a real production line going with each person doing the same job througout the day, which made things move along much faster. A couple of years ago I was removed from the job of mixing the ingredients just because I forgot to add one of the essential ingredients. Naturally I was not the one mixing the ingredients yesterday. At the end of the day we each load the cookies up into containers and take them home. Most of my spritz cookies will be given away at a cookie exchange at work tomorrow. Below is the recipe for the spritz cookies. ~merry carter~

Spritz Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3/4 cup sugar

Dash salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.  Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time. Put the dough in a cookie press using the 1/8-inch ridged cookie design disk and press the dough out onto cold, unbuttered cookie sheets. Bake until set but not brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut the strips into 3-inch lengths while they are still hot.

Kim Bonde and Wendy Howe mix the ingredients

Nancy Mueller squeezes the spritz dough onto cookie sheets

One sheet ready for the oven

The finished product