Christmas Baking continues

Note:  if you are baking for others and bake early, you really should deliver early.  If you do not, you will end up like me,  baking again because you ate all of your goodies.   Ughhhhh
Yes, I admit it I love my sweets.  Today I will be making Hello Dollys and Pecan Sandies and I am going to make a wine cake.  The wine cake recipes come from my sister-in-law.   They are heavenly!  There is a white wine cake that is spicy and a blackberry wine cake that is fabulous.  The blackberry wine cake is a favorite of mine and Big T.  We had a get together at my in laws and my sister-in-law had made her blackberry wine cake.   Everyone had finished eating and was in the den relaxing.  I need to give you a little background before I finish the story.  Big T was in the 5th grade, so he was involved in the DARE program at school.  The DARE program teaches the kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.  When Sprat went through the program I got a lecture every time I had a glass of wine, which was not very often.  With Big T going through the program he also felt it necessary to add his two cents worth on my having a glass of wine.  I always told them when I had anything to drink I was not driving.   I cook with wine and beer regularly but I do not drink that often, just so you know.   With the back story out there back to our family get together. Big T came by me about three times with his plate full of blackberry wine cake.  I decided I would mention to him that the cake was made with wine (alcohol) just to give him a taste of what he had done to me.  His reply is typical Big T.  He said, "it's ok mommy I am not driving."    My boys do crack me up.

Here is your recipe for the Blackberry wine cake.

1 box of white cake mix

4 egss

3/4 cup oil

1 cup blackberry wine

1 3oz pkg of blackberry fusion jello

Mix all of this and put in an oiled bundt pan and bake at 325 for 60 minutes or until cake is done.

you can do a glaze to go on top with 1/2 cup of blackberry wine and 1/2 cup of sugar warmed to blend.  Pour over cake after it has cooled just a bit.   Let it sit for about 15 minutes before you try to turn it out.  

This is one of our favorites.  

Thursday Not so Crafty

Trying to finish shopping and wrapping and cleaning.  Are you seeing a pattern?  Pattern, that is in crafts.  Did not even get any baking done today, thankful I got a lot done yesterday.  Oh, let us not forget the after school orthodontist appointment. 
The never ending to do list of a mom. 
If I had been able to bake today this is what I would have made.
Pecan Sandies or Pecan Crescent
These are also a favorite from my mom.  My hubby calls them the incredible melting cookies because,  shock surprise I wrote the recipe down wrong and had too much butter and not enough flour.  My cookies ran all over the oven the first time I made them.  Ughhh. Yet another pattern of mine. 
I will give you the correct measurements for these yummy cookies.
1/4 lb butter
2 tbs sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar for later
Cream butter, sugar, and flour and nuts.
Once all combined make ball then shape into a crescent and bake 350 for 10-15 minutes.  After you take them out of the oven  dredge them in the powdered sugar.
These are lite and flakey.   I will be making these later.

Christmas Goodies. . .

Christmas just would not be the same without some Hello Dollys (7 layer cookies).  My mom has made these since I was little.  They are the best ever cookie and to me they sing Christmas.  I am fixing these today and maybe some butter cookies.  The butter cookies are not really Christmasy but I do love them.  The butter cookies are from my sister.  She used to make these all the time when she was in college.  I have had a little bit of a craving for both of these.    Let's do the Dollys first:
1 stick of butter melted in a casserole dish
1 1/2 pkgs. of graham crackers crushed
1/2 bag of chocolate chips
1/2 bag of butterscotch chips
1/2 bag of white chocolate chips
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1/2 bag of flaky coconut
1/2 pkg of pecans chopped

After you have melted the butter in the casserole dish sprinkle the cracker crumbs in the bottom then layer all of your ingredients and top with sweet and condensed milk.  Bake at 350 25-30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.  With my oven pre heated it only took 25 minutes. 

Here is the butter cookie recipe:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1tbsp vanilla

2tbsp orange juice

Cream butter, egg, sugar, vanilla and OJ then add flour mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  It can be left overnight.   When ready to bake let the dough warm up just a bit.  I make balls and  flatten them.  Bake 400 for 6-10 minutes.  

Stay tuned tomorrow may be more baking, baking is kinda crafty right.  

Hand Made Christmas Gifts. . .

I love making goodies at the holidays especially Christmas.  I also enjoy sharing what I have made with others.  I used to make trays of goodies for my neighbors: different kinds of cookies, bars, and chex mix.  I would buy an inexpensive tray or plate and use that to deliver my sweets, my neighbors were to keep the tray as part of their gift.   My mom used to make all kinds of goodies and do something similar for her friends and neighbors and I guess that is where I got the idea.  Most of the time my sweets are well received but, one time one of my neighbors responded, I don't have anything to give you or I cannot repay you.  I do this because I like sharing with others not because I want something in return.  It really hurt my feelings that someone would think I expected something from them.  A simple thank you and Merry Christmas would have been wonderful, anything except  a question of my motive.   That next year I didn't bake my sweets for my neighbors because I felt so bad.  The year after that I decided I did not care what anyone thought and I made even more sweets to share.   Do me a favor, if someone in your neighborhood or office bakes you goodies just respond with a simple thank you and Merry Christmas.  
I also enjoy making ornaments with the kids.   I helped my nieces make some glass ornaments one year when they came to visit.  We took clear glass ball ornaments and we drizzled glue in the ball and rolled it so it would cover the inside.   Then we took glitter and shook it inside the ornament and shook it around to cover the inside.  They make beautiful ornaments and the kids can make them with adult supervision.   My sister made me some ornaments out of her sheeps' shearing.   She took the same type of glass ball and she put the sheep's wool in the ball.  You can buy those glass ornaments at AC Moore or Michael's or any craft store.   Below are some pictures of those ornaments and my tree because I just finished decorating today.  Wheww!