Christmas Trash Candy Recipe

I think that the combination of cereal, M&M's and pretzels make a delicious combination.  Not to mention, it can be addictive to eat.

If you are looking for a quick candy recipe to throw together for a holiday, this should be one of your go to recipes.  You can easily substitute the holiday M&M's to go with another holiday (i.e. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc.)  Although, I am not sure how it became known as Christmas Trash, I promise it is wonderful!

Christmas Trash Candy Recipe:

Ingredients:
24 oz. Almond Bark (vanilla flavored candy coating)
6 cups Kellogg's Crispix cereal
3 cups pretzels (I prefer to break mine into smaller pieces)
3 cups of dry roasted peanuts
16 oz. M&M'S Plain Chocolate Candy


Directions:
In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave for 2-4 minutes at 30 SECOND intervals until chocolate is melted; set aside.

In a bowl, add cereal, pretzels, peanuts and M&Ms. Pour melted chocolate over the cereal mixture using a large spatula to fold all together making sure not to break up the cereal to much.

Once all the mixture is coated real well with the chocolate, pour out onto a pan or table lined with waxed paper.

Once cooled, break up into piece and store in an air tight container..

Homemade Sweet Rolls

 

 

Homemade Sweet Rolls



Growing up, my mom would make these delicious and mouth watering yeast rolls that had just a hint of sweetness to them. They were addictive. Apparently, this recipe goes back to my Great-Grandmother Ruby Huddleston and I am pleased to share it with all of you.

Homemade Sweet Rolls

****Read the directions BEFORE you start the recipe****

Ingredients:

1 cup of very hot water

2 packages of active dry yeast

1/2 cup of sugar

1 egg

1/4 t salt ( I usually just do a little pinch)

3 to 5 cups of all purpose flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in hot water using a wire whisk. When the yeast looks dissolved add the egg, sugar and salt and continue to mix. Next add the flour --- one cup at a time mixing with a wooden spoon. Add just enough of the flour so that the dough is left a little sticky to the touch. Now, knead the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes. When your done kneading the dough, pinch off the dough into the portions of a muffin pan. Let rise for 1 hour in a warm place in the kitchen with a towel laying over the top, then bake at 375 degrees until they are golden brown on top. Eat with butter.

 

Start off with 2 packages of active dry yeast and

a medium sized bowl.

Dissolve the yeast in one cup of very hot water.

Stir with a wire whisk until the yeast has dissolved.

Then add the egg...

and the sugar and salt (not pictured) and stir until well

blended.

 

Use all-purpose flour.

 

Next, add the flour, one cup at a time mixing with a

wooden spoon.  I know I had my whisk in this picture,

but trust me, you'll want to use the wooden spoon.

 

Keep adding the flour, a cup at a time, until the

dough feels slightly sticky to the touch.

At this point, knead the dough with your hands

for about 5 minutes.

 

Pinch the dough off and put it in muffin pans.

Although this is a 6 muffin pan, you should

really do a 12 muffin pan.

I like to pinch the dough at put 3 little doughs

in 1 of the muffin cups together.  Once the muffin pan

is full, place a towel over the top and let the rolls

rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.

After the hour is up, bake the rolls at 375 degrees

until they are nice and golden on top.

I usually take out of the oven and baste the tops

with butter.

 

Serve rolls warm with any of the following:  butter, flavored butter, honey or jam.  Makes a delicious addition to any meal and I promise that they won't last long.

 

 

 





Taffy Apple Dip

Taffy Apple Dip

1-8oz pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

Sliced apples

 

Mix all ingredients with a mixer and serve with sliced apples.  Store in the fridge.

Christmas Tree Made of Suckers

Christmas Tree Made of Suckers

 

 

 

After looking on Pinterest for ideas for some younger kids, I found something similar to this and decided to give it a try...just so my friends, as the parents, would love me...lol!

 

 

 The first thing I did was go to Wal-Mart and look.  I

found these cute little buckets for under $1 each.

 

 

 Next, I went back to the craft department and was looking

for some Styrofoam balls, but all they had were these

Styrofoam cones...and I was on a mission.

 When I got home, I placed the Styrofoam in the buckets

and made a pencil mark where the bucket and the edge

of the Styrofoam met so that I could hot glue them into

the bucket and they would stay.

 

***Note: I've only made one of these so far and they are

beautiful, but big.  I am going to cut the cone down

for the next couple that I do. 

 

 Hot glue the edges and stick them back down in the

bucket until the glue dries.

 You will need lots of suckers.  I purchased 3 one pound

bags of Dum-Dums suckers and one bag of the Tootsie Pops.

I used the Tootsie Pops for the top of the sucker tree.

Once the glue has dried, start working the suckers

in the Styrofoam in a circle, working your way to the top. 

 When you get to the top and are finished, go back

and put suckers in where you can see any of the

Styrofoam. 



And there you have it!

A nice gift for little ones for around $6 AND it's homemade!



Oriental Cole Slaw

Although I enjoy regular coleslaw from time to time, occasionally, it's nice to mix things up a bit. I recently took this dish to a church potluck dinner and came home with only a few bites left in the bowl. Bill didn't care for it, but it was something outside of his normal comfort zone of food.

Oriental Cole Slaw:

Ingredients:

1 lb coleslaw

½ c sunflower seeds

½ c oil

½ c almond slices

½ c sugar

¼ c apple cider vinegar

1 pkg Ramen Noodles - chicken flavor

Directions:

Break up the Ramen Noodles in a bowl.  Using a wire whisk, mix the season package from the Ramen Noodles with oil, vinegar and sugar. Toss all ingredients together and serve.

Break up the Ramen Noodles in a bowl.

 

 

Save the seasoning packet and mix it with the oil, vinegar and sugar.

Should look like this when it's mixed.

 



 

Add the coleslaw to the bowl.

 



 

Add the sunflowers...

 

Add the almonds (you can toast them beforehand if you like)...

 

Add the Ramen Noodles...

 



 

Add the oil, vinegar, sugar and seasoning packet and toss/mix until well coated.

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

I've only made mashed potatoes in the slow cooker one other time in my life and I was asked to make them this year for Thanksgiving meal at church.  After looking through what seemed an endless amount of recipes...I finally decided to combine the ingredients of about 3 of them to see how it came out.  I am pleased to say that they were good, edible and gone. 

 

 

Ingredients:

5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1" chunks

3 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 (8oz) pkg of cream cheese

1 (8oz) container of sour cream

1/2 to 1 cup warmed milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 stick of butter

 

Directions:

Peel and cut potatoes into about 1" chunks (you can actually do this step the night before and put them in a bowl with water over them until ready to use). Turn your slow cooker on the warm setting.  Get a pot of lightly salted, boiling water going on the stove.  Once the water is boiling, add the bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved.  Add the potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are firm, but tender.  Drain the potatoes, reserving some of the water (about 2 cups).  I then put my potatoes, sour cream and cream cheese in my Kitchen Aid and beat them on low speed until they were well blended.  Add enough milk to get to the desired consistency that you like.  Add salt and pepper.  Transfer the potatoes to the slow cooker and keep on low or the warm setting until ready to serve (will keep well for about 2 hours).  If the potatoes begin to thicken before it's time to stir, add a little of the broth water to it and stir.  Right before serving, add the butter.

 



I'm so excited!

Okay, you probably can't read the letter at all, but maybe you recognize the Gooseberry Patch symbol at the top?  About a month ago, I received an email from Gooseberry Patch asking about one of my recipes and that they would like to feature it in an upcoming cookbook.  This weekend, I got the letter in the mail that made it official!

My, "Sweet Pepper Sausage Bake" recipe will be included in their upcoming cookbook, "Foolproof Family Recipes" coming out in June of 2014.  Totally made me day, and to celebrate, I added the recipe below.

On a side note, we finally have all of our crops in and for the most part it was a great harvest.  No accidents, no major repairs and everyone did their part and more.  Thank you to all the farmers out there who work day (and sometimes most of the night) to help feed the world, but mostly, for doing something they love!

Make it a great week everyone!


Sweet Pepper Sausage Bake

(for pictures, visit: http://thefarmerswifein.blogspot.com/2013/02/sweet-pepper-sausage-bake.html_
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium sized onion
1 bag of sweet peppers, cleaned and sliced
1 package of skinless smoked sausage
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper


Directions:
Peel, wash and cube the potatoes. Wash of the peppers and slice them lengthwise as thick or thin as you want them. Do the same with the onions. Slice the sausage into bite size pieces. Put all ingredients in a large bowl and coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the aluminum foil. Pour the ingredients of the bowl on the sheet of aluminum foil, making sure everything is evenly coated in the olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top and cover with another layer of aluminum foil sealing the top and bottom pieces together. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve.

Biscuit Crust Pizza Dish

Have you ever been in a hurry, knew what you wanted to cook, and then realized you didn't have all of the ingredients?  Well, it happened to me.  I knew Bill would be hungry and coming home soon.  Homemade pizza sounded good...until I realized that my box of Jiffy mix was cornbread mix and not the pizza crust mix.  What's a girl to do?  Either scrap making the dish or get creative.  I decided to be creative and use biscuits in place of the pizza crust mix and the result was pretty good.

Here's the recipe:

Biscuit Crust Pizza Dish

Ingredients:
1 tube of flaky buttermilk biscuits
Toppings for your pizza: onions, mushrooms, peppers, olives, sausage, hamburger, etc.
1 jar of pizza sauce
1 8-12 oz bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Spray a 9x13 glass dish with oil and preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Open your tube of biscuits and split them in the middle.  (I actually used a smaller pan for this recipe, but I needed 3 of the biscuits for something else I was making).  Lay biscuits out in the dish and mold biscuits until all the seams are filled.  Top with your desired amount of pizza sauce.  I like a lot of sauce, so I used my entire jar.  Next, add your favorite pizza toppings and end with the cheese on top.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is done on top.

 Spray a 9x13 glass dish with oil and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Open your tube of biscuits. 

 Open your tube of biscuits and split them in the middle. (I actually used a smaller pan for this recipe, but I needed 3 of the biscuits for something else I was making). Lay biscuits out in the dish.

 

  Lay biscuits out in the dish and mold biscuits until all the seams are filled.

 



 Top with your desired amount of pizza sauce.

 

 I love pizza sauce! Although I canned pizza sauce this summer, I used this jar to get it out of my cabinet so I could move on to the homemade sauce!

 



 Next, add your favorite pizza toppings.

 

 

 Yumm!!!

 

 End with the cheese on top. 

 

 Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is done on top.

 

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

I know what you're thinking, baked potatoes...in my slow cooker???  YES!  It's easy and believe it or not, they taste good.  Now I will admit, they are not the same as having them right out of the oven, but in a pinch, it works.

 Step 1:  Wash potatoes and scrub if necessary

 Step 2: Prick each potato several times with a fork

Step 3: Rub olive oil all over potato and season with salt and pepper

 



 

Step 4: Cook on low in the slow cooker for 8 hours.

 

 

Sorry about the last picture being crooked, but that is what the potato looks like when it's done before all the good toppings.  I didn't put any water in with the potatoes when I was cooking it and they turned out fine (to my surprise).  Although, I would rather cook my potatoes in the oven, this did the trick too.  It will work on those days when there just isn't enough time to get everything done.

How to Can Apples

We are so fortunate to live right down the road from an orchard which means fresh apples, slushies, donuts and other produce from summer to fall.  Bill favorite variety of apples is Honey Crisp.  When they came into season, I purchased half a bushel, which was plenty for Bill to eat some and me to can some!

HOW TO CAN APPLES

 

The first thing you want to do whenever you can it to get everything that you need out and ready.  Wash all of you jars (I used mostly pint sized) for sterilization and keep them in the oven.  Make sure that there are no cracks in your jars.  You will need about 10 lbs of apples.

 

Boil your lids until it is time for them to go on to the jars.

Prepare boiling water bath canner.

Wash your apples in cold water.

 

Next, peel and core your apples.  Be sure to discard any blemishes or brown spots on the apple.  As you can see in the picture, I used a vegetable peeler and the metal apple slicer.  If you save your scraps, you can use them to make homemade apple cider vinegar (which I am attempting to do now).

 



 

 

Below is my 1 gallon jar that I put all my scraps in to HOPEFULLY make apple cider vinegar.  If it doesn't work, then I will feed them to the chickens.  So far the scraps have been fermenting for 2 weeks.  I will keep you posted on my progress...now back to canning the apples!



Slice your apples length wise between 1/4 to 1/2" thick and put them in a bowl with water and Fresh Fruit to keep them from turning brown.

 

 

Once all the apples are sliced, prepare a light syrup of 2-1/4 cups of sugar to 5-1/4 cups of water in a stainless steel pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. 

 

 

 

 

Drain your apples from being in the Fresh Fruit water, then put them in the stainless steel pot with the syrup and bring to a boil.  Once at a boil, reduce heat and boil gently for 5 to 8 minutes until the apples are completed heated through.

 

 

 

Pack apples into your hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" head space.

Be sure to stick a knife down the side of your jar to remove all the air bubbles.

Ladle the hot syrup into the jars, leaving 1/2" head space.

Wipe off the jars (they can be very sticky if you spill any of the syrup), apply the sterilized lids, and add the rings (should be fingertip tight).

 

 

 

 

Add apples to the water bath canner and process jars  in the boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes.

Remove jars and let cool on a towel on a counter for at least 24 hours.

 

Be sure to label your sealed jars with what the item is and the date that you processed it.

 

I did have something unusual happen to me while canning my apples.  Long story short, I had one jar that sealed, but over half the syrup mixture had evaporated.  After seeking the advice from several ladies that have canned most of their life, I decided to go ahead and open the jar and use the apples.  They had not turned brown and nothing appeared to be wrong with them except that the syrup had evaporated.  Come to find out, there was a small crack around the rim that I had not seen before.  Be sure to check your jars carefully for cracks.  Happy canning!