3 Quarters Today

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Do Peanut Butter Kisses Cookies Count as Christmas Cookies?

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Easy Peanut Butter Kisses Cookie Recipe

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie, peanut butter kiss cookies recipeStarting in the beginning of December I start baking cookies, lots of cookies. Now Peanut Butter Kiss cookies don’t look like Christmas cookies, but they are one of my kids’ favorites, so they get made every year.

This is a quick peanut butter cookie recipe you can quickly mix and bake. 

I then pack them in cookie tins and mail cookies to friends and family all over the United States.

How to Ship Cookies for Mailing

The best way to pack cookies for shipping is tight and snug so they can’t move around. I use tissue paper and line cookie gift tins. The I fill the tins and use the tissue paper to fill in the empty spaces around the treats. Everyone tells me they arrive just fine.

Empty Winter Holiday Cookie Tins (Set of Six)Empty Winter Holiday Cookie Tins (Set of Six)12 ct. Christmas Empty Tin Canisters - Assorted12 ct. Christmas Empty Tin Canisters – Assorted

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I usually make at least six different varieties of cookies every year, not including my candies. This tradition started when I moved from Connecticut to Oklahoma for school and was looking for an inexpensive gift to send to friends.

Another reason I started making peanut butter cookies is one year I ran our of flour and these have three ingredients: peanut butter, sugar, and an egg. So not only inexpensive to make is also a simple gluten free cookie recipe for a friend who is gluten intolerant.

The Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan 14.75The Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan 14.75Pampered Chef Stackable Cooling RackPampered Chef Stackable Cooling Rack

Recipe for Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

I have my favorite Pampered chef baking pan that LOVE to bake cookies on. WHY? The baking stone evenly bakes the cookies and doesn’t over brown the bottoms. Most metal cookie sheets get too hot and the bottoms of the cookies burn too easily.

Preheat oven to 350F, unwrap candy kisses

  • One Cup Peanut Butter ( I use smooth)
  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • Large egg (1)
  1. Mix together, roll teaspoon-size balls, I use a melon scoop for uniform size balls
  2. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes
  3. Remove cookies from oven and immediately place an unwrapped Hershey Kiss into the cooked ball.
  4. Cool slightly and remove from baking sheet.
  5. Place on wire cookie rack until completely cool.

There you go, so easy a child could do it, and who doesn’t like peanut butter and chocolate? Enjoy your peanut butter kisses cookies recipe and if you have a favorite cookie recipe please share it in the comments. If you’re looking for more recipes using peanut butter these two cookbooks will keep you busy.

peanut butter kiss cookies recipe easy101 Things to Do with Peanut Butterpeanut butter kisses cookies recipeThe Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook

My Favorite Turkey Stuffing Recipe

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Some foods I cook from scratch, other have a little bit of help, and I deviate from the script. My favorite turkey stuffing recipe varies every year, depending on what I have in my refrigerator and cupboards. But regardless, it always comes out delicious and there is never enough for left over “turkey plates.”

How to Dress up your Turkey Stuffing
Start with Stove top Stuffing as a base

Start with Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix

Yes, it’s cheating in a way, but I’m brand loyal and Stove Top stuffing has amazing flavor, the seasonings are already mixed in so I don’t have to guess. But I don’t stop there, I chop 3-4 of the following added ingredients and add them to the pot.

Just follow the ingredients on the box.

  1. Add water and butter to a large saucepan, bring to a boil.
  2. Turn off burner
  3. Add breadcrumbs from box
  4. Remove from heat
  5. Add 1-2 cups “EXTRA” ingredients and quickly mix with fork
  6. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes

Stuffing Additives

  • Onions
  • Celery
  • Mushrooms
  • Dried cranberries
  • Apples
  • Dried cherries
  • Walnuts
  • Chestnuts

I normally add about a 1/4 cup of each ingredient to my turkey stuffing, notice I said ABOUT, I don’t measure I just chop until it looks good. If you don’t like apples, leave them out, but it does give a nice sweet flavor to the stuffing. They cook down soft, so most people don’t even notice.

 

Baking Your Turkey

Homemade turkey stuffing recipeYes, there is a debate on whether you should bake your stuffing inside the bird or separately. This is mainly due to “safety” reasons. I bake my turkey with the stuffing inside, the turkey drippings add an amazing flavor which unmatched by just stove top cooking.

What is important to remember is to fully cook your turkey, then when you think he’s done, leave it in for 15 more minutes. Since I only use a giant roasting pan once a year I don’t own a “real” metal roaster. I buy the disposables at the grocery store and reuse them to make Chex Mix for the Christmas season. I do have a “real” metal baster though. Plastic turkey basters have a way of somehow touching a really hot service and getting a hole burned into the syringe. Then they don’t work.


Back to the stuffing. Use a large serving spoon and pack the stuffing inside the main body cavity and under the neck flab, just lift and tuck, lift and tuck. (Sounds like an exercise doesn’t it)

 

Butter Basted turkey
Place frozen pats of butter under the skin

Lift the bird and spoon the stuffing way down inside the body cavity. Pack it full. If the stuffing is sticking out the back end of the turkey, that’s ok. It will get nice and crispy and is perfect for snacking on when you take the turkey out of the oven.

 

After all of your stuffing has disappeared into the turkey, then proceed to season the outside, slip some butter under the skin and cover with bacon. Yup I make a bacon wrapped turkey. If you’re into that type of thing.

Bacon wrapped turkey

I should fix more stuffing throughout the year. Turkey stuffing isn’t just for Thanksgiving and there are a lot of recipes to use with chicken and pork chops. Maybe I’ll venture beyond just stuffing at Thanksgiving.

Kraft Stove Top RecipesThe Ultimate Recipes for Thanksgiving Turkey – A Complete Guide on How to Cook a Moist and Flavorful Thanksgiving Turkey Every Time!

More Ways to Cook a Turkey

Looking for tips on how to bake a turkey for Thanksgiving? Don’t tell anybody …

Despite your unfounded fears to the contrary, baking a turkey for Thanksgiving is actually one of the easier chores you will have that day. Just follow the simple instructions and amaze your friends with your culinary prowess. (File photo). Print Email.

How To Cook A Turkey – How To Roast A Turkey – Best Thanksgiving Roast Turkey …

http://www.easycookvideos.com – How To Cook A Turkey. Discover how to roast a turkey. This is the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe & Christmas turkey recipe. It will show you how long to cook a turkey (Including turkey temperature, turkey cooking times …


Serve a Bacon Basted Turkey for Thanksgiving

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Butter and Bacon Wrapped Turkey Recipe

How to make a bacon basted turkey for thanksgiving

Given the time I love to cook, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to break out traditional recipes like my Bacon wrapped turkey recipe.

I roasted my turkey with bacon way before bacon was cool. I watched my Dad obsess over his turkey when I was little and this started a family tradition.

You can have your fried turkeys, slow cooker turkeys, and your precooked turkeys. I like my Thanksgiving turkey oven roasted and the whole process becomes an event.

I’ve even baked my Thanksgiving bird in a roasting bag a few times just to try it, but it’s not near as good. Thanksgiving was my Dad’s Favorite Holiday

You have to know that my Dad didn’t really cook much, but Thanksgiving was his holiday and he loved fixing and carving the turkey. I only bought a Butterball pre-basted turkey once, and that was enough, it wasn’t near as moist.

The Best Turkey Baste is a Combination of Butter and Bacon

The secret to a juicy turkey is lots of juice, basting frequently, and not letting the bird sit in the oven and get dried out. Eat it less than an hour after it comes out of the oven.

Butter Basted turkey
Place frozen pats of butter under the skin

So grab your Thanksgiving apron, your turkey, butter and bacon, and let’s get to work.

Best Roast Turkey Recipe Ever

Seriously, even people who don’t like turkey will love this, it is indeed the best roast turkey recipe ever!

  • Large Turkey
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 1 lb frozen butter (1-2 sticks under skin, 1-2 sticks for stuffing)
  • Powdered Sage
  • Poultry Seasoning
  • Seasoning Salt
  • Prepared stuffing (I always stuff my turkey and have the best turkey stuffing ever)
Bacon wrapped turkey
Lay Strips of Bacon on buttered and stuffed turkey

Turkey Roasting Instructions

  1. Preset oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Rinse and remove the packaged giblets from inside the bird (neck & leg opening)
  3. Place turkey in large roasting pan
  4. Slide frozen pats of butter under the skin as far as you can reach on both sides (an inch apart)
  5. Spoon stuffing into body cavity and under the neck flap (pack it in)
  6. Season turkey with sage, poultry seasoning, and seasoning salt
  7. Cover turkey with strips of uncooked bacon
  8. Cover roasting pan with lid, or tinfoil
  9. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes per pound of turkey

How Long to Cook a Turkey

There are a lot of rules of thumb on how long to cook a turkey, but like my Dad taught me, 12 minutes per lb at 350F.

Many cooking experts recommend 10-13 minutes per pound, but remember, I open the oven door a LOT for basting. So my 24 lb turkey will take about five hours.

Basting Instructions

Bacon wrapped turkey
Serve and eat!

Basting is very important to get a juicy and moist turkey.

When the turkey is about halfway done, or as the liquid starts to accumulate at the bottom of the roaster start basting. The bacon fat and butter will melt, soak into the turkey and collect at the bottom of the pan. What a waste.

Pull back the tin foil, and use a large turkey baster to suck up the juice and squirt it on top of the turkey.

Yeah, just suck up all the yummy buttery bacony (is that a word) goodness and pour it over the skin of the turkey, making sure to cover the breast, legs, and even the wings.

BASTE EVERY 30 MINUTES

This is important. Set the timer. You have to babysit the bird. This is when my Mom would start saying “The turkey is never going to cook if you keep opening the oven door!”

Well, the turkey cooks. You might have to add another 20 minutes to the time, but when the turkey is a nice brown, golden color and the bacon crisp and crunchy it’s done.

If you really want to know when your turkey is done you can use a cooking thermometer and when it reaches 160F it’s done.

My Mom’s way of telling is to “shake the leg”, if it shakes back it’s done, or if it falls off, it’s done. When the legs start to sag away from the bird it’s also done.

Homemade turkey stuffing recipe
Homemade stuffing with a twist

Doesn’t it look delicious!!

There is nothing better than a bacon basted turkey at Thanksgiving. Remember the cook gets to pick the bacon and turkey before it’s served.  

Many turkeys have pop-up thermometers and you can use them as a guideline to when your turkey is done, but if it looks like the photo above, it’s done.

Remove it from the oven and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. The meat will continue to cook and you when your biscuits or crescent rolls are done it’s time to eat. At my house we don’t eat at a certain time, we eat “around 1:00 pm” or whenever the bird is done. After opening the door several times for baking the aroma starts to draw people to the kitchen and dining room.

RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel Turkey Lifter, Set of 2Great Gatherings 21 inch X-Large Oval Serving Platter for Turkey, Ham, Prime Rib with Embossed Friut aroung edge

You can then assign volunteers to set the table, place the mashed potatoes in bowls, and pour the drinks. Enjoy your Bacon Basted Turkey and if you have any Thanksgiving traditions I would love to hear them!

Where to Buy Your Turkey

I normally purchase my turkey from the grocery store, I get a plain turkey, not the Butterball variety or their copycats.

Occasionally I have purchased a local farm-raised turkey, but those actually tend to be too big for my oven. One year we had a 28 lb turkey!! Leftovers for months.

Whole Organic Turkey 18-20lbsBranigan’s Woodland California Thanksgiving Free Range Turkey 20 to 22 Pounds with Brining Kit

You can, unbelievably buy an organic farm-raised turkey for Thanksgiving online and have it delivered right to your door.

For those who live in the city and don’t have a car, I think this would be ideal. I can’t imagine my son lugging a 20 lb turkey on the Chicago CTA train.

Thanksgiving Traditions

Each family has its own Thanksgiving traditions, often representative of their cultural and/or ethnic background.

Americans are proud of the fact that we can all celebrate the same holiday, albeit in different ways. What is your Thanksgiving tradition?

 

My Famous Sweet Pickled Jalapeno Recipe

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Sweet Pickled Jalapenos

My sweet pickled jalapeno peppers recipe has become quite popular online and with my friends. It is actually one of the most popular recipes on my blog and thank you to everyone who has shared it on Pinterest.

If you’re not wanting to make it yourself you can find several favorite varieties of Jalapeno Candy and Jalapeno relishes online.

My sweet pickled jalapeno peppers recipe has been called ambrosia. Even people who don't like jalapenos LOVE these served over ice cream, on crackers, hot dogs or brats.

recipe sweet jalapeno relishRagin Cajun, Jalapeno Relish, 12 OZ (Pack of 12)easy candied jalapeno recipeCarrie Anne’s Jalapeno Vidalia® Onion Relish

Up until last year, I was not a big fan of jalapenos. It was the first time I planted jalapenos, mainly for salsa, but I saw this recipe on Pinterest for Sweet Pepper Candy Rings and was very intrigued.

Now, I am addicted to the sweet and tangy taste of the sweet Mexican flavor. I am actually just slightly addicted to the Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno poppers I learned how to make last summer.

Sometimes known as Cowboy Candy this sweet pickled jalapeno pepper recipe will ROCK your world. You can make quick pickled jalapeno rings in an afternoon, but these are better if they age a couple of weeks. This is one of the best gifts foodies will love to make and give to their friends as a gift for Christmas.

I still don’t eat raw jalapenos, they are too hot and spicy for me, but when you add vinegar and sugar to the pickled jalapenos you are left with the flavor without the heat, that I can do!

Last year I became quite obsessed and my four small pepper plants were NOT enough and I started begging jalapenos from friends and neighbors. This year I have eleven plants so let’s see if this keeps me in stock for the season.



There you go, Cowboy Candy, serve on crackers with cream cheese as an appetizer or snack. My favorite way to eat my jalapeno candy or jelly is to pair it with savory deli meats, fruit, and cheeses on a wooden charcuterie board.

Wooden Charcuterie Board

You can really use anything as a charcuterie board, but most of the time they are wooden so you can slice your cheese and meat. I have regular Wine Wednesday and break out my homemade charcuterie board.

This wooden charcuterie board is an answer to your wedding table service, or as a first anniversary gift.

Do you have a favorite Cowboy Candy recipe, or another jalapeno dish?

If you don't want to go through the work of preparing the Jalapeno relish yourself you can buy it and say you did. No one will know will they, just pour it out onto a fancy plate with cream cheese.

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