christmas time is definitely a time of year for an excessive amount of sweets.  if you’re like me, you usually need a salty snack to immediately counteract a sweet snack, or vice versa.   chex mix does the trick, every time.  make a large batch and package it up to share with family and friends!

this is my mom’s recipe, which was handed down for a few generations.  according to my mom, this recipe comes from the days before store-bought chex mix.  it is much better than the store bought stuff, as most every kind of homemade chex mix is.  it does call for an ingredient called accent… which is pure msg.  i couldn’t not find it in the store (i can’t imagine why! )  i did notice a difference in taste w/out the added msg.  i’m sure it is also a ton healthier.  i did substitute salt, but again, it wasn’t quite the same.

source: mom

• 2 14 oz. boxes of chex cereal (rice, corn, wheat)
• 1 box cheez-its (or cheese tid-bits)
• 1 bag, pretzel sticks
• 1 jar, peanuts
• 2 sticks margarine
• 3 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt (or 1/4 tsp accent)

1. preheat oven to 250°.
2. in a large roasting pan, stir the cereal, cheez-its, pretzels and peanuts until evenly distributed.
3. in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt margarine.  add last five ingredients and stir to combine.  (microwaving works just as well.)
4. pour margarine mix over cereal mix.  stir to evenly coat.
5. bake for 45 mins, stirring every 15 mins.
6. cool and place in an air-tight container.

enjoy!

it’s the time of year for… egg nog, among other things.  i wanted to find a way to incorporate egg nog into our breakfast.  i first tried egg nog french toast, which was a massive fail.  they were very blah.  we went to ihop and devoured egg nog pancakes, which were AWESOME.  so i decided to try egg nog in another one of our favorite breakfast dishes: waffles.  these are a bit cakey, but most definitely egg-noggy and wonderful.  the recipe yields two average sized waffles; double and quadruple, as needed.

source: cake and allie

• 3/4 c flour
• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 c egg nog
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1 egg

1. in a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. in a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
3. pour wet ingredients into the dry mixture bowl and whisk until just combined.  do not overmix, lumps are fine.  let the batter rest for 30 min.
   
   
4. cook waffles using your favorite waffle iron.

enjoy and merry christmas!

this pie is one of tom’s favorite desserts, if not his absolute favorite dessert.   it’s frequently served at thanksgiving and Christmas.  but i make it several times during the year, dressing it up with mini pie crust cutters.

it is very simple to make, especially if you use ready-made pie dough.   however, i am not a cheater. here’s the recipe, courtesy of the 1953 edition of “better homes and gardens new cook book”:

plain pastry (for an 8-9 inch double crust pie)

• 1 1/2 cups sifted enriched flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c shortening
• 4-5 tbsp cold (COLD) water

1. sift together the flour and salt.  cut in half the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like cornmeal.  then cut in the remaining half until the pieces are sizes of peas.
2. sprinkle water (i use water from the brita in the fridge), a tablespoon at a time, over part of the mixture.  gently mix fork; push to one side of bowl.  sprinkle next tablespoon water over dry part; mix lightly; push to moistened part at side.  repeat until all is moistened.  gather up with fingers; form into ball.  let stand several minutes.  (at this point i put the crust in the fridge for about 15 min.  the cooler the shortening, the flakier the crust becomes because the steam from the shortening makes little pockets in your crust, thus forming flakiness.)
3. divide dough by about 2/3 and 1/3.  form ball.  flatten slightly and roll on lightly floured pastry cloth.  (i use saran wrap.)  roll 2/3 dough in a circle form, if edges split, pinch together.  always roll from the center out to the edge.  use light strokes.  place in pan, cut off excess dough around edge of pie dish.
4. roll remaining 1/3 dough out.  cut shapes from dough, brush with small amount of water, place on edge of crust.  place pie in the fridge while preparing filling.

pecan pie

• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 c butter
• 1 c light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 heaping c pecans

1. cream sugar and butter.  add syrup, salt; beat well.
2. beat in eggs, one at a time.  add pecans.
3. pour into a 9-inch pastry-lined pie pan (see above ).
4. bake in a moderate oven (350°) 1 hour and 10 minutes – or till knife comes out clean.

enjoy!