Apple Cidercar

Ingredients:
* 5 fl. oz. apple cider concentrate
* 5 fl. oz. water(*or, 10 oz good cider)
3 fl. oz. brandy
5 fl. oz. Cointreau or triple sec
2 fl. oz. fresh lemon juice (in a bottle..)

Directions: In a cocktail shaker, stir together the apple cider concentrate and water. Add the brandy, Cointreau and lemon juice. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well. Pour into sugar-rimmed cocktail glasses. Serves 4.

Happy Turkey Day

Turkey Broccoli Braid

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1 C broccoli, chopped
1 C. shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 C. mayonnaise
1 tsp dill
2 packaged crescent rolls

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375*. Chop turkey and broccoli and place in a 2 qt bowl. Add cheese, dill and mayonnaise. Mix well. Unroll 1 package of crescent dough; do not separate. Arrange longest sides of dough across width of 12x15 baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining package of dough. On each side of pan, cut dough into strips 1.5 inches apart, 3 inches deep. There will be 6 inches in the center for filling. Spread filling evenly over middle of dough. To braid, lift strips of dough across mixture to meet in the center, twisting each strip one turn. Continue alternating strips to form a braid. Tuck ends up to form a rim at the end of the braid.

Stuffing

Boil your baggie of giblets in a small sauce pan with one onion, diced. When organs are boiled (1 hr), remove them from the water. Dice the liver and add to your stuffing. Feed the neck and the tail to the cat. Dice the extras and put back in your sauce pot. Reserve this for turkey soup next week. In a 6qt pot, brown 1 tube of sage sausage with 1 onion diced. Add same seasonings you topped your bird with and some diced celery. When sausage is almost done add 3 cups of chicken broth and diced giblets and turn off burner. Add 1 bag of cubed stuffing. Stir until your stuffing is fluffy. Spoon into your bird, don't forget the neck cavity.

Turkey for you, turkey for me.

We are making a 10# turkey this year. I am using the 'poultry seasoning' from Penzeys and some fresh ground black pepper.
Wash your bird. Remove the gibblet package from the neck cavity and the neck from the body cavity. Cram bird full of stuffing. Season bird. Open an oven bag, dust with flour and insert bird. Bake at 350* for 3 hours.

Fair Isle Hat

This was a very difficult project, and it did not turn out as floppy as I wanted it to.

Acorn Beret

This turned out rather cute. It has oak leaves instead of a pom pom.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup (8 ounces) canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1 cup raisins, soaked in water for 15 minutes, and drained
1 cup (about 2 large) finely grated carrots *food processor

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil or grease with butter liberally. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, beat brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs until well-combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix well. Stir in walnuts, crushed pineapple, raisins, and carrots. Mix until evenly distributed. Pour into prepared pan and bake about 30 minutes or until center tests done. Cool to room temperature.

Candy Corn Cookies

1 package (18oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
food coloring yellow and orange
White chocolate chips OR frosting
sprinkles OR colored sugar

Preparation:
Divide dough into 3 equal sections. Roll each dough segment in flour. Add orange color to one dough, yellow color to the second dough, leave the third dough colorless. Mix colors in until smooth, dust dough with flour so it is easier to work with. (It gets sticky as it returns to room temperature). Form dough into ropes (snakes) and on a floured surface side by side and lengthwise with the orange rope in the middle. Gently roll dough into a 15x4" rectangle. Using a knife cut dough into 12 equal triangles. Transfer triangles to an ungreased baking sheet. Push a ruler against the sides of the triangles to straighten the edges. Bake 9-11 minutes until lightly browned. Frost bottom portion of cookie with last months leftover frosting and top with sprinkles OR melt white chocolate chips, dip in cookies, then rim with colored sugar.

To turn these cookies into sandwiches, place 1 heaping tablespoon of chocolate frosting between 2 cookies!