Turkey in the slow-cooker

1 turkey breast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white cooking wine
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme

Pour all ingredients over the turkey breast and cook on low for 8 hours. This makes the best turkey (if you can't fry it in a deep fryer). This recipe comes from Blake, thank you thank you for the recipe!

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

2 unbaked deep dish pie shells
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups (29 oz. can) Libby's pure pumpkin
3 cups (2, 12 oz. cans) evaporated milk

Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in medium bowl. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shells.

Bake in a pre-heated 425 degrees. for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Carmel Prezels

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup white karo syrup
1/8 or 1/4 cube butter?
1 cup cream (whipping cream)

About 20 log prezels (the long thick rods)

White chocolate discs (melted)

Mix all into a 3 quart kettle and bring to a boil. Boil slowly stirring very often (it should take about 15 minutes on medium to medium high heat). Test in a cup of cold water by dropping a little bit of Carmel into a cup of water. You want the Carmel to be medium soft (it should be firm when you roll it between your finger's in the cold). Pour onto a greased cookie sheet, and use a pizza cutter to cut long strips. Wrap one strip around one logs and work the Carmel so it covers the majority of the log. Once you have wrapped all the logs in Carmel, dip them in (your choice of) chocolate. and top with what ever topping you prefer...crushed candy bar, crasins, peppermint, crushed Oreo's, mini-m&m's etc...
From Brooke's side of the family and Daisy.

Ginger Bread Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup Sorghum or Molasses

3/4 cup oil or lard

1/2 cup hot water

Combine

Rinse Sorghum from cup with hot water

Add 2 eggs

Mix together the following:

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Cinnamon

2 tsp. Ginger

6 or 7 cups white flour

Add to above and refrigerate the dough overnight. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Bake @350 degrees for 10 minutes. *To roll our the dough we use Pam in place of flour.

The cookies freeze well and are softer and more flavorful after freezing.

This recipe came from Scovil Bakery- Nauvoo, Illinois.

Wheat Bread Bowls

3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat
2 full Tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1 tsp. caraway seed
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine.

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 cup flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, dill weed, caraway seed and salt. Heat milk, honey, and butter until very warm (but not boiling). Gradually add dry ingredients. Bean 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough (not still sticky). Knead until smooth, about 8-10 minutes. Cover. Let rest for 10 minutes. Divide until 8 equal portions; shape each into a ball. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size about 30-40 minutes. With sharp knife make an X on top of each roll about 1/4 inch deep. Bake @375 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from baking sheet; cool on wire rack. Cut off portion (top 1/3) and reserve top. Hollow out loaves to form bowls.
Check time at 20 minutes, you don't want to overcook. You could make only 2 rolls which would be BIG bowls that you could hollow our and serve dip or something in for a party. If making big bowls, cook for 30-35 minutes.
*if you don't have wheat flour, you can use white.
Our family usually has bread bowls with soup and salad Christmas eve night with family. The bowls are a little smaller but yummy.

Braided Bread

I use the same recipe as the yummy moist white bread only I braid it instead.

1 pkg yeast (or 1 full tablespoon of yeast)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 (12 oz.) can Evaporated milk (or 1 1/2 cups milk)
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup melted shortening
1/4 cup honey (you can sub. with sugar)
2 tsp. salt
6 cups flour

Mix yeast, sugar and warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add milk, water, shortening, honey, salt and 2 cups of flour. Mix well. Add the rest of the flour. Sometimes I have to add more flour to make it not sticky. Knead (I knead it in my Bach) for a few minutes. Let rise until doubled in size. Knead by hand for a few minutes to get the air bubbles out. Divide into 3 parts (for the 3 loaves). Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Take each of the three parts and braid each part (you'll end up with 3 braided breads and you'll have to roll the 3 braids out like snakes). Let rise for about 1/2 hour. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25 minutes. You will know when it's done when the bread is a nice golden brown on the outside and if you lick your finger and touch the hot pan it will sizzle when it's done (it won't hurt).
This recipe if from my sister-in-law CheyAnne. You can also modify it with a more orangy flavor (I'll have to play with that one for a little bit).
I make the braided bread for my neighbor gifts before Christmas time. They love it! Makes 3 braided loaves.

Sunday Brunch Casserole

3 Tbsp butter (softened)
1 loaf french bread
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups milk
8 eggs
1 onion (chopped up)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1 lb. cooked bacon crumbled

The night before:
Slice bread into 1 inch slices and butter bread with butter, then slice into 1 inch cubes. Spread bread evenly throughout a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. In a large bowl combine and mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over bread. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 8 hours). Bake at 325 degrees uncovered for 1 hour. Bake until puffy and golden brown.
This recipe is from my friend Monica. We have as of last Christmas made this part of our Christmas morning breakfast tradition along with the pluck-it bread. It was nice because I could make it the night before so all I had to do Christmas morning was pop it in the oven and the same thing for the pluck-it bread we also eat oranges.

Pear Pie

3 pears, peeled, sliced, cored
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sugar (if using fresh pears)
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 unbaked pie crust

Peel, core and slice the pears into an unbaked pie crust. Mix nutmeg, sugar and flour. Add cream and lemon juice. Pour over sliced pears. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes.
*Reduce sugar amount to 1/2 cup if using canned pears (fresh are better).
This recipe was given to me by my neighbor Monica, it's yummy.

Pluck-it bread, Pull a-parts, Monkey bread....

This dish has lots of names but Brooke's Mom calls it pluck-it bread.

24 frozen balls of bread dough (we use Rhodes Rolls)
1/2 package (of a 3 oz.) regular butterscotch pudding
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (or 1/2 cup) or nuts are completely optional
1 tsp cinnamon

Place 24 frozen balls in unbuttered bunt pan. Sprinkle 1/2 package of pudding over the rolls. Combine melted butter and sugar, mix together. Then pour that over the pan of rolls. Sprinkle nuts and cinnamon over top. Cover with a towel and let rise 8 hours or over night in a cold storage room. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake @ 350 for 30 minutes. We usually make this for Christmas breakfast so it's pretty cool out in storage room. If you are making it any other time of the year you could always just watch until it doubles in size and see how it works out.

Cranberry Sauce Jell-o Salad

1 (6 oz.) package of cherry jell-o
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 oz.) can jellied can of cranberry sauce (mushed up)
1 (3 oz.) package of lemon instant pudding
Whip cream
Slivered almonds (optional)

First Layer
Mix and dissolve cherry jell-o and boiling water. Then add the boiling cherry mixture slowly into the canned cranberry sauce. Pour into a 8 by 8 or 9 by 9 dish. Let set.

Second layer
Cook lemon instant pudding according to directions on the package. Then after the first layer has set add the lemon jell-o on top. Let set.

Third layer
Spread whip cream on top of the second layer. You can also top with slivered almonds.

This recipe is from Brooke's side of the family. I love this one because it is easier than the ribbon salad and uses less ingredients and makes 1/2 as much. We don't eat a whole lot of jell-o at this point in our lives.

Ribbon Salad

First layer
2 (3 oz.) package of lime jell-o
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water

Second layer
1 (3 oz.) package of lemon jell-o
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup mini-marshmellows
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
1 cup crushed pinnapple (20 oz.) can. Drain and save the pinnapple juice.
1 cup of heavy cream and whip after measuring.

Third layer
2 (3 oz.) packages of cherry jell-o
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water

Dissolve lime jell-o in 2 cups of boiling water. Then after it has dissolved add 2 cups of cold water. Pour into a pan and chill until set into a 14 by 10 pan works best. Disolve lemon jell-o in 1 cup of boiling water and add marshmellows and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Beat cream cheese and add pinnapple juice to cream cheese, add a little at a time until well blended. Stir in pinnapple and cool slightly. Fold in whip cream. Pour very carefully over lime jell-o and chill until set. Disolve cherry jell-o into 2 cups of boiling water and add 2 cups of cold water and spoon on top or it will bleed into the cream cheese mixture.
This recipe is from Brooke's side of the family and is for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.