Sue's Fabulous French Toast

We had a wonderful Christmas morning brunch complete with mimosas, ham, cheesy potato bake, and Sue's special french toast. Sue has made this french toast for several morning events including a few camping events. For outdoor eating, she precooked it at home, and then at the event we reheated it on the brazier. Excellent meal at home or in camp, try it yourself.

½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
Combine first three ingredients.
Pour ½ into each of two 15 X 10 X 1 baking pans

6-8 eggs
1 ¼ cup milk
1 ½ cup orange Juice
½ cup sugar
2-3 tsp orange grind (marmalade)
1 tsp cinnamon
16 – 20 slices of French Bread

- in medium bowl beat next six ingredients. Dip bread into egg mixture and place into pan. Pour any remaining ingredients over bread (can refrigerate overnight) Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown, turning halfway.

Cinnamon - Chocolate Cutouts

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Melt chocolate in double boiler over hot not boiling water. Remove from heat and let cool. Cream butter, melted chocolate, sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until light. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Stir small bowl into creamed mixture with sour cream until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. lightly grease cookie sheets or line  with parchment paper. Roll out dough 1/4 at a time, a quarter inch thick on lightly floured surface, Cut out with cookie cutters. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned but not dark. Remove to wire racks to cool.  Frost with decorator icing.

Decorator Icing
1 egg white
3&1/3cups powedred sugar
1 teaspoon almond or lemon extract
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Beat egg white in large bowl until frothy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until blended. Add almond extract and enough water to moisten. Beat until smooth and glossy.

Rum Balls

This recipe is from Aunt Nancy's cookbook. Actually she was my Great-grandmother's sister, so that means she was a great-grand aunt.  I never knew Aunt Nancy Bouffard, she died back in 1957. Born Nancy Osborn in 1897, she was one of 17 children in a blended family. She kept a little recipe book that I now have. When I can decipher her writing I'll post a few recipes here.

Rum Balls - the ones Alice Colman makes. (marked  very good)

1 cup crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup confectionary sugar
1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup brandy or sherry

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into small balls. Roll in granulated sugar.

Nana's Snickerdoodles

Mix together
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups soft shortening. Do not use margarine but you can use butter.

Sift together and stir in:
5 1/2 cup flour
4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

Chill dough
Roll into walnut size balls
Roll into mixture of 2 tablespoon sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon
Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes on an un-greased cookie sheet
Makes 10 dozen

Mom's tips:double the sugar cinnamon mix. If you like them chewy start with 8 minutes and adjust accordingly for the bake time. Using parchment paper makes the whole process much easier.  Batch can be halved for a smaller amount of cookies.

Nana is Marjorie Gladys Dykeman Cornell

Nana's Curry Chicken Wings

Every Christmas Eve, the family would gather at Nana's house. Instead of a big sit-down meal, there was a buffet laid out on the dining room for dinner - a meal composed entirely of appetizers. a few years before Nana passed away, I called her to ask for a couple of her recipes. The Curry Chicken Wings were something I looked forward to munching on every year. Was ever surprised to hear her recipe over the phone... It wasn't exact at all. Maybe once upon a time, she had a precise recipe... but by the time I asked about them she wasn't worried about exact amounts of anything. Her instructions went like this...

Well - get some fresh chicken wings.. depending on whos coming you may want more or less.  Then for every so many (I narrowed her down to 'maybe 8' decent sized fresh wings; these are whole wings, not just the little drumettes sold in the frozen section) you'll want some butter... not margarine, that just doesn't work right but you could use it I suppose.  Put a couple of tablespoons of butter along with about a half a cup of honey on the stove and melt it down. Then put a couple of good spoonfuls of dijon mustard in it. Once thats all heated and melted down, make sure its spreadable or you'll need more butter. Add a tablespoon or two of curry to the mix. Taste it, you'll know when its enough.  Once thats mixed and spreadable you can start the chicken. The chicken will stick to the pan, so you might want to use a spray on the pan. place the wings out so they aren't touching. Baste everything with the spread. Bake a bit, then take them out and baste again. Then cook some more, then if not done, baste them again and bake until done.  Oh, and be careful they get dark if the temperature is too much.

So I tried it... Just like she said. They do stick to the pan. I cook them about 350 degrees, cause she never really said what temperature and i was so distracted with the casual instructions I forgot to ask.  They are good, and they do say Christmas Eve to me.  Then I got adventuresome and made the glaze on Chicken thoighs... which was also good.  So have some Curry Chicken Wings and enjoy!

Ginger's Peanut Butter Balls

This makes a LOT of peanut butter balls, and is time-intensive. However the end result is worth the work.

Ingredients
2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup of butter
1 pound of powdered sugar
16 oz of chocolate (I prefer dark or semi-sweet)

Instructions
Mix 2 cups creamy peanut butter with 1/2 cup of butter. Gradually add 1 pound of powdered (confectioner) sugar. Roll into balls the size or large marbles. Put into fridge to chill. Then dip balls into chocolate (usually you need 16 oz. for one batch) and set on wax paper until firm.

Notes
If not using special chocolate for cooking then we add 1 TB veg oil per 6 oz of choc chips when melting in double boiler.

Citrus Slice an Bake Cookies

Something a little different to mix in with the Christmas cookies:

To make the cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
l 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Butter,
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 egg
2 teaspoons lemon extract

To make the rind:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 drops yellow food coloring
2 drops red food coloring

For cookies, in large mixer bowl combine all cookie ingredients. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well nixed, 2 to 3 minutes. Mold dough into 2 rolls each 6 inches long. Make longer rolls if you want smaller  slices, but you may need to make more rind if you shrink the size of the cookie. Wrap in waxed paper; refrigerate at least 2 hours.

For rind, in medium jar combine granulated sugar and yellow food coloring;cover. Shake until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove half colored sugar; add red food coloring to remaining sugar. Cover; shake until well
blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Heat oven to 375°. Cut each roll in half lengthwise; brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Roll 2 halves in yellow sugar and 2 halves in orange sugar. Cut rolls into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.