We made these cookies on Christmas Eve...let me clarify that. I was too tired to actually make the cookies, we purchased already made cookies and decorated them so they looked like these... it was much easier!

We used chocolate chips instead of currants- very tasty! The kids really enjoyed these and everyone that came for dinner on Christmas thought they were really cute. Anyways, if you ever want to make these, here's the recipe...

Prep Time:1 hr 10 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 50 min
Makes: 1 1/2 dozen cookies
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting
3 tablespoons red sugar
18 miniature marshmallows
36 currants or semisweet chocolate chips
18 red cinnamon candies
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Beat butter, granulated sugar and lemon peel in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in egg and milk. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Press bottom of drinking glass on each until about 1/4 inch and 3 inches in diameter. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Spread frosting on cookie (frost and decorate each cookie before starting another). Sprinkle red sugar over top third of cookie for hat. Press on miniature marshmallow for tassel. Press 2 currants for eyes and 1 cinnamon candy for nose into center third of cookie. Sprinkle coconut over bottom third for beard.

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 270 (Calories from Fat 90 ); Total Fat 10 g (Saturated Fat 7 g); Cholesterol 25 mg; Sodium 180 mg; Total Carbohydrate 3 g (Dietary Fiber 1 g); Protein 2 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4 %; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 2 %; Iron 4 % Exchanges: 1 Starch; 2 Fruit; 2 Fat *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Success
To keep the cookies perfectly round, be sure to drop the dough into mounds 3 inches apart so they won’t bake together.

How-To
To make the edge of the frosting even, place some of the frosting in a heavy plastic food-storage bag. Snip off a corner, and squeeze out frosting to outline each cookie before spreading frosting inside the outline.

Recipe found on: http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?recipeId=34271

What We Were Going To Eat Tonight Until...

Hubby called and said his promotion was effective today- thaw out the steak! So tonight we are having a steak dinner with sweet potatoes and some other veggies too, not sure which yet. This is a great lasagna that is a nice change from the traditional red sauce lasagna.

Chicken Lasagna

Boil lasagna noodles according to package.
Cook chicken and dice. (I boil it, usually I will boil a few chicken breasts at a time and then freeze some for future recipes, that way I can avoid this step later)

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 tsp. basil (optional)
Bring to a boil and let simmer.

Saute:
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
2 TBS butter
Slowly add 1 TBS flour to thicken
Add to sauce.

In a 9X13 pan, layer sauce then noodles
sprinkle cottage cheese then
mozzarella cheese then
cheddar cheese then
diced chicken, repeat- finishing with parmesan cheese on top.
Bake 375 for 1 hour.

Remember...

To check out everyone's links to the left- they have each posted yummy recipes on their blogs as well. Comment here if you would like to be added!

Also- if you have a great recipe for any of those listed on the left, please submit yours- these are requests I have received. If you have a request, Comment here and I will add that as well.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I made these last night- they are EASY and delicious! Thank you to Wendi at Wendi's Recipe Book I snatched this from her. http://wendisrecipebook.blogspot.com/search?q=

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
In a mixer beat butter and peanut butter for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the flour, sugars, egg, baking soda, baking powder,and vanilla. Beat until combined, beat in remaining flour. Roll into small balls then place in a mini muffin tin. Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven press a mini peanut butter cup into each cookie. Cool for about 10 minutes before taking cookies out of tin. Best when they have cooled for about 1 hour. They also freeze well and taste great frozen.

http://wendisrecipebook.blogspot.com/

Dinner Tonight

Chicken Pot Pie
3 lbs. chicken cooked
1 pkg frozen veggies
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of broccoli
Mix these and put into a casserole pan.

Topping:
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup milk
Mix and pour over the chicken mixture.
Bake at 350 about 50-60 minutes.
Submitted by Me

Peach or Raspberry Slushies

7 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
Boil these 5 minutes, then cool

Peach:
Add to sugar water-
12 oz. frozen lemonade
12 oz. frozen orange juice
2 cups peach schnapps

Raspberry:
Add to sugar water-
12 oz. frozen lemonade
12 oz. frozen berry minute maid
2 cups raspberry schnapps

After mixing all ingredients- freeze. Pull out when ready to serve, Fill glass 1/2 way and then the other 1/2 with Sprite or 7Up-Stir. This is great because you can keep it on hand and pull it out of the freezer when people stop over. Oh and it's sooo good.
Recipe submitted by me, with thanks to Maryella

5 Star Bar

1/4 cup of melted margarine
2 c grahm crumbs
2 c coconut
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
mix together and press into a 9" ungreased pan
bake at 350 for 10 min
for the topping take 4 areo chocolate bars and 1/4 cup cooking oil and melt spread over the square and refrigerate
Enjoy
Submitted by http://rfamilyof4.blogspot.com/

Pepperidge Farm Mini Sandwiches

Pepperidge Farm Bread- sliced

1 pound ground beef
1 pkg. breakfast sausage
Brown these two together

Add 1/4- 1/8 cup of A1 sauce or worcestershire sauce
1/3 pound (small package) Velveeta cheese- melted
Add this by the spoonful onto bread
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes till brown
Eat or Freeze for later.
Recipe submitted by Lolo's speech teacher

3 Desserts

Mississippi Mud
1 box graham crackers
two 16 oz containers of cool whip
one small box of instant chocolate pudding
one 16 oz philly cream cheese
1/4 cup (give or take) powdered sugar
chocolate chips!
layer graham crackers on bottom of 9x13 pan
mix together cream cheese, 1 container cool whip, and powdered sugar (use to taste as sweet or not as you like)
spread over crackers
do another layer of crackers
make up the chocolate pudding, spread across.
another layer of crackers, then the last tub of cool whip
sprinkle chocolate chips to make it look pretty, throw in the fridge til you're ready to go!


Apple Crisp (dutch apple pie)
this can be put in a pie pan, but our family uses a 9x9
8-10 apples (rome are great for this)
3/4 c sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon
peel and slice apples, stir in sugar and cinnamon

topping:
2/3 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1 stick margarine

tip:
while cutting apples set margerine out to soften.
use a fork to work the margerine into the flour and brown sugar until it's crumbly.
spread over apples.
I prefer to double the toppings, makes for a thicker crisp!
bake at 425 for 15 min, then 375 for 35 min!!
enjoy while still warm, great with cool whip or vanilla ice cream! YUM!


CHOCOLATE CORNFLAKE DESSERT
melt together on stove:
1/3 C brown sugar
1 C chocolate chips
1 stick margerine
1 C nuts (optional)
mix in 4 cups corn flakes
put in bottom of 9x13 pan
place 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream on mixture
make cornflake mixture again
spread over top
Freeze!!
Recipes submitted by KY (my sis)

Warm Bacon Cheese Spread

1 round loaf (1 pound) sourdough bread
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
12 ounces sour cream
8 ounces shredded chedder cheese
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Assorted crackers
Cut the top fourth off of the loaf of bread; carefully hollowout the bottom, leaving a 1-inch shell. Cut the removed bread and top of loaf into cubes; set aside.In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese. Add the sour cream, cheddar cheese, and Worcestershire sause until combined; stir in bacon and onions. Spoon into bread shell. Wrap in a piece of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until heated through. Serve with crackers and reserved bread cubes.

Notes: I bought pre-cooked bacon, nuked it, and crumbled it - very easy. I also baked it for about 15 minutes longer - but that probably depends on your oven.Enjoy!
Recipe Submitted by: http://drivingwiththebrakeson.blogspot.com/

And this Begins the Recipe Exchange...

When trying to figure out how exactly I was going to post all of these great recipes I decided it didn't fit into my other blog very well. What to do hmmmm..... start another blog- and there you have it. I will gladly post a link to your blog if you post a recipe you would like to share. Otherwise I will just take them out of the comments section and make them a bit more visible for everyone. I am a visual person, I love to make something if I know what it looks like first. So if you have a picture of your recipe, add that too!! Ok, so here we go, this is going to be yummy!