Jamie’s Pistachio Cranberry Cookies with Orange Glaze

 

My good friend Jamie made these for our family and we were hooked! They are fun to make around Christmas time because of the red and green colors in the cookies, but they are really tasty all year round!

Jamie’s Pistachio Cranberry Cookies with Orange Glaze

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 ¼ cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ cup pistachios, chopped

¾ cup craisins, chopped

 

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tablespoon butter, melted

4 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt together, then set aside. In mixer beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla together until well blended. Add flour mixture to wet mixture about 1/3 of a cup at a time until all the flour has been incorporated. Add pistachios and craisins to the dough and mix just until it is incorporated through the dough. Put dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Use a cookie scoop about the size of a tablespoon to put dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool. Make the glaze by whisking the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Put glaze in a Ziplock bag and cut one of the corners to form a piping bag and then pipe the glaze over the cookies.

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

 Recipe from Foodnetwork by Paula Deen

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons orange zest

2 (12 ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

2 Tbsp fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup bundt pan.

Combine sugar, pecans, and zest in a small bowl then set aside. 

Separate the biscuits.

Put 3/4 tsp cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. 

Fold each biscuit over the cream cheese and to seal press the edges down.

Dip the biscuits in the butter, then dredge in the sugar mixture.

Put biscuits curve side down into the bundt pan spacing them evenly do not stack.

Place any remaining biscuits around the tub to fill any gaps. 

Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

Immediately invert the cake onto a serving dish. 

Combine confectioner's sugar and orange juice, stir well.

Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. 

Serve warm.

Apple Dip

 8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mini chocolate chips

Caramel apple dip (buy in produce section it is in a tub)

Toffee bits

Cream together cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla. Spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom of a plastic container. Sprinkle with a layer of mini chocolate chips. Top with a layer of caramel apple dip. Sprinkle with a layer of toffee bits. Store in the refrigerator. Serve with apples. 

Cheese Ball

 Recipe: Carol Bingham

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (8 ounce) can pineapple, well drained

2 cups pecans, chopped

1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped fine

2 Tbsp onion, minced

1 Tbsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Mix softened cream cheese with pineapple, 1 cup pecans, green pepper, onion, and seasoning salt. Form into a ball and roll in remaining pecans. Refrigerate. Serve with crackers of your choice. 

Acini de Pepe Fruit Salad aka Frog Eye Salad

 Recipe: Marie Coombe

1 package acini

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/3 cup pineapple juice (use juice from drained pineapple)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained

2 (20 ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained (save juice separately)

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup coconut

1 large frozen Cool Whip

Cook acini in 3 quarts of water with 1 tsp oil and 2 tsp salt. When tender rinse in colander and cool.

In the meantime, in a medium saucepan combine sugar, flour, pineapple juice (use the drained pineapple juice from canned pineapple) eggs, salt and lemon juice; cook until thickened. Cool.

In a very large bowl combine cooled acini and cooled sauce. Add mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, marshmallows, coconut and frozen topping; mix well. Place in refrigerator overnight. Will keep in refrigerator for 2 or 3 days. Add sliced bananas just before serving if desired. 

Pie Crust

Recipe: Margo Stevenson

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup shortening

1 extra large egg

1/4 cup cold water

1 Tbsp vinegar

Stir flour and salt together. Cut in shortening into flour and salt until pea size with pastry cutter. Beat egg and add vinegar and water. Slowly pour into flour mixture, blending with a fork as little as possible. Roll half the dough out on a floured pastry cloth until it fits a 9 inch pie pan. Roll up onto rolling pin and roll out over pie tin. Carefully press into tin and flute edge. Repeat for remaining dough. 

Nyla's Sweet Potatoes

Recipe: Nyla Miller

5 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked, and diced

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

1 cup pecans

Combine the first six ingredients. Mix brown sugar, flour, baking soda, softened butter, and pecans. Put on top of sweet potato mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.