Grandma's Secret Dumpling Recipe

Diane generously shares with us her great grandmother's from scratch dumpling recipe! One of those very special recipes all of us really wish we had to share with our families and now we do ~ Thanks so much Diane! The perfect complement and oh so special dish to serve along side of your fabulous turkey for your wonderful Handmade Holiday Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners!



BY: Diane of The Shutterbug Eye Photography
I am a photographer from Naperville, IL. My photographs are mostly of nature, animals (both domestic and wild), birds, insects and flowers. I am a mother of one, and work full time but photography is my passion.

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"This is a family recipe for dumplings that is passed down from my great grandma to my grandma to my mom to me. The grandmas were so very secretive of it as the felt it was the card they had to get family to come visit, so untrue. I think it should be shared."

Grandma's Secret Dumpling Recipe

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Ingredients:
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4 Slices of Diced white bread
(use a dense white bread)
2 Cups Flour
1/2 - 1 Tsp Salt
1 cup milk
1/2 pack - Dry yeast pack
1/4 pound of butter
2 Eggs

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Baking Directions:
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Brown diced bread in butter and set aside.

Mix Flour and Salt and set aside

Warm milk to 110 degree F and add yeast and let set a few minutes.

Melt butter.

Beat 2 eggs and the melted butter into the milk/yeast mix.

Add flour and salt to a bowl and make a well in the flour.

Pour the milk mix into the well and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add milk or flour to get a firm consistency. Should be firm but easily workable (should have a shine to it but hold together).

Mix in the diced bread. Let stand a few minutes and drop into boiling water.

Boil 20 minutes with lid on - no peek!

ENJOY!
Diane

Let Them Eat Cake!

This sounds like the perfect dessert to top off your fabulous Holiday dinners or a wonderful treat to share along with a great cup of coffee to warm up your Holiday guest when they drop by!



BY: Carla of BAKidagain
I have been making glow in the dark ornaments since 2001. For a few years before that the ornaments didn't glow in the dark but were still loved and cherished by many. They're NOT just for Christmas, they make a GREAT gift for ANY occassion! There are now 1,000 designs that we are trying to make.

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Carmel Apple Cake

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Ingredients:
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1/2 C butter or margerine

1/4 C whipping cream

1 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C chopped Pecans (we've also used walnuts or cashews)

2 large cooking apples *peeled, cored & sliced (about 2/3 cup)

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Mix

1 1/4 C water

1/3 C vegetable oil

3 eggs

1/4 tsp apple pie spice

Topping:

2/3 C frosting

1/2 C Frozen whipped cream (thawed)

Carmel Topping if desired (it's YUMMY!)

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Baking Directions:
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PreHeat oven to 350* F

In heavy 1 quart saucepan, cook butter, whipping cream and brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into 13x9-inch pan. Sprinkle with nut; top with sliced apples.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, eggs, oil, eggs and apple pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Carefully spoon batter over apple mixture.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool IN pan for 10 minutes.

Loosen sides of cake from pan. Place heatproof serving platter upside down on pan. CAREFULLY turn platter and pan over. Let pan remain over cake for about 1 minute so carmel can drizzle over cake. Remove pan.

In small bowl, mix frosting and whipped topping. Serve warm cake topped with frosting mixture and drizzle with caramel topping.

Holiday Chocolate Truffle Delight

Michelle brings us a wonderful recipe for those hard to please men in our lives and my guess the women too ~ because who doesn't LOVE chocolate! This is one delightfully sweet treat you will have to hide a little away to enjoy over the holidays for yourself! WOW I have always wanted to know how to make these thanks Michelle for sharing this fantastic recipe with all of us I can't wait to try it!



BY: Michelle of Creative Critters
My studio is called CreativeCritters and all my work is carefully hand crafted. I make polymer clay sculptures, mixed media jewelry, adorable hand-sewn cloth dolls, knit stuffed toys, polymer clay pen sets, and World of Warcraft plush characters, among other things. Each piece is individually handcrafted, and each is unique.

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"I finally found something that my father in law just loves, and he's a VERY picky man, especially when it comes to food. One year I decided to try my hand at making homemade truffles. Dad absolutely loved them, and I've had to make him his own special box every Christmas since then. He even hides his box when he gets home (Mom told me this)! So if you've got a hard to please father in law, try this recipe out on him!"


Chocolate Truffles
Makes 35-45 truffles

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Ingredients:
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20 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

1) Make the filling
Place 8 oz. of chocolate chips and the butter in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and pour half the cream into the bowl. As the chocolate melts, slowly whisk the mixture together until smooth. Then gradually add the remaining cream until it's completely incorporated and the ganache is thick and shiny.

2)Form the truffles
Pour the ganache into a 2" deep baking pan, spread evenly and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until set (it should have the consistency of fudge). Using a melon baller or small spoon, form rounds and place them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Let the truffles harden in the freezer for about 15 minutes. After removing from the freezer, roll truffles between your hands into marble sized spheres, squeezing slightly (try to do this quickly or they'll become too soft). Now you can dust them with powdered sugar or cocoa, which is Dad's favorite way to have them. You can also coat them with chocolate, which Mom and my brother in law prefer.

3) Make the chocolate coating
Let the truffles rest in the freezer while you make the chocolate glaze. Place the remaining chocolate pieces in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool at room temp., stirring occasionally until the chocolate starts to set at the edge of the bowl. Drop the truffles into the melted chocolate and retrieve them with a fork, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off. You can leave them with a plain chocolate coating or dust them with cocoa, powdered sugar, or nuts.

Truffles will keep for about 2 weeks chilled or at room temp when stored in an airtight container
(although Dad's never last that long!).

Make a Spicy Orange Pomander

The pomander clove-studded citrus fruit is a traditional Christmas ornament and New Year’s gift. As early as the 17th and 18th century the decorated orange stuck with cloves was often mentioned as a Christmas or New Year’s custom. The Victorians hung pomanders in their closets to ward off moths. Every Thanksgiving I make the spicy orange pomanders and come Christmas time they are dried and ready to be put out in a large festive bowl for my family and friends to take home as a thoughtful handcrafted gift and the rich spicy fragrance will last for years! I thought you might enjoy making your own special pomanders this year and because they are so simple to make it's also a nice project to do with your children or a great activity for children to make in supervised groups too.

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Traditional Spicy Orange Pomanders
Makes 6 pomanders


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Materials
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6 oranges
(select firm, unblemished ones)
or lemons or limes may be used instead

1/2 - cup ground cinnamon

1/4 - cup ground cloves

1 - tablespoon ground allspice

1 - tablespoon ground nutmeg

1 - tablespoon ground coriander

2 - tablespoons ground orris root
(this, along with the spices act as a preservative)

1/4 to 1/2 - cup whole large head cloves

A toothpick, wooden skewer or large needle to make the holes

Large heavy brown paper (grocery type) bag

Ribbon for hanging pomanders

*Alternative to using orris root - 8 drops sandalwood oil (a natural preservative).
In traditional pomanders, Orris root is used to act as a preservative and scent enhancer. Orris root is from the Iris bulb that has been dried and ground to a fine powder. Some people have shown allergic reactions to Orris root. You can use sandalwood oil as an alternative preserver.

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Instructions:
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Use your toothpick, wooden skewer or large needle to poke holes into the orange, about 1/8 inch apart, and then push a clove into each hole. A traditional pomander covers the entire orange with cloves, but you can make fun patterns or even ones with monograms on them, be sure to draw your pattern on the orange before you begin. When covering the entire orange I have found it is easiest to work on one small area at a time and continue until the orange is completely covered.

**Mix all of the ground spices and orris root (or sandalwood oil) thoroughly in your large heavy brown paper (grocery type) bag and roll your clove-studded oranges in it, filling the spaces between the cloves as much as possible. Leave your pomanders in the bag with the top open in a warm, dry room and turn daily during the drying process, around 3 to 4 weeks, until the skin becomes hard. As the orange begins to dry their natural scent will blend with the scent of the cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon resulting in a wonderful orange spice fragrance! You will know when they are ready, your pomanders will have shrunk a bit and will be dry and hard. Shake off excess spice powder (any excess can be saved and used again).

**OR another method I have read recently, if you would like to try drying your pomanders without the spices, is to simply place your finished clove studded orange pomanders on newspaper in a warm, dry, well-ventilated location and turn them daily until dried. I have never tried this method myself and I think I will give it a try this year with a few pomanders to see.

Tie around the pomander with a ribbon if desired and hang in wardrobes, cupboards, Christmas tree or display in a bowl. I give them as gifts at Christmas time but you can savor the wonderful spicy fragrance filling your house over the Christmas holiday and give them as a traditional New Years Eve gift!

A pomander's scent usually lasts for several years but they can be refreshed by dipping the pomander in warm water, then rolling it in fresh spices mixed with a drop or two of cinnamon or clove oil . Leave the pomander in the mixture for a few days then use as before.

Perfect Package Decorating Idea

From Bella Sweet comes this great holiday gift package decorating tip using small clear glass Christmas ornaments! You can purchase these ornaments at most any craft store and they are available in different shapes/sizes too! For gifts being given to children these versatile ornaments even come in a clear plastic variety for a little holiday safety. You can add you own special twist to these plus they will have these thoughtful ornaments to enjoy and decorate their own holiday home for years to come!

BY: Bella Sweet Jewelry
The fantasy is awakened with Bella-Sweet Jewelry. Genuine gemstones & distinctive pendants unite to creative one-of-a-kind wearable works of art.

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You've spend your money on the perfect gift that you searched hours for... you wrap it up, slap a stick-on bow and scrap of paper as the name tag?? NO WAY! Make the outside as perfect as the inside. A pretty hand-tied bow adds so much. As for the name tag, this year I have taken small clear glass ornaments and popped the top off. I wrote the recipient's name on a small piece of paper and carefully slipped it inside the ornament with a small piece of pine. Put the topper back on and attach it to the package with a piece of ribbon right by that pretty hand-tied bow! It it so pretty and really appreciated, that little extra touch.