Creamy Salted Fudge

Over the past several months I've been an avid Weight Watchers follower.  The major flaw with me and any diet plan is my deep, unwavering love of chocolate.  It has been the wall between me and thinness forever.  Of course, the beauty of Weight Watchers is that it doesn't deny you the things you love, but teaches you to prepare them in a more healthful way.  This recipe is the perfect representation of that characteristic.  This fudge doesn't have any fake sugar or nasty aspartamey aftertaste.  In fact, nothing about it tastes "diet" or "healthy."  I love it and it is the perfect tamer of my chocolate cravings.

Cornbread Dressing

Of all the things Mom cooks, her cornbread dressing is by far my favorite.  It's one of the best things on earth.  Around September of every year, I start getting giddy thinking about having it at Thanksgiving, and there's nothing better than waking up on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings to the smell of onions and celery sauteing in butter to start off the cooking process.  

The recipe provided below is basically an estimate and one that was very difficult to compile because everything is done to taste, without any measurements.  However, if you get close, you'll be close enough to know you're eating something special.

Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is not my favorite thing on earth, but it has been a part of my family's Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for longer than I've been alive, so I dutifully eat a tablespoon or so a couple of times a year.  I know that's not a glowing endorsement, but a lot of people love it.  If you dig green beans, give it a shot.

Bing Cherry Salad

I frequently make a dish or pass along a recipe and am surprised when the person on the receiving end comments about the "Southernness" of the recipe.  This usually happens with things like black-eyed peas, okra, and beans-only dinners - all things common here in Oklahoma.  This recipe, however, is decidedly Southern.  It's strange, highly processed, and includes an odd combination of ingredients.  I would turn my own nose up at it, but it's so good that I can't.

Pineapple and Brown Sugar Ham

A few years ago, Mom got really sick right before Easter and spent several days in the hospital.  She was still pretty weak once she got to come home, so some of her teacher friends cooked Easter dinner and brought it to our house the Friday before Easter.  She had a appointment with her doctor that day, and when we got home we walked into a house that smelled incredible thanks to her good friend Beth's amazing pineapple and brown sugar ham.  Since then, we have co-opted this recipe into our family's recipe repertoire.  

Merry Christmas Dinner

Merry Christmas!  I hope you're enjoying a dinner as tasty as ours.  On the menu today is Mom's pineapple brown sugar ham, cornbread dressing, bing cherry salad, corn casserole, and green bean casserole.  All the recipes will be up once I'm out of my food coma, which will likely be tomorrow.

Cranberry Pecan Swedish Tea Ring

Mom is still dealing with her cold, so she decided not to make her more-fabulous-than-fabulous cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning.  She's so delirious, drugged out on NyQuil, that she decided I should cook Christmas breakfast.  Not being brave enough to attempt her cinnamon rolls, I decided on this cranberry pecan Swedish tea ring, a recipe that I found in Healthy Cooking.  Having never cooked something that involves yeast and rising, it took more than one attempt to get it made, but I finally succeeded.  It's delicious, so it was worth the effort.

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!  I hope you all have plans to spend time with your families today.

At the Lindsey house, we will begin our traditional family activities tonight with our annual "appetizer dinner," a tradition that started when Jason and I had one of our typical arguments over the appetizer to be served on Christmas Eve several years ago.  In an effort to appease both of us, Mom prepared both appetizers, which were eaten in mass quantities while the entree went largely untouched.  Since then, we have had a dinner that consists only of appetizers every Christmas Eve.

Tonight's menu isn't terribly exciting, but the three of us enjoy it immensely.  We'll be having sausage balls, little smokies, pimento cheese, deviled eggs, and an assortment of Christmas candies.  I'll post pictures and recipes once the food is prepared.

Enjoy your day!

Divinity

Divinity is another incredible, high maintenance Christmas candy, but Mom loves it as much as I do, so she never complains about making it.  While we do have a traditional family recipe for this, Mom prefers the recipe that is included in her mixer's cookbook.

Fair warning - Mom considers divinity "high maintenance" because it's difficult to make.  It's very finicky.  The humidity has to be very low, you have to whip it just enough, you have to use a candy thermometer to get the temperature just right, and pastry chef terminology (hard ball, soft peaks, etc.) comes into play.  It's something I'm afraid to try to make.  Fortunately, I don't have to because I live with Paula the master chef.

Peanut Brittle

Traditional peanut brittle recipes are difficult to make, requiring constant vigilance, stirring, and precise temperatures that can only be maintained with a candy thermometer.  Mom's recipe is the complete opposite and requires only a microwave and a few minutes of your time.  That, of course, makes it both fabulous and easy.

Chocolate Turtles

Mom hates making turtles because, as she says, "They are a pain in the butt."  Sadly for her, they are my favorite Christmas candy and it doesn't seem like Christmas until she has made them.  Every year when I request them, she whines a bit and then declares that it's only fitting that her high maintenance daughter's favorite candy is the most complicated of her recipes.  Then I tape her mouth shut and lock her in the kitchen, forcing her to ransom herself with said turtles.  Because I'm such a good daughter (and because I want to learn how to make them myself), this year I offered to assist in the candy's preparation.  It's not even close to being as complicated as she said, so don't be intimidated.

Christmas Chocolate Candy Balls

Every Christmas that I can remember has involved mountains and mountains of Mom's (via her mom, my Mam-Maw) homemade Christmas candy.  The chocolate candy balls are my third favorite of her candy recipes.  Last night, for the first time ever, I was allowed to help make them.  Although there were hints of disaster and lots of Mom telling me I wasn't quite competent enough to know all the techniques involved, they turned out as well as could be expected when I am fiddling with a family tradition.