Orange Bread

My friend makes this as gifts and it is fantabulous! Yes, that is now a word.




Orange Bread



3 eggs

2 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/8 cup oil



Mix together. Then add:



1 1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tablespoon orange peel (zest it)

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp orange extract

1 1/2 tsp butter extract



Pour into greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from pans and let them cool for 10 minutes. Return to pans and pour glaze over the top. Let soak for 5 minutes, then return to cooling rack to finish cooling.



Glaze:



1/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp orange extract

1/2 tsp butter extract


[from Valerie]

Sherry Cake

In our family, this recipe signals the start of the Christmas season. My mom always made it for gifts for friends and my teachers....now I make it to give as gifts. What's great is that the flavor has to "age" for a few days or so and it freezes amazingly well, so you can make it well in advance. The alcohol cooks out of course.



Sherry Cake



1 box yellow cake mix
1 box (3.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
3/4 cup cream sherry (do NOT use cooking sherry)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp ground nutmeg



Preheat oven the 350 degrees. Beat together ingredients for five or ten minutes. Pour into a greased and floured tube or bundt pan. Bake 45 minutes. Cool and sift confectioners sugar over cake. Wrap in saran and heavy foil and "age" for two days.



*What my mom always did was to use disposable loaf pans to cook them in. Nowadays of course they have the cute seasonal loaf pans which is what I always use. Each recipe will fill three loaf pans. The cooking instructions are the same either way. You don't even need to take them out of the pans. Just sprinkle the sugar and wrap with some colored saran or however you want to make it cute for gifts.

[from Ann]

Kiss Cookies

This is a recipe that my family always makes only at Christmas time...so to me it is a Christmas treat:



Kiss Cookies

1 and 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

2 T milk

1 tsp vanilla



Mix ingredients. Shape into balls. Roll into a bowl of sugar (new sugar, not the half cup--that should be in the dough). Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. While hot, push a kiss in the center of the cookie. Don't push too far or you will go right through :)

[from Valerie]

Peppermint Cocoa

(recipe from allrecipes.com)


Ingredients

•4 cups milk

•3 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped

•4 peppermint candy canes, crushed

•1 cup whipped cream

•4 small peppermint candy canes

Directions

In a saucepan, heat milk until hot, but not boiling. Whisk in the chocolate and the crushed peppermint candies until melted and smooth. Pour hot cocoa into four mugs, and garnish with whipped cream. Serve each with a candy cane stirring stick.
 
[from Rene']

Holiday Pecans

4 cups crispy pecan halves (cook at 350 for 15-20 minutes)
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 T vanilla


Beat egg whites with salt until stiff. Slowly beat in syrup and vanilla. Fold into pecans until coated. Spread on 2 buttered baking pans and place in warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for several hours until egg white coating hardens. Store in air-tight container.

[from Raegan]