Skor Toffee Chocolate Bars (Slice)

This has to be my absolute favorite Christmas treat. It is stick in your teeth goodness! I made these for the first time last Christmas - unfortunately they didn't last long. So I purposely held off on making them this year, until today.

Skor Toffee Chocolate Bars (Slice)

• 3/4 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tbsp margarine
• 300g milk chocolate chips (I use one bag - 270g)
• 225 g chipits skor toffee bits (again I just use one bag)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together 3/4 cup margarine, brown sugar and flour until well blended and mixture comes together. Press evenly into 9 x 13 greased cake pan. Bake at 350 for 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Set aside to cool. Heat condensed milk and 2 tbsp margarine in heavy saucepan, stirring constantly over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Spread over base and return to oven to bake 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle milk chocolate chips and skor toffee bits evenly over top and press down lightly, bake for 2 minutes. Cool completely. If necessary, chill to set chocolate before cutting. Store at room temperature.

Turkey Noodle Casserole

This is a great recipe to use when you have lots of leftover turkey (or chicken). So after you're done eating all those Christmas dinners, give this recipe a whirl!
Creamed Turkey Noodle

• 6 oz broad noodles (I used spiral noodles this time around)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 4 cups cooked turkey or chicken (chopped)
• 10 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 10 oz condensed cream of chicken soup
• 10 oz canned mushrooms (drained)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain. Put onion, celery and butter in frying pan. Saute until limp. Add to noodles. Add turkey, mushroom and chicken soup, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Stir. Pour into large casserole. Bake, uncovered, in 350 oven for 35 minutes until bubbly hot. Serves 6 to 8.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1 pkg chocolate chips

Cream butter, add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix. Add all dry ingredients;flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well and then add bananas and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

*You can try and hide these in the freezer, but they're even better frozen. :)

Fruit Strudel

Fruit Strudel

• 2 cups chopped fresh fruit (or frozen fruit, thawed and drained)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup hard margarine
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 4 oz light cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp almond flavoring
• 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
• Sugar for garnish

Combine fruit and sugar in small saucepan on medium heat. Stir. Heat for 10 minutes until soft and reduced to about half. Cool.

Measure flour and salt into bowl. Cut in margarine until crumbly.

Add sour cream. Mix well. Divide into two equal portions. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill. Roll our 1 portion on lightly flour surface to 12 x 15 inches (30 x 38 cm) rectangle.

Beat cream cheese and flavoring in small bowl. Spread 1/2 of cream cheese mixture in 4 inch (10cm) lengthwise row down center of rectangle.

Spread 1/2 of fruit mixture over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 of almonds. Cut both sides of uncovered pastry in 1/4 inch (2 cm) slices at slight angle from edge of cream cheese layer to edge of pastry. Fold each strip alternately over fruit layer, creating a braided look. Repeat to make second braid. Transfer to greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 over for 30 to 35 minutes until golden.

Sprinkle with sugar during last 10 minutes of baking. Cuts into 8 pieces.

I shared this dessert with my Dad and he didn't believe that I had made it. Gee thanks. :)

Butterscotch Confetti Squares

This has got to be the easiest recipe EVER. And I'm sure everyone has had it at one point or another. I made this the other day, just to have something different and Devin and Dillon devoured it. Dillon calls it marshmallow cake, but somehow in his two year old pronounciation it comes out marsh m cake. I'll be making some more for the holidays.

Butterscotch Confetti Squares

• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 8 oz (250 g) miniature colored marshmallows

Melt margarine and peanut butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in butterscotch chips until melted. Cool until you can hold your hand on the bottom of the pan. Add marshmallows and stir until all are coated. Pack in 9x9 pan that has been lined with foil or waxed paper (I just use pam in my glass pan). Refridgerate.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/4 cups marg/butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 tsp baking soda

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffly. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Note: Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Buns

Is there anything better than buns, fresh from the oven? I think not!
Buns

This recipe works well using a large mixer with a large bowl and fitted with dough hooks. Begin with a coarse whisk, switching to a dough hook as the mixing becomes heavier.

• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup oil
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp fermipan yeast

Mix first six ingredients and add 4 cups flour. Then slowly add 2 tbsp fermipan yeast that has been mixed with 1 cup flour. Continue to add flour (approx 8 - 10 cups total) until fairly stiff. Turn into large bowl and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down.* Let rise again until double. Shape into buns and let rise on pans. Bake at 350.

Variation: To make brown buns, use whole wheat flour for the first four cups. 1/4 cup wheat germ and 1/4 cup crushed flax can be added as well.

*I don't usually let the dough rise a second time. Once is enough for me! I've got things to do!