2012 Was a GREAT Year: 6 Most Popular Recipes

2012 was a GREAT year,

and I'm here to review with you the top 6 recipes of the year.

I hope these recipes brought joy to your families,

and most of all to your palate.

Here we go.....

Crock Pot Beer Chicken

This recipe was viewed 3492 times in 2012.

I'm sure this recipe created many happy,

satisfied appetites.

 Crab Rangoon Dip

This is the perfect appetizer to serve to that seafood lover.

This recipe was viewed 2898 times in 2012. 

Sausage Gravy Biscuits

This recipe was an awesome challenge in 2012.

A reader challenged me to create a biscuit that has sausage

gravy right in it. An on-the-go biscuit.

And I never refuse a challenge.

This biscuit, I must say, was my most successful moment for 2012.

This recipe was viewed 2721 times.

Peanut Butter Nutella Cake

I remember this one just like it was made yesterday.

This cake made my whole entire house smell like peanut butter.

And everyone loves peanut butter, right?

This cake did not last long, and makes the perfect potluck cake.

This recipe was viewed 1142 times.

Spaghetti Salad

This will make your eaters happy, happy, happy....

It is also the perfect potluck dish.

This recipe came from a great friend of mine, Joelle.

If you have not taken the time to visit with her, you are

truly missing out. She is a wonderful cook and really knows

how to use her spices.

This recipe had 1061 views.

Pizza Pasta Bake

If you are looking for a family pleaser.....this recipe will hit the spot.

This recipe comes from a great blogging friend, The Country Cook.

Every recipe that I have made from Brandie's blog has been wonderful.

She usually has step-by-step instructions, along with pictures to

help you along.

Take some time to visit with Brandie. You will not regret it.

This recipe had 675 views in 2012.

What a great year! And I am looking forward to spending 2013

with all of you.

Don't be afraid to comment with suggestions, recipes you would like

to see, or new ideas that you would like me to apply.

Working together in 2013 is what I am most looking forward to.

Have a safe and happy New Year.

May all your dreams come true in 2013!

Love you all!! 

Crock Pot Meatballs and Casing Franks

 Yup, we are still focusing on appetizers and finger foods.

New Year's Eve is right around the corner.

 This one is a little bit of oven and a little crock'n'roll.....

And a funny story to go along with this creation:

My son asked me to put together something for a MAN potluck at his work.

Sure, I can do that.

Men love meatballs!

So, I set out to create a meatball feast.

I used tropical fruit jelly and hot pepper jelly for a manly appeal.

Threw in some picante sauce for spice, and then proceeded to

tell my son what I was putting in it.

Son: It's not going to be too hot to eat, right?

Me: PFFFT....NO!

Once I got my sauce put together, cooked, and tasted....

I was running around the kitchen trying to find a way to put the fire out.

So, I started dumping anything and everything I could find.

Which is how this recipe was created.

It took some condensed tomato soup, sugar, and honey to get the

sauce to an edible stage.....

But my frantic situation created an awesome outcome.

I am very happy with this recipe and my son asked me to make it again.

At the MAN potluck, the meatballs disappeared.

Cocktail Meatballs & Casing Franks

1 pound ground chuck

1/2 c. fine Italian bread crumbs

1/2 c. minced onion

1/4 c. milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. pepper

8 oz. tropical fruit jelly (or grape)

4 oz. hot pepper jelly

12 oz. picante sauce

1 (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup

1/4 - 1/2 c. honey

2 TBS sugar

8 casing franks, cooked and sliced into 2 inch pieces

Combine first 8 ingredients, mixing well; shape into walnut sized balls. Place meatballs on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 35-45 minutes.

Combine jellies, picante sauce, tomato soup, honey, and sugar in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until well combined, about 4-5 minutes.

Place casing franks covered with water in medium sauce pan, cook until done. Slice in 2 inch pieces.

Place the cooked meatballs and franks in a large crock pot and pour the cooked sauce over them. Leave on low for serving.

This recipe is linked to:
Foodie Friends Friday

Recipe: Cherry Cheesecake (No-Bake)

Happy Christmas Eve

From: A'lil Country Sugar

 This pie came about when I was trying to find a place to use

those awful pre-baked frozen pie crusts. 

You know, the ones in the grocer freezer that demands you take

shortcuts when creating your foods.

Never again will I buy frozen pie crust.....

But they served the purpose for this pie.

You can also buy the pre-made graham cracker crusts,

or make your own for this pie.

Just don't buy the frozen ones......

Typed above is my little piece of advice for you today.

This was a very good no-bake cheesecake,

and I loved the idea of using Jell-O.

It added lots of flavor, and the cheese cake part set up nicely.

No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake

2 Prepared (9 in.) baked pie crusts (make your own, or use a graham cracker crust)

1 (6 oz.) package pineapple Jell-O

1 c. boiling water

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, soft

1 c. white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 TBS lemon juice

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling

Dissolve pineapple jell-o in boiling water, set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple jell-o mixture and lemon juice. 

In a separate bowl, whip evaporated milk. I used a hand whisk and whisked it till it was foamy. Fold into the cream cheese mixture. Pour into the prepared pie crusts.

Chill for 4 hours, then top with cherry pie filling. 

Recipe Cookie Butter Buckeyes

 I decided to skip the daily menu to bring you this bowl full of 

Cookie Butter Buckeyes.

Let's face it, candy is more important than a menu, right?

 Are you a Trader Joe's shopper?

If you are, I'm super jealous.

I love Trader Joe's and really wish there was one near me.

The closest Trader Joe's is four hours away from me.

YIKES!

But, thank God for Amazon.....

Amazon allowed me to purchase this much loved cookie butter.

To describe the taste:

It kind of has a hint of gingerbread taste.

I can see why they call it cookie butter.

 Please don't turn me in for food porn here.

These are naked buckeye balls.

And that just sounded totally dirty.

Okay, let's just leave it alone....

We'll move on to the recipe where it's safe.

Cookie Butter Buckeyes

1 - 11oz. container of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter

1 c. butter, soft

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 c. confectioners' sugar

4 c. melting chocolate for candy (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate)

When melting my chocolate I always throw in like a TBS of butter just to make it creamy.

In a large bowl, mix together the cookie butter, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry (don't worry, it comes together. Kind of like playing with dried play dough). Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

Chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate (and 1 TBS of butter if you like) in a double boiler. Stir frequently until smooth.

Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate using a toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like buckeyes. Place them back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

Recipe for Pie Crust Christmas Cookies

Don't you just love the Christmas holidays?

What I love most about it is the cookies and candies that

represent Christmas, family, and eating.

I would be completely content with holiday food over any

kind of gifts. That's just the way I roll....

 I love preparing for the baking day.

Gathering cookie cutters (first locating them from their yearly hiding place),

sprinkles

cookie sheets

rolling pins

and pastry cloth. 

 This year I decided to try a little something different.

Don't get me wrong,

I love my family tradition cut-out cookies

(the best in the world),

but I'm thinking pie crust.

I love pie crust!

And sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar.....

It's the BOMB!

So, I'm making pie crust cookies.....

 The pie crust recipe that I used sort of represents a sugar cookie,

and I'm even considering making a pie with it

(not a pie maker here),

because this crust recipe comes together great and is so easy to work with.

 Since the photos of these cookies turned out

AWE(use high pitch)SOME!

I thought I would continue the holiday spirit and have you

look at all of them.....

Well, you don't have to if you don't want to.

Myself, I love looking at pictures.
Below you find some great Christmas cookie recipes
and lots of pictures.....

 Come on over and join us at the Daily Dish
for some great cookie recipes.
Almost 12 bloggers that have connected to bring you great
foodie information, tips, recipes, and lots of news.....
If you stick with Daily Dish, there is no reason you would need
a cookbook.
Serious!
Tons of recipes!
You can find us at:
www.foodiefriendsfridaydailydish

 Here is the recipe!

Pie Crust Christmas Cookies

1 egg

6 TBS sugar

1 pinch salt

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. cold butter cut into pieces

4 TBS water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl mix egg and sugar together. In a separate bowl, combine salt and flour. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until tiny crumb form. Stir in egg mixture, then knead dough into a smooth ball. As I was kneading I added the water. I only used 4 TBS to form a soft dough. Wrap in saran and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Roll dough to 1/4 in. thick and use floured cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Repeat until all dough is used. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture (heavy), and sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them because you don't want them to get too brown. When the bottoms start to brown is when I took mine out.

This recipe is linked to:
Weekend Potluck ~ The Better Baker
Foodie Friends Friday

Holiday Cheese Log Recipe

 What a wonderful holiday appetizer.

This is so simple and can be thrown together in minutes.

Packed full of flavor, it is sure to please any crowd.

This recipe comes from a faithful reader of A'lil Country Sugar:

Mary Howard

I'm so glad she sent me this recipe, because it was a huge hit

at my Thanksgiving dinner.

And my (soon to be) daughter-in-law even used it to spread

on her panini sandwich before grilling.....

She made herself a fabulous lunch with this cheese log.

 All you have to do is throw all ingredients into your Kitchen Aid mixer

bowl, attach the paddle, and mix for a few minutes.

After mixing, take it out with your hands and shape into a log.

Easy-Peasy-Lemon-Squeezy..... 

 I rolled mine in the leftover pecans.

I couldn't get a photo of the log being rolled because my hands were all messy.

But I sprinkled the pecans on a piece of saran and rolled.

You can use the same piece of saran to wrap around the log to place in the fridge.

Serve with your favorite crackers.

Holiday Cheese Log

1 pkg. cream cheese, soft

3-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I suggest staying on the low side of the 5)

1/2 tsp. cayanne pepper

1/2 c. pecans, finely chopped

Blend all together using only 1/4 c. of pecans, and roll into a log. Roll the log in the remaining pecans. Chill and serve with crackers.

This recipe linked to:
Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish

Taste of Home Cinnamon Candy Cane Cookies

 Christmas is coming!

Christmas is coming!

Christmas is coming!

 Now that you know Christmas is coming, I'll share with you

a Taste of Home cookie recipe that I truly fell in love with.

I am not one that likes to put a lot of effort into a recipe,

especially cookies.

But when I ran across this recipe in the new Taste of Home

Special Edition Best Loved Cookies and Candies,

I knew that my negative thoughts on effort needed to be

thrown out the window.....

I even went a step further and dipped the ends in white chocolate,

and even sprinkled them with Christmas sprinkles.

For some reason Taste of Home boosted my mood for 

the holidays.

I'm usually known as the Grinch.  

This is definitely one great cookie and worth all

the twisted effort....

Cinnamon Candy Cane Cookies

1 c. butter, soft

1 c. confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. red-hot candies, crushed

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Red food coloring

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Mix red-hots and cinnamon into one half; tint with food coloring if desired.

Shape 1 1/2 tsp. plain dough into a 4 1/2 in. rope. Shape 1 1/2 tsp. red dough into a 4 1/2 in. rope. On an ungreased baking sheet, place ropes side by side; press together lightly and twist. Curve top of each cookie down to form handle of cane. Repeat with remaining plain and red dough, placing 2 in. apart on baking sheets. 

Bake at 375 degrees F. 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely. 

Melt four blocks of white chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Once chocolate is melted and cookies are completely cool, dip the uncurved end of the cane cookie in the chocolate. Sprinkle with Christmas candy sprinkles. Allow to dry on waxed paper and store in an airtight container.

This recipe is linked to:
Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish
Weekend Potluck ~ The Better Baker

Pinterest & Spontaneous Treasures Thursday

 The month of December is always crazy for any family.

It seems like December always whisks by without even knowing its there.

So to keep December simple,

I plan on keeping my meals simple.

And try and stick with low calorie since there are lots of 

Christmas feasts ahead. 

I ran across this recipe at Kaylyn's Kitchen. 

I love roasted vegetables, and green beans is one of my favorites.

So when I noticed these green beans and mushrooms I knew I had to make it.

But wait!

I have a mushroom hater in the house.

So quickly I had to come up with a replacement.

I decided to place sliced red potatoes in place of the mushrooms.

This dish is in my oven as I type.

Anything with Balsamic vinegar I tend to love. 

I'm anxious to see how this 

Roasted Green Beans with Red Potatoes, Balsamic, and Parmesan

turns out. 

 Along side my green beans I would love to see this 

Fiesta Lime Chicken from Rachel Schultz.

I think they would pair perfectly.

 And just to keep the holiday in check, these sweet little

Candy Cane Snowballs would be perfect to top off this meal.

This recipe comes from Cooking During Stolen Moments.

I hope you enjoy this as much I KNOW I will.

Taste of Home Giveaway

It is time for the most awesome giveaway ever.....

I think so anyway.

Taste of Home was kind enough to contact me and ask

me to provide a giveaway for them.

This giveaway consists of three special addition

Taste of Home holiday magazines.

Of course, I jumped on the offer....

Wouldn't you?

These magazines are amazing!

Well, TASTE OF HOME is amazing,

I'm sure....I know....I promise....guaranteed....

Let me tell you a little about each one of these magazines.

The Cookies and Candies magazine is full of just that,

Cookies & Candies

It even has a special addition Werther's Original section.

Two pages of Werther's recipes:

Caramel Apples

Candy Apple Cheesecake

Cookie Caramel Apples

Caramel Peanut Brittle

I can't wait to try the Caramel Peanut Brittle for the Christmas Holiday.

I made these Candy Cane Cookies as soon as I received 

the magazines to review.

This recipe can be found on page 49 of the Cookies & Candy magazine.

I took them up another notch and dipped the ends in white chocolate,

and sprinkled them with sprinkles.

 The Food Gifts Magazine is perfect for Christmas coming up.

Lots of great ideas for homemade gifts.

Actually, 143 creative holiday gift ideas.

The Best Holiday Recipes magazine has photos with

every recipe in the book (235), and also offers 100

clip and keep recipe cards.

This is a giveaway you are not going to want to miss.

I am truly loving these magazines and they will be kept 

in safe place.

One thing about the Food Gifts Magazine, it doesn't

have to be Christmas to give the gift of food.

Good luck to everyone that enters!

One winner will be drawn automatically through Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No-Bake Cookies: Because You Need a Break Right About Now

 How many of you have started prepping your 

Thanksgiving meal for tomorrow?

If I was making a meal this year, I would have started

prepping yesterday. I love getting my sides and

desserts ready and out of the way. I even make up

cheese and veggie trays ahead.

This is one dessert that is sure to win over your guests.

Who does not like no-bake cookies?

 And they are so easy to throw together.

A small cookie that packs a BIG punch.

No-Bake Cookies

2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. baking cocoa
pinch of salt
1/2 c. milk
1 stick butter
1/2 c. peanut butter (I used crunchy)
4 packets instant oatmeal (I used maple/brown sugar)
And enough old fashioned oats to equal 3 c.

Mix in pan: sugar, cocoa, milk, butter, salt
Heat to boiling on medium heat
Take off of heat and let it cool for 1 minute
Add vanilla, peanut butter, and oatmeal - stir well
Drop by TBS onto wax paper (or however big you want your cookie)
Let cool completely


This recipe is linked to:
Cast Party Wednesday ~ Lady Behind the Curtain
Foodie Friends Friday