Christmas Cooking

Wow the Holidays are upon us and I am sure everyone is very busy getting that last minute gift or shopping for the Holiday Meal. I am gonna share some recipes that will make our Christmas meal complete. I will actually have two, I will have the traditional meal at my house for us and the kids and we will have a buffet style meal at my sister's with lots of people. We are gonna have soups, chili, salads, sandwiches, cheese balls, crackers, chips and dip...all kinds of homemade sweets. We enjoy this meal very much and it has lots of variety.

Here are some recipes I am gonna share.

Merry Christmas to everyone and I wish a very Happy New Year also.

CHRISTMAS RECIPES

Corn Salad

2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups grated cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 (10.5 ounce) bag coarsely crushed chili-cheese fritos

Mix first 5 ingredients and chill. Stir in Corn Chips just before serving..

Bacon Cheddar Puffs

1/2 cup milk
2 tbl sps Margarine, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup (2 ounces) Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 Bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper

Heat oven to 350f. Bring Milk and margarine to boil over medium heat. Add flour all at once, stirring constantly until mixture forms a ball and leaves sides of pan. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Wrap securely: freeze.

To serve, heat oven to 350f. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Makes about 3 dozen.

Perky Olive Penguins

For a good picture of these you may want to look at recipe online.

1 can (5-3/4 ounces) jumbo olives, drained
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash garlic powder
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch slices
12 small pitted ripe olives
12 toothpicks will cellophane frilled tops
1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimientos, I actually bought a jar of red peppers that will work fine

Cut a slit from the top to bottom of 12 jumbo olives: set aside. In a bowl, combine the next six ingredients: mix well. fill a small heavy-duty plastic bad with cream cheese mixture. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag:carefully pipe mixture into jumbo olives. Set aside. Cut a small triangle out of each carrot slices:press triangles into small olives so the white chest is lined up with the notch. Place the small olives, hole side down, over the jumbo olive so the beak, chest and feet are aligned. Carefully insert a toothpick through the top of head into body and carrot base. Wrap pimiento around neck for a scarf. 1 dozen

Maple Syrup Glazed Sweet Potatoes

3-4 large sweet potatoes
3/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tblsp butter

wash potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch slices (peeled or unpeeled) In a large skillet add butter and melt on low heat. Place sweet potatoes in skillet. Pour maple syrup over potatoes. Cover and simmer on low heat turning potatoes until almost tender(approx. 6-8 min) Remove lid and increase heat to med high. Reduce syrup until thick. Yummy

Taco Salad

2 lbs ground chuck, browned and drained
1 large onion chopped and cooked with ground chuck
1 head lettuce torn in small pieces
1 large tomato chopped
1 pack grated cheese>br>

1 bag fritos
2 cans chili beans
1 large bottle catalina salad dressing

brown ground chuck and onion and drain, mix with chili beans and let cool.

Add lettuce, tomato and salad dressing and mix good.

When it is time to serve mix in the fritos.