It tastes YUMMY!

Taste and smells of Christmas!

If you read my "not me" post from yesterday you will understand that I might have been under a little stress this weekend with our Christmas open house for church.  So much stress, that I forgot to take pictures of the goodies I made.  Our house smelled like cookies and yummy cereal mix for the last few weeks.  I will try to post a few of my favorite recipes so that you can taste and smell what I've been working on yourself.  My family really doesn't have any cookie favorites (except butter balls which I sadly don't like) so I searched cookie recipe books for the last few weeks and came up with a few that are sure to become favorites in our house!

I do love doing the Christmas open house.  I love the fellowship of the holidays and I love making my house ready for guests!  Isn't that what we are doing during the season of Advent?  Making our hearts ready for the greatest Gift (who will live in our hearts not as a guest but as a wonderful Savior) of all?

Lemon-Lime Cookies (or Orange Cookies)
My mother in law has a wonderful recipe for lemon sugar cookies that my husband loves so I made these with the orange instead!  Why ruin a good thing right?


1 Cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Lemon-Lime Frosting (below)

Heat oven to 375.  Beat sugar, shortening, lemon peel, lemon juice, lime peel, lime juice and egg in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.  Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Frost with Lemon-Lime Frosting.

Lemon-Lime Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter margarine, softened
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable.

If you want orange cookies, substitute 2 tablespoons grated orange peel for the lemon and lim peels and 1/4 cup orange juice for the lemon and lime juice in the cookie dough.  Substitute 1 teaspoon grated orange peel for the lime peel and about two tablespoons orange juice for the lemon juice and water in the frosting.  These were yummy!


Nuts & Bolts
Not your normal cereal mix.  The full recipe is below, but unless you have a GIANT roasting pan, you will have to halve the recipe like I do.  I can't find a giant roasting pan big enough for all this cereal!  This was my hubby's grandma's recipe and we all love it.


1 box Kix
1 box cheerios
1 box Chex
1 bag pretzel sticks
2 pounds mixed nuts

Place above ingredients in a large roaster pan.

Heat together:
1 cup butter
1 cup veg. oil
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 Tblsp. garlic powder
6 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

Pour mixture over cereals, mixing thoroughly.  Salt to taste.  Bake uncovered in a 200 degree over for 2 or 3 hours, stirring often.  Freezes well in tight containers!

Those are my tastes and smells of Christmas.  My poor husband hung around the kitchen the minute he smelled the nuts and bolts wanting some, but he had to wait until the open house.  Now he is happily snacking on the leftovers.  He also told me that it tasted as good as his mom's.  I will take that compliment and RUN!