In the Kitchen

Just a bit late for Thanksgiving - but we serve this with poultry and pork all year.
The texture and flavor are a perfect foil for the somewhat bland recipes often served for holiday season. My Grandmother Vanden Brink was the first person who I recall having made this recipe. She used her old hand grinder - attached to the side of the kitchen table - handle slowly turned, to prevent the squirting of those pesky cranberries.
The relish freezes well and keeps through several months.

Thanks to Paula Pyzik Scott for contributing this Christmas recipe.

English Toffee Pudding

Editor's note: We invite readers to submit favorite Christmas recipes for publication in the Icon. Please e-mail recipe and a brief history about the recipe to info@blufftonicon.com.

My grandmother always made this recipe around Christmas time. The recipe has been passed down thru a few generations, and my daughter just surprised me with a batch this past Saturday at her home for Thanksgiving. So Christmas came early this year!

Recipe shared from the Maple Crest kitchen

Cheeseball
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 T. mayonnaise
1/4 c. minced onions (green stems & all)
1 c. cheddar cheese (medium), softened

1. Mix all ingredients together. Put into refrigerator to chill. Form into ball and roll in chopped pecans or shredded cheese. Cooks.com
*This recipe was used at the Sugar Bowl Party!

By Mary Pannabecker Steiner

Like most young children, Lily Schumacher enjoyed helping out in the kitchen.

 But about the time she reached third grade, she took matters into her own hands and embarked on a baking spree. Six years later, she’s still mid-spree. Her baking knowledge far outweighs that of many adults.

The Icon invites viewers to submit their favorite Christmas-New Year's holiday recipes. Here's the first installment.

Nelson Steiner’s Party Mix
a.k.a “Nuts and Bolts”
The crème de la crème of holiday party mixes

1988 version

This recipe is from the November 2010 Maple Crest newsletter.

RECIPE shared from the Maple Crest kitchen
Apple Chunk Cake

1 1/2 cups salad oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soda
3 cups flour
3 cups apples, chopped

Combine salad oil, eggs, and vanilla.Add rest of ingredients.

Quick and Easy Doughnuts

1 -2 cans of refrigerator biscuits

Sugar or suar and cinnamon or powered sugar

Separate biscuits. use doughnut hole cutter to cut out doughnut holes. Fry in deep hot oil (375 degrees) until browned, turning once. Drain. While warm, roll in sugar (you can make it finer by putting it in blender) or sugar and cinnamon mixture or powdered sugar.

Eat while still warm. They are not very good cold.

Pumpkin cookies

1 cup shortening 

1 cup granulated sugar

Mix together until creamy

1 cup pumpkin

1 egg

Mix into shortening-sugar combination

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together and add to above combination

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes

Frosting

3 tablespoons brown sugar