Nancy Hope all is well with you and your little friend. This is for the Lady whose husband got her chocolate cool whip.

Take ice cream sandwiches and unwrap and place in a what ever size pan you want break in half to fit in pan if you have a small gap no big deal. Now take the cool whip and spread over the sandwiches, take magic shell and pour over the cool whip, crush up one or two butterfingers candy bars sprinkle over the magic shell and freeze..enjoy.
Sharon in windy Indiana with 70° outside today
December 27th 2008

Nancy in Fl wanted Chocolate Fountain recipes.
I found this to be a very interesting article about these fountains.
http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/plan/chocfont.html
gramaj

I love the Chocolate Cool Whip. I can't find it in Illinois stores anymore. Where in Indiana, did he find it?? I use to make an angel food cake and cut it in 2 layers.
I then put the cool whip between the layers and frosted the outside with it. Yummy!! My husband always asked if I look to see if they got it in again--but no such luck.
Enjoy--SUE

Our son was in Canada on work issue and he brought home a "Sugar Pie". It is to die for...does anyone have a recipe for it.
Thanks Pat-il

For Linda in Tenn: I watched the video for the Greek Spaghetti and not sure if the recipe is on the Today Show site or not, but here is what they showed:

Make red marinara sauce as you normally would. Add about 1 cup parmesan cheese to sauce
Add 1/4 cup of parsley
Cook spaghetti
Pour sauce over spaghetti
Brown 1 stick of butter in skillet and pour over spaghetti sauce

Susan in Iowa

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Reuse Christmas cards make recipe cards out of them.
Brenda in pa.

This is my first post but I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you that I have really enjoyed the recipes and the stories for the last few years! We are in Spokane WA and the snow is still falling so instead of reading my morning newspaper, which I will be very lucky to receive, I am sending you a BIG THANK YOU for all of your time and energy getting out the newsletter. I have my own Ditto, her name is "Kitty", I know pretty original! She is really bummed about the snow because she doesn't get to go out and play. It is beautiful but enough is enough! Have a very blessed and happy New Year and thank you!
Blessings, K

A nice change of pace from all the holiday sweets and can be topped with any cream cheese spread that you may have left.

Boston Brown Bread
Mix together just until blended:

1/2 Cup each Rye Flour, Whole Wheat Flour and Cornmeal
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/3 Cup Molasses
1 Cup Buttermilk
Add: 1/2 Cup raisins, figs, dates, dried cranberries or nuts

Grease 2 - 1# cans. Fill cans equally with batter and cover securely with greased foil. Place in a pan with boiling half way up cans and cover pan.
Steam 1 1/2 hours. Cool and remove foil and take out of cans. Cover well any unused bread after slicing.
Judy/Buffalo

Good morning Nancy and ‘Landers! Well, we were surprised this morning! We woke up to about 1” of snow! It’s only 26ºF here too! We can only imagine what it is like north of us!
Chris in snowy southern NM

Chocolate Cool Whip recipes for Robbie IN
I went to the Cool Whip site and did a search and found over 432 recipes using cool whip! I believe you could safely interchange chocolate cool whip for the regular one in most recipes. Just look at the recipe and if it contains chocolate you could substitute the chocolate cool whip for the white one. I hope I am making sense here. I know what I am saying, but sometimes it comes out garbled, especially if I have only been up and moving for a short period of time! Hehehe Now, here is a dish I have made with the regular cool whip, but would definitely use the chocolate one instead.

Chocolate Truffle Mousse Bars
1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S SELECT Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

HEAT oven to 325°F. Line 8-inch sq. pan with greased foil. Microwave 3 chocolate squares and cream in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted; cool. Add eggs, sugar and flour; mix well. Pour into pan.

BAKE 20 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. Meanwhile, melt 2 chocolate squares as directed on package; cool.

STIR COOL WHIP into melted chocolate; spread onto dessert. Refrigerate 1 hour. Use ends of foil to lift dessert from pan. Cut into bars. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over bars. Makes: 18 servings. From Kraft Foods
Chris in NM

Marlee in Milwaukee, there is a kuchen recipe that I posted in the 11/24/2008 newsletter about ¼ of the way down the page. It is very good! I make an apple version of this that my German landlady gave me back in the 1960’s when we lived there.
Chris in NM

Marie C, this is my recipe for cabbage soup. It is very good, but since I have never eaten the soup at Cracker Barrel I don’t know if this is close or not. My kids and I fixed this often while they were growing up and this was the only way they would eat cabbage!

Cabbage Soup
3 tablespoons butter
1 med. onion, chopped
1 tsp. mashed garlic
2 quarts chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 to 1 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped (depends on size)
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 med. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes - optional

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion, potatoes and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 - 10 minutes. Stir in broth, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage and bacon. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes or more, stirring often. Serves: 8 or so
Chris in NM

A big hello y'all from Florida Nancy: Here's the recipe for a pie I'm making for our New Year's Eve party--it is not too complicated and the ingredients are probably still in your pantry...It has a slow bake time and yields deep-dish chocolate paradise!

Toasted Coconut-Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie
1 15 oz. package refrigerated piecrusts
1/3 cup butter, or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups pecan halves
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or morsels.

Unroll 1 piecrust and place on a lightly floured surface; lightly brush top of crust with water. Unroll remaining crust and place over bottom crust, gently roll into a 10" circle. Fit into a 9" deep dish pie plate, fold edges under and crimp.

Stir together butter and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stir well. Stir in pecans and remaining ingredients. Pour filling into piecrust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set, shielding crust after 45 minutes with aluminum foil if necessary. Cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: 8 to 10 servings (8 in our house!)

I'm also going to make
Rosemary Biscuits to serve with Fresh Pork Sausage Patties

3 cups self-rising soft-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, chilled
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, whipping cream and rosemary, stirring with a fork until all ingredients are moistened. Dough will be soft.

Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface, knead 3 or 4 times. Pat or roll dough to a 1" thickness, cut with a floured 2" biscuit cutter and place biscuits 1" apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and cool slightly. Split biscuits with a fork and fill with warm sausage patties. Serve hot. Garnish with fresh rosemary if you want to.
Yield: 20 biscuits.

You can make the biscuit dough several days in advance and freeze the unbaked biscuits in a single layer on a baking sheet until frozen solid. You can then transfer them to a large zip lock freezer bag. Seal and store in your freezer until you need them. Arrange frozen biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy! and sending best wishes for all of you to have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Thank you again for bringing us all together for this wonderful newsletter...we appreciate all your effort.
Scarlett in FL

Red Beans and Rice
1/2 lb. red beans
1/2 lb. ham, chopped
1 lge. onion, sliced or chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 of green bell pepper, chopped coarsely
1-2 tbsps. chopped parsley
1-2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Soak beans overnight. Next day, drain and simmer beans uncovered, for two hours, with enough water to cover beans. Add 1/8 lb. margarine, some pepper, 1 tbs. Worcester sauce, some Tabasco. ham and remaining ingredients. Simmer 1 hour. Remove bay leaves before serving over rice.
JL in South Jersey

Peachy Dessert
1 can peach pie filling
1 small box (8 oz.) cake mix
1/3 cup water
1 egg
1 cup coconut, flaked
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup butter, melted

Spread pie filling in bottom of greased 9" square pan. Combine cake mix, water and egg in mixing bowl. Blend on low speed, then increase to medium speed, beat 4 minutes. Spoon batter over pie filling. Sprinkle on pecans and coconut. Drizzle butter on top. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, until cake is done. Cut in squares. Serve warm with whipped topping.

This is VERY addicting!

Poor Man’s Toffee: Dawn’s way
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup, packed light brown sugar
2 bags of 11.05 ounces of milk chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 box of the Big-size Cheez-It’s (use the big ones, as they cover more room)
1 cup of crushed toasted pecans (or walnuts or whatever you crave)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Line jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Or just use a non-stick jelly roll pan.

Lay a flat layer of Cheez-It crackers out on the foil. I did a layer and a half, making sure to cover up any gaps with Cheez-It’s.
In a saucepan, melt the sugar and butter until a boil is reached. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly. Do not mix! Just pour, and fill in any gaps with a spatula.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the toffee becomes bubbly. Turn off oven, then take out of oven and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then sprinkle on the chocolate chips. But tray back in oven to help the chips melt a bit. When chips are melted a bit, spread them into an even layer like you would frosting a cake. After done spreading the chocolate this is the time to sprinkle on the chopped nuts or whatever else you want to add.

Let cool and/or refrigerate until hard ened. Once firmly cooled then break into pieces.

So good. Trust me the Cheez-It’s make all the difference!

Dawn
http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.com 

Good morning everyone:
Hope everyone had a blessed and wonderful Christmas and I wish everyone a prosperous New Year. Thank you Nancy for such a wonderful newsletter. I look forward to reading it every day. I admire you for all the hard work you put into it for us. I know we all enjoy it. You're great. Glad Ditto and you had a good Christmas.
Suzi in Ontario, Calif.

To Faye (2/23) re: Lobster Stew
Did you mean Lobster Bisque?
If so, I have some good recipes.
Athena in DE

Hi Nancy, Enjoyed reading all the letters sent to you over your "winter break". Hope everyone had a safe and restful holiday.

Thanks to the contributors to the newsletter my family was served 3 recipes I got from past letters.

Jiffy Baked Corn Casserole (no name)
Easy Coconut Cake (Judy in Buffalo) I made 1 for Thanksgiving, My daughter was fretting because she forgot to take a piece home with her. So made 2 for Christmas. Coconut is the better half's favorite so he has one in the freezer now. The other went with our daughter.
Lemon Lime Salad (Lisa)
I plan to make Individual Diabetic Fruit Cakes (Jean Morgan) later in the week. (Have to finish off some left-overs first.)Our big blue tabby who looks like a book-end cat to match your Ditto didn't have a gift for us so slipped out and brought us a snake. Thankfully he brought it to the screen room and I didn't pick it up, (by the time we discover he had pulled a "houdini" it was dark. Pets are a blessing and entertaining. I'm sure Ditto agrees, there is never a dull moment. Margaret, Tulsa

This is for the lady looking for Being dead is Noexcuse book, maybe this page will help , you can get used copys very cheapAmazon.com:
Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide To Hosting the Perfect Funeral: Gayden Metcalfe: Books Marlene of Fl.
http://www.amazon.com/Being-Dead-No-Excuse-Official/dp/1401359345

Dear Nancy, I just found this great recipe for New Years Eve. I am going to fix it for DH and myself to snack on along with some chips, dips, and whatever else I can think of. Have a WONDERFUL New Year !! Thank you so much for all you do !!! Theresa P from Illinois...

Super Bowl Sloppy Joes
11/2 pounds ground beef, browned, drained
3/4 pound ground pork, browned, drained
2 cans (10 1/2 ounces) French onion soup
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2/3 cup yellow mustard
2/3 cup brown sugar

Heat all ingredients in a large skillet, simmer until thickened (about 20 minutes). Put in crock pot to keep warm. Serve on buns or rolls.

Nancy,
I am wondering about the hot water gadget that hooks up under the sink that Santa brought you for Christmas - does it have a name brand on the package? It sounds perfect for the campground as I don't like leaving the propane on for the occasional cup of tea or hot chocolate!
Thanks,
Fran in Ottawa

Comment
The hot water dispenser is Called an In Sink Erator.  I love it.  Having hot water for tea or hot chocolate instantly is wonderful.
Nancy Rogers

Hi Nancy,
You are just going to love your Hot Water Dispenser. I have had one for over 15 years - not the same one, of course - we find they last about 3 1/2 years (with very good care of course) and I go into serious withdrawal when it is not working. We got this last one about 3 weeks ago but had to shop and then wait for it to be delivered to the store for 2 weeks before that. It definitely beats heating water in the micro although people have argued about that - they think that the water that comes out of their ordinary faucets is hot enough but it really isn't.

Besides the obvious making tea, hot chocolate, instant anything here are some ideas I have come up with over the years.
It is super for making jello instantly

I always run fruit under it - hold the fruit (apples, oranges, etc) on a pointed knife and slowly twirl it under the hot water - feels good to know that it's washed well.

It's excellent to use when peeling tomatoes and peaches - just follow the procedure for washing fruit and Voila! The peel literally falls off.

If you have cheese or anything sticky on bowls, pots, silverware just hold the item under the water stream for a few seconds and it literally melts everything off. It's also good for soaking pots that are crusty - do while you eat and again - it's clean when you're ready for it.

When I am getting ready to fill up my "to-go" insulated mug in the morning, I first put the hot water in for about 5 minutes then drain and then put my drink in - keeps the beverage hotter for a longer time.

I know you will come to love it as much as I do and you will come up with your own little hints as you use it.
Hope you'll share them with us, too. Just be careful not to get your fingers under the stream of water -- I do, you'd think I'd learn - but the water does come out HOT!!!!!!!! David sets our temperature at about 175-180.

Enjoy -- what a wonderful gift!!!! And to get it installed makes it even better! You'll wonder how you ever did without it.

Happy and HEALTHY to New Year to everyone out there in Nancyland.
And thank you, Nancy - you're the best-EST!
Rosemarie in rural Kansas City

Happy New Year! I received the new Cookingsystem (Nuwave) for Christmas. anyone have one that can share some tips on using it and what foods do best in it? I'm anxious to get started...
Carol in the Carolinas

We visited the Dillard House Restaurant in Dillard, Georgia last summer and enjoyed their wonderful family style dinner. We all agreed that the Cabbage dish was outstanding. Does anyone have that recipe?
Vera in Florida

Request from the Dec. 26th newsletter. a friend called me this evening wanting a recipe that has pudding in it and it is part of the base for rich sweet dinner rolls. She claims she got the recipe from me. I do not remember it. Help me. she wants to make them for her son who is coming to visit. He always loved them in his growing up years. Thanks a bunch, Shirley in MO

P. S. Thanks for all the crumb pie recipes. I think the Pennsylvania Dutch crumb pie was the closest to what Mom made. We are having our family dinner on New Year's Day. I will give it a try then and the others later in the year. Thanks again.

Nancy and EVERYONE Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

To Marie C. who requested a recipe similar to Cracker Barrel Cabbage Soup. I may have something similar. I've made it many, many times. A couple of us picked it apart one night at Shoney's and the next day we made the soup and it tastes just like theirs. Don't know if this is what you are looking for, but thought I would send it anyway. Everyone loves it.

Cabbage Beef Soup (This is a Shoney’s copycat soup )
1 1/2 lbs. ground meat - browned and drained
1 med. head of cabbage - chopped
1 large onion - chopped
2 large cans diced tomatoes
3 can kidney beans
3 cups water
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook until vegetables are tender but not mushy. You can add a couple of carrots if desired.
Pat M. Pensacola, FL

To Sher in PA. I am forever grateful to Lucy in TX for the following luscious, easy recipe from the April 20, '06 Nancy's Newsletter.

Pineapple Surprise Crunch
1 box yellow cake mix (2-layer size)
1 20-oz size can crushed pineapple, juice and all
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans

Pour pineapple into a well greased 13x9x2-inch pan. Mix together the melted butter and cake mix as you would a pie crust. Mix in nuts. Pour mixture over pineapple and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden on top. Do not drain pineapple as no other liquid is used in this recipe. Cut into squares. If desired, serve with ice cream or whipped cream or it's good plain.
Enjoy!!! Lucy, TX

JL: It is indeed a small world! I assume your friends live in 4 Seasons in Lakewood or Metedeconk. I live in Wall.

FRAN IN FL Out of NY: My sister Madeline from Poughkeepsie is a sometime contributor to this site. Of course, she is a daily devotee of the newsletter. You haven't heard from her recently because during this past autumn she fell and broke her right shoulder and hip. It is difficult for her to manipulate the computer keys for the time being; but she daily checks this site and thoroughly enjoys same.

Back to the Pineapple Surprise Crunch: I get RAVE reviews for this simple recipe. Recently, DIL's parents commented that my desserts are so good. Most of them are easy and are from the great cooks on this site. When this recipe comes out of the oven, it can be served like a warm cobbler. As it cools (if it lasts!) you can cut it into squares. I like to turn the squares over so the pineapple is on the top just because the squares are easier to handle. Also, a hint I might have gotten from this site: I always bake the nuts for about five minutes because it brings out the flavor.

Nancy,
I have such a hard time making deviled eggs. They look awful because I can barely peel the shells off. Is there a trick to getting the shells off a little easier?
Kim

Hey Nancy,
How's it going?? This rice is really good and have no idea where it came from.

San Francisco Rice
1/2 c Rice
1/2 c Vermicelli Or Orzo
2 T Butter
2 c Water
2 Chicken Or Beef Bouillion cubes
1/2 t Seasoned Salt
1/4 t Garlic Powder, Optional
1 T Parsley, Chopped

[Note: I use 1/2 butter and 1/2 EVOO and chicken broth]

Melt butter in a large skillet with a lid. Brown rice and vermicelli or orzo in butter. Add water, boullion cubes and spices. Cover pan and simmer 20 minutes.
unknown

Denise aka Kitty Mama
Falls Church, VA

Sue wanted to know if Splenda had an aftertaste. Personally, I found that the Splenda granular (that measures like real sugar) does have an aftertaste that I don't like. I don't have this problem with the small packets (2 tsp size).

If I'm making something like the hot chocolate mix, I mix all ingredients except the Splenda and add the Splenda packets to taste as I make each cup.
gramaj

Vergie in TX wanted info about Featherweight Pretenders topping. Featherweight is an old brand name that has been bought out by at least 2 other companies.

Seems it started out being manufactured by Sandoz Nutrition, was bought out by Novartis Nutrition and then by Nestle Nutrition.

Someone dropped the Featherweight products along the way. If you are looking for a "topping" like whipped cream, try Sugar Free Cool Whip.
gramaj

Hi everyone, here's a tip for making cookies that I just learned. If I have already sent this in just chalk it up to a senior moment. It's been a madhouse here and my brain is not in gear all of the time. A few days before Christmas I made cookies to give away. I picked out the kinds I wanted to make and for some reason decided to make all of the dough first then bake them after they were mixed up. I made the recipes, and put the dough in the fridge to chill, something I almost never do even when the recipe says to.

Then when all five kinds were ready to go I pulled them out one at a time and baked them. For some reason it all went much quicker and easier than one kind at a time. Plus the oven wasn't on as long. I cleaned up as they baked and it was all done in no time. I hope if you decide to make cookies and you try this it works as well for you. By the way I recommend that you invest in a couple of sizes of cookie scoops because that speeds the process up as well and you get uniform cookies which are all cooked at the same time.
Betty in ME

Nancy,
Someone on the list was talking about the shingles shots and said that insurance doesn't cover it. I got the shot last week and BCBS paid for it and Safeway charged $20 for administering the shot. I knew someone that had this years ago and it was a nightmare for about a year so it's definitely worth getting.
Denise