Craft Center of Fine Stitchery

We had so many requests for recipes after open house that I wanted to share of few with you.

I wish that I could give credit where credit is do for these, but my hand written recipe cards passed from person to person doesn't tell me where some of them originated.

Here are a few of the favorites....I do know where this recipe comes from.

A good friend of mine would bring them every Christmas morning. Her sweet 85 year old mom in Canada would make them and mail them to her, and she was kind enought to share them with my family.

This recipe is

Aunt Cora's shortbread

1 1/2 cup salted butter - soft at room temperature

cut into small pieces and cream

add

1 cup icing sugar (that is Canadian for powdered sugar)

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp vanilla

beat well

place mixture on cookie sheet. I use a jelly roll pan, it works wonderfully. Roll out.

It will fill a full sized pan side to side.

Use very little four on your rolling pin to roll out the mixture.

Prick with a fork up and down the pan.

Bake at 325 degrees

30 minutes until golden brown

Shut off oven

cut cookies while warm and still on pan.

Leave on pan and place in oven again for 5 minutes

let cool completely and remove squares from pan.

they are soooo good, and only 4 ingredients!

this recipe was printed in a past Reebok magazine

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar

beat together until well blended then add:

2 large egg yolks

1 Tbs grated lemon zest

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp kosher salt

with mixer on low, beat in

2 1/2 cup flour

until moist clumps form

gather dough together in a bowl to bind.

shape tablespoons of dough into 1 inch balls. Place them 1 inch apart on parchment lined cookie sheet. Make a deep well in the center of each ball. I used a melon baller dipped in flour to make the well.

Bake cookies until firm and lightly golden on bottom, about 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove cookies from oven and immediately fill indentation with lemon curd.

You can also use lemon pie filling.

The whole recipe only uses about 1 cup of lemon curd.

Return to oven and bake 2 minutes longer to set curd.

lightly dust edges with confectioners sugar before serving.

I wish that I had a picture of this Cranberry Salsa. It is just a beautiful color.

it is good all year around. I freeze cranberries and use them in July.

It makes a great chip dip salsa if you leave it really chunky.

Wendy's Cranberry Salsa

1 12 oz. package fresh cranberries

3/4 cup sugar

1 medium jalapeno, remove seeds and coarsely chop

3-6 chopped green onions

3 Tbs fresh cilantro or about 1 tsp dried (but fresh is MUCH better)

1/4 tsp cumin

place all ingredients in food processor. Process until mixture is coarsely chopped. Store in refrigerator overnight to allow flavors to blend.

You can serve it over cream cheese with crackers,

and it is also great as a relish with pork or turkey.

and last but not least.....

Pecan Toffee Bars

I will post a picture after I make these again. I promised Joy I would make them every once in a while. She absolutely loved them!

to make the bar cookie base:

1 cup butter

2 cup flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

crumble together and put in a 9 x 12 cake pan.

Bake at

350 degrees for 15 minutes

top of bar cookie:

mix together

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

add

1 cup chopped pecans

1 10 oz pkg toffee bits

(I use heath bits you find in the chocolate chip department)

pour over cookie base (no need to cool)

bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes

chill until set and cut into bars

These won't last long!

I hope that these recipes make their way into your annual holiday baking!

They are always in mine...