Pumpkin Pie Martinis

Pumpkin Pie Martinis bloglifted, haven't tried yet
2 parts Absolut Vanilla vodka
1 part pumpkin schnapps
Splash of cream
Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Sprinkle with nutmeg and garnish with a cherry

or
1.25 oz. Vanilla Vodka
1.25 oz. Pumpkin Smash (if you can find it)
.5 oz. Milk
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
Mix in vanilla vodka, pumpkin smash, milk and ice in a martini shaker
2.) Shake well
3.) Mix sugar and cinnamon together and add to rim of martini glass
4.) Strain into the martini glass rimmed with the cinnamon and sugar mixture

or (my personal fave) bloglifted
1 cup Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
1 cup half-and-half

or
3/4 cup half & half
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
2 ounces spiced rum, plus a little extra
A pinch of nutmeg
In a blender, puree the pumpkin pie mix together with half-and-half. One cocktail uses 2 ounces of the pumpkin mixture; the rest can be reserved in the refrigerator. Spread the brown sugar out on a saucer. Dampen the rim of a martini glass with a little rum and then coat the rim in brown sugar. Drizzle molasses in glass. Set aside. In a cocktail shaker, combine 2 ounces pumpkin pie base, 2 ounces spiced rum and ice. Shake until well-chilled and then strain into the prepared martini glass. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg and serve. *i've also been known to bake up sweetened (sometimes just sugar, sometimes cinnamon and sugar) strips of pie crust to serve alongside this*not a pumpkin pie martini, but still very yummy

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pumpkin Ice Cream http://blessusolord.blogspot.com/

14 oz. can of pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream

Mix ingredients, chill thoroughly, and pour
into Ice Cream Maker

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes by Betty Crocker
2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs

1. In 1-quart saucepan, heat syrup and butter until butter is melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pecans.
2. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat or to 375°F. Grease griddle with vegetable oil if necessary. In medium bowl, stir all pancake ingredients until well blended. For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle.
3. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook other sides until golden brown. Serve with syrup.

Pumpkin Cream Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Muffins http://mixingandmeasuring.blogspot.com/
1-1/3 c. sugar, divided
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 eggs, divided
3/4 c. oil
1 c. canned pumpkin
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened (I used about 5 oz. of fat-free cream cheese)
Topping:
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. butter

Combine one cup sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, 2 eggs, oil and pumpkin; set aside. In a separate bowl, blend together cream cheese, remaining sugar and remaining egg. Pour pumpkin mixture into greased muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Place a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center of each muffin. Sprinkle each with one teaspoon topping mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Makes 1-1/2 dozen muffins.

Pumpkin Milkshakes

Pumpkin Milkshakes bloglifted from
http://barefoot-in-the-kitchen.blogspot.com/2007/10/pumpkin-milkshake-experiment.html
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 tbsp. canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
cinnamon

If you really like pumpkin pie, or the taste of pumpkin, you will really like these. If not, I'd substitute the canned pumpkin for two generous squirts of Hershey's chocolate syrup.

4 Layer Pumpkin Cake

4 Layer Pumpkin Cake by Kraft
1 pkg 2 layer yellow cake mix
15 oz can pumpkin
1/2 c milk
1/3 c veg. oil
4 lg eggs
1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 c powdered sugar
8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed
1/4 c caramel topping
1/2 c pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour 2 9" round cake pans. Beat cake mix, 1 c pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs, & 1 t spice in large bowl with electric mixer on medium until well blended. Pour evenly into pans.
2. Bake 20-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese on medium until creamy. Add powdered sugar, remaining pumpkin, & remaining spice. Mix well. Stir in Cool Whip.
3. Cut each cake in half horizontally. Spread cream cheese mixture between layers (not on top).
4. Put cake together. Drizzle top with caramel & pecans. Store in fridge. 16 servings!

Pumpkin Pie Crunch

Pumpkin Pie Crunch oh so yummy
1 box yellow cake mix (I've used white)
1 can pumpkin
12 oz evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t salt
1 to 1 1/2 c butter, melted
whipped topping (opt)
1 c pecans (opt)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine pumpkin through salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Spray 13x9 glass dish and pour combined ingredients in.
4. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top. Drizzle butter over the top.
5. Bake 50-55 minutes until golden. They are great warm!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Pumpkin Pie Dip
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 1/2 T orange juice
2 t cinnamon
2 t cloves

Whip together until fully combined and smooth. Serve with gingersnaps.

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

Frosted Pumpkin Bars by http://mylifeasmamajodi.com/
1 c sugar
2 lg eggs
1 c canned pumpkin
½ c veg. oil
1 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ c confectioners’ sugar
¼ c cream cheese
2 TBSP butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Greae 9 inch square pan. Prepare cake, In bowl, with mixer at med speed, beat sugar and eggs 2 min. Beat in pumpkin and oil. At low speed, add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt, beat 1 minute.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cook cake in pan on wire rack.

Prepare frosting: in bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat confectioner’s sugar and remaining ingredients 2 minutes or until fluffy, use to frost cake.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

We're trying this recipe for the first time tonight. It sure smells great!
For more CP recipes, visit Sandra.


Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken (from Crock Pot 365)
1 can cream-of-something soup
1/2 cup chicken broth
frozen chicken pieces
packet of Italian salad dressing mix
2 cloves minced garlic
block of cream cheese (to add later)




The Directions.


Put everything except for the cream cheese into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred. Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese. Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted.
Serve over pasta

UPDATE:
This was a good dish. I served it over some pasta but it would be good over rice too. My 13 month-old liked it as well as my 4 year-old (the almost 3-year old won't eat much).
Something else I liked about this dish was how few dishes it messed up. Since my husband works nights, I rarely have time to clean the kitchen after dinner but tonight, clean-up was a breeze!

Idea: Substitute the Italian dresing seasoning with Ranch!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Originally posted on Aggieland Mommy September 14, 2007.
While passing through Target last night I noticed that it's time for Pumpkin Spiced Lattes again. Knowing that Starbucks is out of our budget, I found this recipe online. I haven't tried it yet but the reviews looked good.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte allrecipes.com
1 cup hot whole milk
1-1/4 teaspoons white sugar (reviews said use more sugar)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 ounces double-strength brewed coffee
1 tablespoon sweetened whipped cream
1 pinch pumpkin pie spice

Combine the hot milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice in a blender; blend until frothy. Pour the mixture into 3 coffee mugs to about 2/3 full. Pour 2 ounces coffee into each mug. Garnish each mug with whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

Originally posted on Aggieland Mommy November 16, 2007
So I am planning the menu for Thanksgiving as well as the grocery list. I am pretty much just copying all the ingredients from my blog and pasting them to a word document and "voila", a grocery list. It seems that using this recipe may be a cop-out, I don't know. I suppose if it's not broken, don't fix it. I'll use this recipe until another one comes along. Besides, who am I kidding, with a 3 year old, a 20 month old, and being 8 months pregnant, do I really think I can juggle the entire meal plus fancy schmancy pies and crusts? I'll worry about it when the kids are old enough to help.

3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
2 lg eggs
1 can pure pumpkin
12 oz evaporated milk
9" pie shell, unbaked

1. Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in small bowl.
2. Beat eggs in mixer bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
3. Pour into pie shell.
4. Bake in preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350; bake 40-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
5. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Millionaire Pie

Millionaire Pie
9 " baked pie shell
2 eggs
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c whipping cream
20 oz crushed pineapple, drained
1 c chopped pecans

1. Beat eggs until light. Add sugar gradually then add softened butter. Beat until smooth.
2. Pour into shell.
3. Whip the cream, fold in drained pineapple & nuts. Pour into pie crust.
4. Chill until firm.

Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce by Kraft
16 oz penne, uncooked
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c butter
1/2 c milk
1 c canned pumpkin (to use leftover pumpkin, see other pumpkin recipes)
1/2 t ground red pepper
ground nutmeg

1. Cook pasta as directed.
2. Meanwhile, place cream cheese, parmesan, butter, and milk in large saucepan; cook on low heat until cream cheese is melted, stirring frequently.
3. Add pumpkin & spices; cook until thoroughly heated; stirring frequently.
4. Add pasta & toss lightly. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese if desired

Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie by Weight Watchers 3 points
1 ready crust reduced fat graham cracker crust
1 pkg 4 serv size sugar free lime jello
1/4 c boiling water
2 containers 6 oz ea key lime pie flavored light yogurt
8 oz fat free whipped topping, thawed

1. In large, heat resistant bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in yogurt with wire whisk. Fold in whipped topping with wooden spoon.
2. Spread in crust. Refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Garnish as desired.

Mrs. Salter's Peanut Butter

Mrs. Salter's Peanut Butter Pie by Paula Deen
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 c sugar
8 oz cream cheese
1 c crunchy peanut butter
1 c powdered sugar
1 graham cracker crust

1. Whip cream with 1/4 c sugar. Mix all other ingredients until smooth and fold in whipped cream until blended.
2. Pour into crust and chill for several hours.

Brandy Alexander Pie

Brandy Alexander Pie Hershey's
Chocolate cookie crumb pie crust
30 lg marshmallows
1/2 c milk
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1-2 T brandy
1-2 T creme de cacao
2 c heavy whipping cream

1. Combine marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth.
2. Pour half the marshmallow mixture into small bowl; set aside. DO NOT EAT IT!
3. Add chocolate chips to the remaining mixture; return to low heat and stir until melted.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla; cool to room temp. Stir liquors into reserved mixture in small bowl; chill until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.
5. Whip cream until stiff. Fold 2 c of whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture; spoon into cooled crust.
6. Blend remaining whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture; spoon into crust. Blend remaining whipped cream into chilled brandy mixture; spread over chocolate mixture. Chill about 2 hours or until firm.


25 points per serving

Taco Casserole (Crock Pot)

It's Slow Cooking Thursday
Thanks for stopping by to see my recipe of the day. There's another great SC recipe from yesterday and plenty more in the Crock Pot section. If you haven't already, please visit Sandra (who is hosting) at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and check out her recipes as well!

Please stop by often, I am posting a new recipe every day through May (or more if I can get them posted).


Taco Casserole (Crock Pot) from book: Fix It and Forget It
1 1/2 lbs ground beef, browned
14 1/2 oz can rotel
10 3/4 oz can cream of onion soup
1 pkg dry taco seasoning
1/4 c water
6 corn tortillas cut into 1/2" strips
1/2 c sour cream
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, sliced

1. Combine beef, tomatoes (rotel), soup, seasoning, and water in slow cooker.
2. Stir in tortilla strips.
3. Cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours.
4. Spread sour cream over casserole. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes until cheese melts.

In my opinion: For some reason, I didn't look at the directions after #4. I used the sour cream and cheese as a garnish. It turned out great! I am having fun trying all these slow cooker recipes!

Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie by Better Homes and Gardens (everybody's mom has this book)
chocolate wafer pie crust
7 oz jar marshmallow creme
1/4 c green creme de menthe
2 T white creme de caocao
2 c whipping cream

1. Chill crust at least 30 min.
2. In mixing bowl combine marshmallow creme and both liquors. Beat on low til smooth.
3. Whip cream on high until soft peaks form. Fold (do not stir) whipped cream into marshmallow creme mixture.
4. Spoon into crust. Make a grasshopper drink to enjoy while you wait!
5. Freeze at least 5 hours!

Two Recipes Today

Sally's Crab Corn Soup (Crock Pot) from Paula Deen's magazine

1/2 c butter
4 c half and half
1 c minced green onion
10 3/4 oz can cream of celery soup (This was fine even though we don't like celery)
10 3/4 oz can cream of shrimp soup (Never heard of this before)
20 oz pk frozen corn, thawed (Oops, I forgot to thaw it first)
1 1/2 t Old Bay Seasoning (I didn't have any and it turned out fine)
1 lb fresh crabmeat (we used imitation)
garnish: green onion

1. In a 5 or 6 qt slow cooker, melt butter (save time and use the microwave) on high. Add half and half, green onions, soups, corn, seasoning, and crabmeat; stir well.
2. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes; reduce heat to low; cook for 2 hours stirring every 30 minutes. garnish with green onion, if desired.

In my opinion: This was a fabulous soup. I just loved it. It even reheated well in the microwave. I added a little salt and got a lot of flavor. We'll be having this again and again.

Sally's Crab Corn Soup

Sally's Crab Corn Soup (Crock Pot) from Paula's Magazine

1/2 c butter
4 c half and half (The store was out so I used 3 c whipping cream and 1 c milk)
1 c minced green onion
10 3/4 oz can cream of celery (We don't like celery but tried it in this recipe)
10 3/4 zo can cream of shrimp (never knew there was such a thing)
20 oz pkg frozen corn, thawed (oops, I forgot to thaw but it turned out okay)
1 1/2 t Old Bay Seasoning (Didn't have any)
1 lb fresh crabmeat (used imitation)
garnish: green onion

1. In a 5 or 6 qt slow cooker, melt butter on high (This takes too long. Just pop it in the microwave). Add half and half, green onions, soups, corn, seasoning, and crabmeat; stir well.
2. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes; reduce heat to low; cook for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Garnish with green onion if desired.

In my opinion: This was even better than I expected. I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers. It reheats just fine in the microwave and I added a hint of salt for added flavor. It would be fun to serve in a bread bowl.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Bourbon Pecan Pie by Paula Deen There's not one Paula Deen recipe I don't like!
My husband ate half this pie last Thanksgiving!
1 c sugar
3 T butter, melted
1/2 c dark corn syrup
3 lg eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 c pecan halves
2 T good-quality bourbon
9" deep dish pie shell, unbaked

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a med. bowl, stir together sugar and melted butter. Add corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined.
2. Pour mixture into pie shell and place on heavy duty cookie sheet. Bake 10 min.
3. Lower oven temp to 350 and bake additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set.
4. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Peppermint Fudge

Peppermint Fudge by Nestle
1 2/3 c sugar
2/3 c Evaporated Milk
2 T butter
1/4 t salt
2 c mini marshmallows
1 1/2 c semi-sweet morsels
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t peppermint extract
20 crushed hard peppermint candy

1. Combine sugar through salt in medium, heavy saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over med. heat, stirring constantly (about 8 min).
2. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in marshmallows, morsels, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minutes or until marshmallows are melted.
4. Pour into foil-lined 8" square pan. Cool 1 minutes. Top with candy, pressing slightly. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan, remove foil, cut. Makes about 2 lbs.

The Best Cheese Dip Ever

I made this dip on New Year's Eve. It was a lot for my family so I immediately scooped out half for my daughter's birthday party on the 3rd. We served it with Wheat Thins but French bread would work too. It was a fabulous dip...I'm not sure I'd say THE BEST dip EVER, but the party dish was empty so it was definitely a hit. I am not sure why I didn't write down the source of the recipe, if it was on your site, please let me know and I'll give you the proper credit.

The Best Cheese Dip Ever

2 c Swiss cheese
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2 T green onions, chopped
1 pkg Oscar Mayer bacon pieces (I used 8 slices crispy bacon, ch)
1/3 c Hellman's Real Mayonaise

Combine all the ingredients reserving half of the bacon pieces. Place in a baking dish. Top with remaining bacon. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Candy Cane Twists

Candy Cane Twists by BHG Christmas Cookies '03 May freeze up to 1 month
1 c butter, softened
1 c sifted powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1/4 c finely chopped peppermints red food coloring gran or colored sugar
1. In large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on med-high speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar; beat until combined.
2. Beat in eggg, vanilla, and dash of salt. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half.
3. Knead crushed peppermint candies into one half of the dough. If desired, stir red food coloring into peppermint dough to tint slightly. Leave remaining dough plain, cover, and chill doughs about 30 minutes until easy to handle.
4. Preheat oven to 375. Work with half of each dough at a time, keeping remaining dough chilled. For each cookie, on a lightly floured surface shape a 1" ball of plain dough into a 4-5" rope. Repeat with 1" ball of peppermint dough. Place ropes side by side & twist together. Pinch ends to seal. Form into a candy cane.
5. Place canes 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes or until edges are set. Immediately transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in layers, separated by wax paper, in airtight container at room temp or freeze up to 1 month.

These cookies will always remind me of my mother. She came to stay with us in December '07, after the birth of our 3rd child on the 20th. We made these cookies for Santa with my oldest daughter, Lauren. I did not know this would be the last time my daughter and I would bake with my mom. She passed away 4 months later.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

That ol' Southern Gal really knows how to cook y'all. I don't know about you but I used to hear the word meatloaf and my stomach would turn. That all changed when I tried Rachael Ray's Mini Meatloaf Muffins. Then, a few months ago I saw Paula make Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf and I knew I had to have some of that. It was umm, umm dee-licious! So here is the recipe:

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
1 pound ground chuck
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.
4. Press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf.
5. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.

Mystery Pecan Pie

Mystery Pecan Pie by Paula Deen
Topping: 3 eggs
1/4 c sugar
1 c light corn syrup
1 t vanilla extract
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1 unbaked deep dish
9" pie shell
1 1/4 c chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Topping: In a med bowl, mix cream cheese through egg until combined. Pour into pie shell. Top with chopped pecans. Pour topping over pecans.
3. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp.

White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies

White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies by Paula Deen y'all
1 c butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla extract
3 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T milk
1 c chopped Macadamia nuts
1/2 c candied cherries (hard to find and expensive-try dried cherries)
1 1/2 c white chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium bowl with electric mixer, cream butter & sugars together until light & fluffy. Add eggs & vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside.
3. Stir together flour, soda, & salt. Add milk to the butter mixture & then add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
4. In another bowl, combine nuts, cherries, and white chocolate. Then add to batter, stirring only to blend.
5. Drop by heaping Tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, 2" apart. Bake 11-13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Made about 46 medium cookies.

Rachael Ray's 5 Minute Fudge Wreath

I saw Rachael make this a few years ago and finally got a chance to make it this year. It really was good but I had a hard time getting it out of the pan. Next time I might line the pan with foil.

Unsalted butter, softened
One 12-ounce package white chocolate morsels PLUS one cup
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (save the can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
One 8-ounce can walnuts, plus more for topping (I used pecans)
1/2 cup raisins or dried currants (I used cranberries)
Candied red and green cherries (optional)

1. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with softened butter (I will try wrapping in foil). Pour the white chocolate chips, condensed milk and vanilla into a medium saucepan. Put the pan on the stove and turn the heat to low.

2. Cover the empty condensed-milk can with plastic wrap and put it in the center of the round cake pan.

3. Stir the chips and milk until they melt together, about 3 minutes. Stir in the nuts and raisins. Scoop the fudge into the cake pan all around the plastic-covered can in the center to form a wreath or ring shape. Let it be all bumpy and funky on top. Keep pushing the can back to the center if the fudge moves it away from there. Cut the red cherries in half with scissors and the green cherries into quarters. Use the green pieces to make leaves and the red to make holly berries. Decorate the fudge with several groups of holly berry sprigs made from the cherries and garnish with walnuts between the sprigs. (The fudge looks good left plain, too!)

4. Put the fudge in the fridge and chill until firm. Remove the can from the center, then loosen the sides and bottom of the fudge with a spatula. Cut the fudge into thin slices to serve.

In my opinion: This was super yummy. I will make it again each year. It would also make a great gift for neighbors, Sunday School teachers, dance teachers, anyone!

Yields 2 1/2 lbs