Chicken Salad

I threw this together for my cookie exchange, and everyone loved it!
Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken
chopped shallots
chopped cashews
craisins
celery
Mayo
mustard

*Shred chicken and all all ingredients. I just added stuff until I thought there was enough!

Peppermint cloud brownies

I make this at every cookie exchange I have..its great!! And, I love saying that I made brownies from scratch! Its just about as easy as opening the box!

1 stick butter, plus more for pan
2 oz semi sweet chocolate
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 lg eggs
1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
2/3 c chopped pecans
1/3 c milk
1 t vanilla
1 1/3 c mini marshmallows
3 T crushed peppermint sticks

Heat oven to 350*. Butter an 8 in square pan and line with a strip of parchment overhanging on two sides. Butter parchment; set aside. In saucepan melt butter, chocolate and cocoa on low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, flour, salt nuts, milk and vanilla until combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until set, about 20 min. Remove from oven and top with marshmallows and bake until marshmallows are puffed, another 5 min. Immediatly sprinkle with peppermint. Loosed edges and lift brownies from pan using parchment. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container up to 1 day.

Peppermint Bark

Everyone is raving about this stuff this holiday season, and I will admit that it was the easiest thing ever to make! I actually stumbled onto the recipe by accident. I was rummaging through my spice cabinet and saw the Peppermint Extract and tried and tried to remember what I had originally bought it for, and I couldn't! So, I turned it over and saw the recipe for this on the back and just happened to have the ingredients on hand, so I decided why not?

1 bag of wilton candy melts, white
1t. peppermint extract
8-10 drops of red food coloring
1/2 c crushed peppermint candies

Line a lg baking sheet with foil. In saucepan, melt chocolate. When nearly melted, remove from heat and add extract. Gently stir until smooth. Spread onto baking sheet and smooth out. Add food coloring and with a wooden skewer, swirl color into bark. Top with candy, pressing with spatula so they stick. Let set and break into pieces! DONE!

Best Cornbread

Tyler's Favorite Cornbread

2 Cups yellow cake mix

2 Eggs

1/2 cup corn meal

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup Water

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the above ingredients on low until moistened, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into greased round cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Eat immediately with honey.

Lemon Sauce

This recipe is my go-to this year for gifts for people who you just need to say: "Hey, thanks for all you do for me, I think you rock, I appreciate you and I hope you have a merry Christmas! Oh ya, enjoy this lemon sauce on top of some Christmas pancakes or waffles while your at it" Love, (your name!)

Lemon Sauce
1/2 C sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 C water
2 T butter
1/2 t. lemon zest
2 T lemon juice

Stir together sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg in a small saucepan; add water. Cook over med heat until thick and bubbly; cook and stir for an additional 2 min. Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients. Stir just until butter melts. Serve warm.


I am putting mine in cute little Bell jam jars w/Christmas fabric in the lid and a package of my Grandmothers FABULOUS buttermilk pancakes! (minus the wet ingredients of course)

Grandma Antoninos Buttermilk Pancakes

These are probably going to be the best pancakes you have ever or will ever eat, so just do yourself a favor and STOP buying those pre-packaged pancake mixes...this is better and cheaper and so super simple. Plus, your family may do super nice things for you all day long because you make these for them, and that alone is reason enough!


1 C flour
1 1/4 C buttermilk
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 T sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 T oil

-Beat egg and buttermilk and oil together. Add all other ingredients. Top with syrup, jam or my new favorite, THIS!

Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies

by Carol McClain

2 Cups butter

2 Cups sugar

6 Eggs

4 tsp. vanilla

6 tsp. baking powder

7 Cups flour

Cream together, then add flour mixture. Roll out dough & cut.

Bake @ 350 for 8-10 min.

Frost and decorate

This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe.