Merry Christmas!

Christmas Blog Hop! FFF!

Merry Christmas Blog Hop!
I have been a little lazy over here at LLB and I promise to catch up with all my "following back"
from last week and this week after the holiday! xoxo

We're mixing it up a little bit over here on our Friday Follow.  We are looking for blogs with great decorating tips, home decor, floral arrangements, party ideas, crafts and more...
If you have a blog post with one of these or something else you think is creative add it to our linky list!

December 24th-26th

Every Friday begins with "Find" Fabulous Friday Follow Blog Hop
here at Lily's Laundry and  Cleaning Claire's Closet

Here's what you do...

1. YOU MUST FOLLOW LLBB and Cleaning Claire's Closet. (We will follow you too!)

2. Click on the Linky Tool below and add your CREATIVE BLOG POST.

3. Check out the other blogs on "Find Fabulous Friday Follow"

Linky will close on Sunday evening at 12 PM PST

Thanks to everyone who comes back for FFF every week.
We appreciate it.   Happy Find Fabulous Friday!

Happy Following!

It is sad that I even have to write this but DO NOT add anything to this linky list

that is not family friendly! Please only add our blog once! It will be ERASED ASAP!

Day 2...My Mom's famous Cranberry Salad

 Day 2 

Ya-Ya’s Cranberry Salad

(Serves 8 or more)

What you need
2-3 oz packages of cranberry sugar free Jello 

(some places in the country i.e. in CA you cannot find cranberry jello so I sub for strawberry)

2 Cups of hot water
1 Bag of Fresh Cranberries
1 Whole Orange (navel, if possible)
1 Med. Can of Crushed Pineapple add juice to the jello mixture.
1-1/4 cup of sugar ( I use ½ cup of splenda)…but don’t tell dad! (this makes me laugh ;)
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (I don't use the walnuts!)

How you do it
In food processor grind the cranberries well.

Section the orange. Set aside.

Add the jello to 2 cups of hot water, (in a casserole dish that can go in the refrigerator) stir, until dissolved, add pineapple and juice.

Add all of the other  ingredients in a bowl,

Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed.

Chill for several hours and then serve!

Day 3... Vic's Sausage Dressing....

This is a family recipe.  I hope I don't get in trouble for putting it all over the internet

but it is the best dressing ever and I just had to share!

My grandmother wrote this recipe down for me and at the top she writes 

"Yankees call it stuffing, Southerners call it dressing."  

Which is funny 'cuz I just Goggled this and Ryan Seacrest did a whole tweet about it!  

He's from Atlanta so he knows ;)

Vic's Sausage Dressing

2-16 oz. Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing

1- 16 oz. Pepperidge Farm herbal stuffing

2 packages of Jimmy Dean sage sausage

3 Cups small diced celery

3 Cups small diced onions 

3 eggs lightly beaten

1 teaspoons dry sage ( I use fresh)

1 Teaspoon of poultry seasoning

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

3 sticks of butter to saute onion and celery

4 cups (more or less) of low sodium chicken broth

You can season with Lawry's too but be careful not to make too salty.

How you do it...
Saute onion and celery with butter and seasonings and set aside. Cook crumbled sausage, drain all the grease and put on paper towel to wick it all away. (You can do this days in advance.) 

Assemble in a large bowl all ingredients.  Mix with hands completely.  Spray 2-13x9 casseroles dishes and put in dressing.  Do not pat down! Bake on 350, until heated through ( about 30 mins)....ready to serve!

Missing my plated pic...but trust me it is Yummy!

Day 6, 5, 4...Let's get the bake on...Christmas Cookies ;)

I know I missed a few days but I have been busy, getting ready for this weekend and for my parents who are coming TODAY! YEA!!! This is a different Christmas for us this year. It is the first time in 32 years, I have not been in the house, I grew up in, for Christmas morning...

My parents are so sweet...Santa still comes there every Christmas morning...

Any-who, with life things change and we are excited to start our own traditions and are thrilled not be getting on a plane with the little ones...

So here's my Sugar Cookie Recipe, which I kind of made up combining a couple I liked... 

I think they turned out really good! 

Sugar Cookies

2 Cups of Flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Sticks of Butter

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

Cream butter in mixer, add in sugar, salt, vanilla and flour until thick. 

Roll or hand press out your dough. 

Get your favorite cookie cutters out and cut away.  

The trick is to leave them thick at least an 1/4 plus inch!

Place on a cookie sheet and place in oven on 350 degrees for about 8 Mins. 

DO NOT Over cook! You know how I am about things being dry! LOL!

Take off cookie sheet, let them COOL COMPLETELY and royal icing them up! 

I used the Royal Icing recipe from Joy of Baking!

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large (60 grams) egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

 

To get them the perfect color I used this Wilton Icing Coloring.

I bought at Joanne's Fabrics of all places.

Let cookies sit for at least 2 hours for icing to harden...then enjoy!

 Please excuse my transistion from stars to pumpkins...I forgot to take pics for the stars!

Merry Christmas!