Crafty Lil Devil

One of my new wine glasses before and after. :) And see all of those wine bottles in the background? Purely for decoration, I assure you. Haha


















We had a good Christmas dinner made from some recipes I found at my favorite recipe websites. Overall, I'm very pleased with all of these recipes. The rolls were SO delicious! The sweet potatoes and carrots were good, but I wouldn't want them all the time. I was looking for something different and boy did I get it with those recipes! They were pretty good though. And of course, the snickerdoodles are always a big hit when I make them. (Shawn, this is the recipe you need Jessica to make for you! But don't grab one hot from the pan when you've been drinking. Ha!ha!)

Herbed Roasted Turkey Breast
Recipe by Juan-Carlos Cruz from the Food Network

2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried sage
2 tablespoons dried poultry seasoning
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (7-pound) turkey breast, bone in
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix thyme, sage, poultry seasoning, and garlic with canola oil. Rub seasoning mixture all over the turkey breast. Place onion, carrots, and celery on bottom of a roasting pan and top with turkey breast. Pour chicken broth over turkey and vegetables. Roast for 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 160 degrees F.

Dinner Roll Wreath
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee from the Food Network

1 bag yeast rolls, frozen dough
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons ranch-style dressing mix
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley)
Fresh herbs, for garnish

Remove 12 frozen roll dough balls from bag. Use a nonstick spray on a baking sheet and arrange the yeast rolls; approximately 1/4-inch apart, to form a ring Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and set in a warm spot in the kitchen to thaw and rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter and ranch dressing mix. Brush tops and sides of rolls with butter mixture. Sprinkle rolls with finely chopped herbs. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Day Before Mashed Potatoes
Recipe found at www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
9 potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black
pepper
2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes.
2. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl, and mash until smooth. Mix in the cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt, pepper and butter. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
4. Spread potato mixture into the prepared baking dish, and bake in the preheated oven about 30 minutes.

Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Recipe fount at www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups baby carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute carrots in oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Stir in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, mix to coat and serve.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes
Recipe found at www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive or canola
oil 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large resealable plastic bag, toss sweet potatoes and oil. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 15 minutes.

Jason’s Favorite Green Beans
Recipe by Amy

2 cans green beans, drained
2 cans beef broth
garlic powder
onion flakes
real bacon bits
black pepper

Heat green beans in broth. Add seasonings to taste. Simmer at least 30 minutes. The longer they simmer in the broth, the better they taste!

Snickerdoodle Mix in a Jar
Recipe found at www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups white sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sugar. Stir with a whisk, then place into a one quart canning jar.
2. Attach a tag with the following recipe to the jar: Snickerdoodles 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup of butter and 2 eggs. Pour in the snickerdoodle mix, and stir until a dough forms. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 3. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be light brown. Cool on wire racks.
.