Thursday December 17, 1998 at 9 PM ET in the Kitchen Conference Room -- With CCChefDol & CCChefPwd --  "Christmas is for kids" Goodies we make for ours - share yours with us, please. What are your favorites?

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CCChefDol: Pwd, got the pictures posted for the November 30th chat - finally....everyone...be sure and go to our AOL chats on my web site to see pictures of Earlene's projects with her granddaughters. They are SO cute!
CCChefPwd:  Great - the girls will be thrilled to see themselves on the Internet. They will have something special they can tell their schoolmates and teacher.
CCChefDol: I was thinking about that while I was doing it...their name in lights! Print it out for them...good scrap book material too
CCChefPwd: traditions are fun.   The cookie thing with the grand kids is our big tradition

Does everyone know about our special cake decorating section on AOL? Here is how to get there...then add it to your favorite places to get there easier:
Log on AOL, open the 'keyword' box. Type in cooking club. Top center, brown spice rack, click on 'the cook's school. On that list, click 'cake decorating online'  - at the very bottom you will see our 'discussion board' - here is where we hang out. You can only see the last few messages unless you set the [bar] 'preferences' at the bottom to 9999. This way you can catch up! Enjoy!


EARLENE'S PART
This time of year is so hectic for most of us.  We need some easy fun projects to do with our kids to make the season more fun for them and not so hard on us.

Jell-O shapes
Coat a 7 x 11 pan with mayonnaise lightly.
Make your favorite Jell-O or the kids favorite flavor using less liquid (water or fruit juice) and pour into the pan and chill until set.
After the Jell-O is set you can let them cut out shapes with Christmas cookie cutters for a fun shape on their plates.
Just remove with a spatula slipped under the shapes and moved to their plates.
Let them do a little decorating with some cool whip in a small bag.  Easy and inexpensive

Beautiful salad can be made using cut up cubes of red and green Jell-O using the same method above.   Just make up a light color Jell-O such as lemon Jell-O and add cottage cheese or cool whip or ice cream and put into the blender and whip until very fluffy.  Pour into a bowl and add the cubed red and green Jell-O and stir in.   Pour into a greased (mayonnaise) ring mold.  Chill until set , remove from mold and serve on lettuce leaves.  So pretty when cut and served.  Also a much lighter calorie dish for your Christmas dinner.

CarolA5238: Pieces of mini colored marshmallow sounds great for Jell-O.
Swtelegnt: try the smaller fun sized bars instead of cutting the up the large ones

EASY-FAST GINGERBREAD HOUSES
So you don't have the time to bake the gingerbread for the kids to make a gingerbread house.  Use graham crackers and just have the fun of putting a small village together.

You will need plenty of royal icing, graham crackers and lots of candies to decorate with.
A serrated knife works great for cutting those graham crackers and with a little pre-planning to make some patterns it should be fun for all of you.
Tall two story  buildings can be made by standing the graham crackers on end.
Changing roof angles and positions can make for a big variety of buildings.
Churches, bake shops, houses, barns and train stations can all be fun creations.
Use some of the licorice strings for railroad tracks.  The train can be made from small snickers, milky ways and etc.  Peppermint pin wheel rounds for wheels,   the engine can be done with one whole candy bar, a small life saver roll  and another candy bar cut for the back of the engine and standing on end.
The coal car filled with black jelly beans,  small Tootsie Rolls for logs on one car.
A fence made with pretzels,  trees made from pointed ice cream cones and green icing.
A frozen pond made from piping jell colored light blue.
And when you get everything placed on your board with royal icing gluing everything in place then you can lightly sprinkle the whole thing with powdered sugar for that light snow look.
If that is to complicated a project for your family just remember it is not the perfection of the project but the time you spend with the kids that is important.  If you only have time to make gingerbread cookies and have the kids cut them out and put raisin buttons and eyes on them it is still special time for your kids.  Making memories for those special people in your life is very important.

Put your pancake batter into a decorating bag and make Christmas tree pancakes (color the batter green).  Just drizzle the batter onto the grill in the shape of trees, dinosaurs, or etc.  They don't care if the shape is perfect - remember their imaginations are very active when they are small.  My grandkids always love the Mickey Mouse pancakes and bear pancakes. After they are flipped we add chocolate chips for eyes, buttons and etc. Something very small yet this can make a big memory for a little boy or girl.

Just making their sandwiches with peanut butter, cheese and etc. And then cutting them out with the Christmas cookie cutter shapes makes them more fun at this time of year.   Sprinkle a little green or red edible glitter on those sandwiches.   Red hots,  red and green M&M's, red and green jelly beans make festive additions to their plates.

After our cookie exchange a couple of weeks ago thinkchoc sent me this recipe to share with you

RUSSIAN TEACAKES
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sifted conf. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2  1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (walnuts)
Mix butter, sugar and vanilla thoroughly.  Stir flour and salt together, blend in.  Mix in nuts.  Chill dough.  Heat oven to 400.  Roll dough in 1" balls.   Place on ungreased baking sheet (cookies do not spread)  bake 10-12 minutes or until set but now brown.  While still warm roll in conf. Sugar.  Cool and roll in sugar again.  Enjoy! 


DOLORES' PART
   We want to hear from you too! What are your favorite goodies and will you share one with us please? If you don't have the recipe handy, you can email it to me and I will post it in this chat later.
   Its been a long time since I had small children to make goodies for. Except for grandchildren. Their favorites are my hard tac and gingerbread houses (making them along with me).
   HARD TACK: They like hard tac when it is fruit-flavored and contains citric acid to make it have a tart taste. This candy can taste flat without citric acid in the fruit flavors. But don't add too much. Citric acid is hard on the stomach if too much is added. But this is what makes that tartness in candies. It comes in liquid or powder. I prefer the powdered but I don't think there is much difference. Sometimes I pour the cooked candy into molds. I like the simple white plastic ring ones. Just add a sucker stick. Other times I roll it into a long log and cut it with scissors. That can be fun...create fancy shapes as you go. Or, simply pour it out and crack it when cold.
   HANDY TOOLS:
   A CANDY FUNNEL: If you are going to make hard tack and do fancy things with it you'll need a candy funnel. I have a #F17 funnel which holds the entire cooked batch of candy. This way you can get it into the molds before it gets cold and turns solid.
   IDEA...DRIZZLE DISH: And while you are at it anyway, try making a candy-candy dish too: Using the candy funnel, let enough candy to make a drizzle back and forth and across. Not too much, make it lacy. Fill with light-weight goodies for your friends and family. This is [so] pretty.
   THERMOMETERS AND COOKING CANDIES: A good candy thermometer is an essential tool for successful candy making. I prefer the Taylor brand. It is attached to a flat panel which prevents it from getting too close to the bottom of the pan. It has a clip that can attach to the pan or you can stir with it. But lets talk about [reading] it. We all know that water boils at 212 degrees. You can depend on that. But on rainy days when you test it in boiling water it will look like water boils at something like 208-210. The barometric pressure holds the mercury down (not really mercury anymore). And you get a false reading. On a sunny day, water will probably boil at about 210 deg. In higher altitudes, it will be less. You must adjust for this or you'll over-cook your candies.
   TEST: Place the thermometer in boiling water and see what temp. water boils at. If it boils at 210 degrees, stop cooking the candy 2 degrees sooner than your recipe states and it will be perfect.
   My hard tac recipe [and] thermometer testing info are at: http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html
Check under RECIPES then CANDY RECIPES. There are pictures of hard tack on the [Hard candies]
 page too.
   If you don't have a candy marble, place some bath towels on your counter so it won't absorb so much heat. And pour the candy out into Pam-sprayed-foil-lined cookie sheets.

I have a very special Peanut Butter fudge that I tried last year and intend on making this year too. It is SO creamy and SO good. My son-in-law's very favorite fudge!:
*OLD-FASHIONED PEANUTBUTTER FUDGE*
1 1/4 cups Milk
1/2 cup Corn syrup
1/4 cup Butter or margarine
Pinch of baking soda *
3 cups Granulated sugar
1 cup Lightly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup Creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 ts Vanilla
1 cup Peanuts; chopped/opt.

Butter a 9x13-inch pan. In a heavy, 4-qt. saucepan, combine milk, corn syrup, margarine, baking soda and sugars. Place over medium-high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until sugars are dissolved and mixture starts to boil. If sugar crystals are present, wipe them down from the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Clip on candy thermometer. Cook to 234°, or soft-ball stage. Remove from heat; cool immediately to lukewarm. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla and nuts. Continue stirring until mixture becomes creamy ad begins to loose it's gloss. Scrape fudge into pan and spread out to 1" thick; When firm, cut into squares. Makes about 75 pieces.

TIPS:
   Don't plan on substituting skimmed milk for 'milk' in candies or it will not turn out well. A certain fat content is expected. You can use less fat only when the recipe has been adjusted for it.
   I pour fudge out onto my candy marble, add flavor, butter or whatever. Let it cool while I wash the pan and it is ready to 'work' with the candy paddle. As it starts setting up, either put it in the pan or shape into a roll and slice.
   EASY WASHING 1: Line the fudge pan first with foil. Either butter or spray with pan Pam.
   EASY WASHING 2: Is the candy pan impossible to get clean? Just put water in it and heat it. The candy will melt right off. Using very hot water also helps.
   CLEANUP: Use your candy paddle to scrape your tables clean fast.
   HANDLING CHOCOLATE:
   If you are planning to dip candies or fruits in compound coating chocolate, there are 2 rules to live by-or your chocolate will 'seize' and get hard, like it really isn't warm enough when you know it is:
1.  Don't get any water, moisture or stem in the chocolate
2.  Don't get it too hot. You can tell it is too hot when you get 'feet' on your candies...the chocolate spreads all out when dipped. The chocolate should feel almost cold to touch.
[IF] you [do] thicken it accidentally as above, you can melt Paramount crystals in the microwave and add enough to thin it out to a workable consistency. This is an oil that won't leave a taste the way Crisco will.

CCChefPwd: Paramount Crystals are especially great in the white and colored compounds
Swtelegnt: yes, I use them all the time

CAKES TOO! Don't forget how pretty your chocolate lollipops can be as edible decorations for your cakes! I have a real pretty one that I made a Santa and snowman on a sucker stick. I inserted them into the iced cake and incorporated them into a snowy scenery. An extra treat for the kids!


RECIPES shared by our members...some treasured ones too!

FRUIT-FLAVORED JELL-O POPCORN BALLS From Minna111, given to her by Chefsoon1
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 small box Jell-O (any flavor)
9 cups (approx) popped corn

Bring corn syrup and sugar to boil, remove from heat and stir in
Jell-O; stirring until dissolved.  Pour over popped corn and mix well.
Butter hands and form popcorn balls.

Caramel Kisses from Swtelegnt@aol.com
(soft, melt in your mouth caramel) My families favorite
makes 2 1/2 lbs. approx. 150pcs.
        2cups white sugar
        1cup brown sugar
        1cup light corn syrup
        1cup heavy cream
        1cup milk
        1cup butter unsalted
        1 1/4 tablespoons vanilla

Combine everything ,but the vanilla, in a Dutch oven and stir occasionally, to
firm ball stage. (248degrees) it will be all bubbly.  Remove from heat, and
stir in the vanilla. Pour into a foil lined, buttered, 8"x8"x2" pan.  Cool
overnight. When firm turn on to a cutting board and cut into 1"x1" squares.
Wrap in wax paper squares

Make a double batch these go really fast!!!! These are easy to make and delicious.

Bag1321: Has anyone tried the Velvetta cheese fudge?
CCChefPwd: Velvetta fudge sounds different
Dolores777: Found this recipe online for you:
VELVEETA CHEESE FUDGE
1 lb. oleo or butter
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
4 lbs. sugar
1 c. cocoa
1 tbsp. vanilla
Chopped nuts
In a saucepan, melt these 2 ingredients oleo and cheese. Sift together the sugar and cocoa, then add the cheese and oleo mixture and add the vanilla and nuts. Mix
well and spread evenly into a greased, 9 x 13 inch pan. Cool and cut in pieces. Makes about 6 1/2 pounds of creamy, inexpensive fudge.

FAVORITE FUDGE   Minna111: My hubby's has won prizes everywhere! I love his recipe
3 c. granulated sugar
2 c. light brown sugar
1 can evap. Milk
1 c. marshmallow Fluff (marshmallow cream)
1 c. peanut butter
2 sticks butter.
        Combine sugars and milk and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and cook 15 minutes. Drop a little in cold water to make sure it is correctly cooked. Add remaining ingredients and pour into buttered 9 X 13 pan. Chill and cut.

CarolA5238: Here's another in the same area htt://www.foodtv.com/recipes/clive/c19243c.htm

Dolores777: Pwd...I put pwd sugar in a salt shaker to add snow (to gingerbread houses)
CCChefPwd: Me too - only a large shaker with bigger holes
Dolores777: I sprinkle pwd sugar all over my GB houses
Minna111: I used to just use the small screen sifter, too lazy to wash a salt shaker out
CCChefPwd: This is one of those big shakers they use for flour and etc.  I use it to sprinkle pwd sugar
on the cakes when I want them to slide on the cookie sheet when I am transferring them on top of another cake. The pwd sugar allows them to slide and then dissolves into the other icing. So I use that all year long.

Icing Wiz: Dol does the pwd sugar melt after you put it on the gingerbread?
Dolores777: no Icing Whiz...it never does...but I am not in Florida either
Icing Wiz: I was wondering if I wanted to do a sand castle out of gingerbread how can I get the  round look. or how would you bake it to get it rounded
Dolores777: Icing:::drape the cut out gb around a soup can or something...lay it down
Minna111: Bake 2 halves wrapped on a can. Trim straight sides when still hot
Icing Wiz: I thought it might work with some type of can but I have never tried it before

Minna111: I have a super gingerbread idea!
Dolores777: what Minna?
Minna111: I used to get those embossed pieces they use in doll houses and press them on the dough, emboss the dough like bricks, etc  They also have a sheet like clapboards.
Dolores777: Minna...'brick' I drew some on parchment with p. gel, let it dry and pressed it on
Minna111: I went to an industrial school and had them make me cutters for houses
Dolores777: try that Icing...let us know. I think it will bake ok on the can
Minna111: Dee, it's so easy with that plastic doll house sheet, lasts for yrs, too
Minna111: you can get it in a craft store or doll house supply store - lots of patterns to choose from
Dolores777: I baked cake in soup cans once for skates
Minna111: I make lots of pieces around edges of jelly roll pan when bent pieces are needed
Dolores777: there you go Icing...Minna has done that...I thought it would work
Minna111: Tomato juice cans are great for baking silo pieces

CCChefPwd: Anyone ever had a can of pie filling explode in their cabinet?
Minna111: no! how messy!
Dolores777: never Pwd...I'd contact the company!
Minna111: I tipped over my whole quart of smuggled Mexican vanilla I  was so proud to have!

Minna111: My favorite little Christmas things used to be the Santas piped on a candy cane. The kids love them. I also lots of money putting Santas face over a  marshmallow, on a cookie
Dolores777: did you flatten the marshmallow Minna?
Minna111: airbrush the front of marshmallow, flesh color,  then pipe on hair and whiskers/mustache, and  using the large star tube, make hat.

Thursday December 24, 1998 at 9 PM ET in the Kitchen Conference Room -- With CCChefDol & CCChefPwd --  "OPEN MIKE" Come and see us if you have the time. Request help, a special recipe, or whatever.

Minna111: Good night - God Bless and Merry Christmas!
CCChefPwd: Have a wonderful week and a very Blessed Merry Christmas.  Thanks for being here tonight
MHohimer: MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL
Dolores777: I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL WARM HOLIDAY SEASON! AND A VERY GOOD AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!