Aebleskiver Recipe

One of our family traditions is to have aebleskivers for breakfast on Christmas morning.
Here is  Myrl Buchanan Brugger's (Popi's mother) recipe.

Aebleskivers

6 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups flour

Separate eggs and beat egg whites until stiff.
Combine egg yolk with other ingredients.
Fold into beaten egg whites.
Cook in aebleskiver pan.


Aebleskiver Recipe for 8 eggs

8 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 1/2  tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cup milk
4 tsp sugar
2 cups flour


Note:  Most recipes for aebleskivers just make a pancake batter, with one or two eggs.  You can make these with pancake batter, they just won't be as round.

The Secrets to Perfect Spritz Cookies

The Secrets to Perfect Spritz Cookies

This is a repost of  a blog entry from my old blog thedittmarfamilypage.blogspot.com.

These are some of the secrets tI have learned for making perfect Spritz Cookies.  

1. The dough should be very soft.

2. Chill the cookie sheets. This makes the dough stick to the sheet instead of the cookie press, so you don't end up with big globs. Turn the knob of the press exactly the same amount each time.

3. I always use parchment to make cookies, but DON'T use it for spritz cookies-the dough won't stick to it.
4. When you take the cookies out of the oven let them sit on the cookie sheet a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

5.  Always use real butter.

This is my mother's recipe.  She made the best cookies.

Butter Spritz Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sifted flour
Sprinkles for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, add the sugar and the butter. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts and mix to incorporate. Sift together the baking powder and the flour. Add the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Using a cookie press, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Top with the sprinkles of your choice. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until firm, but not yet browning.

Christmas Chili

My mother made the best chili, from scratch.  For decades I always made her recipe.  Eventually, I got a little lazy and modified the recipe to use canned beans.
I always make a big pot of chili a few days before Christmas to eat on Christmas day.  When my girls were little I wanted to be able to play with them all day rather than cooking.  Chili became our traditional Christmas dinner.  We have added tamales and taquitos to the day.  I put the tamales in a crock pot and just heat the taquitos in the oven so it is still not work.  I buy a vegetable tray and serve red and green tortilla chips with salsa, too.  Paper plates, bowls and cups are a must.  I don't want to waste time doing dishes.
Sara and Dallin will be having their own Christmas in Florida this year and Sara asked for my recipe.  It is pretty much a "to taste" recipe, but here it is.

4-5 cans beans (I like to use a variety, such as pinto, red beans, black beans, etc.)
1 large can tomato sauce or jar of spaghetti sauce
1 can or jar of water
1 lb ground beef (browned)
2 tbsp chili powder (to taste)
onion and garlic powder (to taste)
salt (to taste)

Combine everything and heat it up.

When the girls were little Santa always brought them cereal in their stocking so I didn't have to make breakfast.  Eventually, they preferred me to stop and make aebleskivers for breakfast.  So I now do some cooking on Christmas day.