Sweetie Staff Recipes

Submitted by Linda Hundt 
 

If you have never made fresh cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving table, please give this easy recipe a try. I promise, you will never eat the canned stuff again! The great thing about this sauce is that you can make it all winter long to accompany a chicken dinner or spread on a turkey sandwich. The lime zest gives it a yummy lift. Enjoy! 

• 4 cups of fresh cranberries
• Zest of one large orange
• Zest of one lime
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of water 

Combine all the ingredients in a pot over low heat and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the cranberries burst and are soft, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cold. (You can also freeze it!)

From Martha Dixon’s Copper Kettle Cookbook 

These are “Come and get them, gang!” cookies. Large, soft, and oh so good! Try ‘em!

• 1 C. butter
• 2 C. sugar
• 1 C. sour cream
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• 5 C. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 4 eggs 

Cream butter and add sugar slowly. Add eggs and flavoring. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with sour cream to the butter and sugar mixture. Roll into balls and then into Christmas (red and green) sprinkles. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes around 5 dozen cookies. You can always freeze a portion of the cookies for later.

Submitted by Gail Junion-Metz 

This super moist cake combines two of my favorite ingredients – apples and pecans. It is perfect as a coffee cake for brunch or as a great fall dessert (topped with whipped cream). It’s also perfect to take along to a tail-gate party as it can feed a large crowd. 

• 2 eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten
• 2 ¾ C. flour
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 ½ C. Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 ½ C. sugar
• 1 C. cooking oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 C. pecans, chopped and toasted

Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl combine apples and lemon juice. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Fold in apples and pecans. (Batter will be thick). Spoon into Bundt pan. 

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 15 min. Carefully remove from pan. Cool cake on wire rack. Store in the refrigerator (or in a cooler) until ready to serve. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.