Sweet Potato and Chard Gratin

I made this for Christmas dinner with my extended family. Everyone loved it-- big hit. (As a note, I used emmenthaler for the cheese and half-in-half instead of the cream)

peanut butter blossoms

a nice straightforward cookie. :)

preheat oven to 375.

cream together:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar

then beat in:
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

in another bowl, mix together:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
and stir it, gradually, into the liquid ingredients.

if you have an orange on hand, a bit of orange zest grated in is very nice.

drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet, bake until pale golden, 7-8 minutes. while the cookies are still warm, stick a chocolate star into each one. cool completely on a wire rack.

Peppernuts

Because I love you all, I'll share our family recipe for Peppernuts, which are eensy little Christmas spice cookies with a yummy crunch. Within Mennonite clans, each family has their own recipe, which they claim is "the best." Of course, this one is the REAL best recipe.

It is a very big recipe and will make hundreds of tiny cookies, which I eat by the handful (very dangerous). I'm sure that you could halve it, but why would you want to? Their meant to be given away anyway!

This is also a fun recipe for kids to help with...younger kids rolling out the ropes and older kids cutting. Plus the slave labor helps, since they're a little time intensive. Maybe I should have some kids.....?

Peppernuts are best with coffee, dipped in or just crunched along side your sipping. And it's the only cookie that you're allowed to eat with breakfast.

The specifics in this recipe come from my mom.

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
6 cups flour (I use 5 1/2 cups)
1.5 cups finely chopped nuts (pecans recommended)
A dash of salt
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. anise oil or 3/4 tsp anise extract
3/4 T. baking soda dissolved in 1 T. hot water

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and continue beating. Sift flour, measure and sift together with spices and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixture. Add soda solution and anise. Add nuts. Chill dough.

Roll out on floured board into long round sticks about 3/4 inch in diameter. Roll onto cookie sheet lining them up until the sheet is full. Chill again (I freeze them). Take out one strip at a time and cut into 1/4" - 1/2" circles and bake on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick you cut them. I bake them until they are nice and brown because that makes them crispier.

The rolled out dough can be kept in the freezer as long as you'd like -- until you're ready to bake lots or just one pan at a time. They freeze very well after baking too!