Home for the Holidays Blog Hop

November 13th - November 18th

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Welcome to the Smexy Fab Four's stop in the Home for the Holidays Blog Hop. Hopefully by now you've gone by some of the other stops on the blog hop and have started gathering those fantastic recipes. Well, there are four of us here so you're in for a treat. 

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Iris: 

Personally, I'm Hispanic, so when I think of the holidays, I don't think of presents. Well, that's not true. I love to shop, so of course I think of presents. However, the first thing that I think of is food. Being Hispanic there was always food and lots of it. Enough to feed an army. So it was pretty hard for me to choose just one recipe to share today. So of course I asked my little guy. Who of course chose his favorite. It's a little unconventional for the olidays, but hey, that's what I get for asking an 8 yr old his opinion. 

Apple Dumplings:

6 Apples (Any kind other than Red Delicious. Peeled, halved and cored)

3 Tbsp Butter

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 (9 in) pie crust

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 egg white

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Mix 3 Tbs. of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Spoon a portion of the mixture into each hollowed-out apple core.

3. For boxed pie crusts, unroll one of the dough sheets onto a floured work surface. Pulling on sides of dough to straighten rounded edges, roll it into an approximate 12-inch square, then cut the dough into four 6-inch squares; brush the perimeter of each square with egg white. Set an apple half on each square. Bring up the 4 corners of dough around the apple and pinch edges to seal. Place on a large (at least 18- by 12-inch) parchment-covered baking dish. Brush dumpling tops and sides with egg white; sprinkle with sugar. Repeat process with remaining apples and dough.

4. Bake dumplings until pastry sets and starts to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.

Barb: 

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is Cranberry sauce. A few years ago I learned how simple it is to make it. It also tastes better then canned.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1  bag of cranberries

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

Place all items in a saucepan on medium heat.  Cranberries will start popping. When they are mostly chopped remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl. I use a potato masher to crush them. Just smash them until they are your desired consistency.  

Let cool and serve.

Jennifer: 

The Spell Family Gravy Recipe

1/2 cup butter (can use hard margarine) 
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (more is better, I use freshly ground pepper) 
4 cups pan drippings (or see options below the recipe) 

Directions: 
1. Drain the pan drippings for the roasted turkey through a fine strainer. 
2. Let sit and then remove any fat from the top of the drippings. 
3. Add in chicken broth or water to make 4 cups if necessary. 
4. In a medium saucepan, melt margarine or butter. 
5. Add in lots of black pepper. 
6. Add in 1/2 cup flour plus 3 tablespoons; constantly whisk for about 3 minutes over low heat. 
7. Slowly add in the 4 cups turkey broth/drippings; whisk constantly over medium-low heat until bubbly and thickened (about 3 minutes). 
8. Use right away or keep warm over lowest heat setting, whisk again before serving. 

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43. Carol A. Strickland   |   44. Krista Ames  |   45. Sandra Schwab

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57. Cait Jarrod   |   58. Tracy Lee   |   59. Laura Howard

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72. Dawn Martinez   |   73. Madison Johns 

74. Mary Moriarty   75. M. J. Summers

76. THE ROMANCE TROUPE