Giving Thanks

Kelli at There's No Place Like Home is hosting Giving Thanks.
Please visit her blog to see more Thanksgiving traditions.

Here's another one of our family traditions started by my grandmother.

Kuchen

2 pkg yeast 3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs
6 cup flour + what's needed 1/2 c melted crisco +2 Tbs butter
2 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast and 3 Tbsp sugar in 1/4 c. lukewarm water.
Place flour in a big bowl and add remainder of sugar and salt.
Heat milk to lukewarm and add eggs to milk and beat well with beater.
Add melted shortening and beat again.
Add milk mixture to flour mixture and mix well.
Knead until dough is smooth and elastic , sprinkling flour as needed.
Brush dough with melted shortening and cover.
Put into warm place till doubled.
Top with our choice of the following toppings, or be creartive and make up your own.

Apricot:
1 Pkg. dried apricots covered well with water. Add 3/4 c. sugar after apricots are soft and 2 tbsp. tapioca. Cook until tapioca done.
Makes 3 kuchens. Use custard topping. Bake 35 min at 325

Prune:
1 1/2 pounds prunes
3/4 c. sugar
3Tbsp. Tapioca

See apricot instructions for directions.
Seed prunes when softened by pulling apart slightly. Top with struesel.

Apple or Rhubarb
Slice fruit and put on dough, then dribble butter over the top.
Put 1/3 -1/2 c. sugar over top and sprinkle with cinnamon,
then put 1 tsp. of cream here and there.
Struesel can be added to the apple.
Bake 30-40 minutes at 325.

Custard toppings for fruit Kuchens:
Beat well : 2 eggs
Add and beat:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. flour
Add:
1 c. cream or half n half
Beat and add sprinkle of cinnamon.
Cook over medium high until it starts to boil.
Cool slightly and then add 1 tsp. vanilla.
Covers approx 3 kuchens.

Struesel:
1 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. margarine
1/3 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
Mix with pastyr blender to make crumbs

German Cheese Kuchen
1 - 24 oz cottage cheese (dry)
6 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt.
2 Tbsp. Vanilla
Beat for 2 minutes
Add:
2 1/4 c. sugar mixed with 3 Tbsp. Flour. Beat.
Add:
1 c. cream - then beat again

Put dough into pans (very thin).
Bring up sides (as for pie crusts) and let rest only 15 min while you prepare the topping.
Pour topping on only as many as you can bake at a time.
Makes 4-5 8" kuchens.
Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes.
Sprinkle top with cinnamon mixed with a little sugar.

Recipes

Kelli at There's No Place Like Home is hosting Giving Thanks.
Please visit her blog to see more thanksgiving traditions.

One of our thanksgiving traditions is to have a big thanksgiving meal with our family(ies).

Included in the meal are:
Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy,
various veggies such as peas, cauliflower, broccoli,
dinner rolls, salads, lefse, and pies for dessert.

When getting together with my family here's what our meal is:
Turkey, dressing, dumplings, sweet potatoes, sauer kraut and sweet kraut,
tomato macaroni, dinner rolls, as well as pumpkin desserts and various pies.

I'm going to share with you a few of my grandma's recipes.
She passed away 11 years ago.
We are so glad that we made a cookbook of all the great recipes from her kitchen.

Here's my grandma's dressing recipe. It is so yummy!
It is one of my favorite parts of the whole meal.

Dressing:
Approx 6 cups diced bread - soak with milk

Grind giblets, grate carrots and apples (about 1 cup of each)
and 2-3 Tbsp. onion

Mix all ingredients with 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, and pepper.

Fry dressing in butter in electric frying pan, stirring frequently until cooked.

Optional: can add 1 chicken bullion cube dissolved in small amount of boiling water.

Here's another recipe that is a tradition and favorite of mine started by my grandma

Tomato Macaroni

1 pt. tomato juice
1/2 pt. water
1/8 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 c. macaroni

Put all ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil
Watch carefully so it doesn't boil over. Stir often so it doesn't stick.
Cook until macaroni is tender.

Recipes

Baking Fun!!!

The kids like to join in and help with our baking.

Some of our favorite holiday treats are:

pretzels dipped in white and chocolate almond bark and

ritz crackers spread with peanut butter and dipped in almond bark.

Here's another favorite that we like to munch on:

Homemade Chex Mix

3 cups of rice chex cereal

3 cups of wheat chex cereal

3 cups of corn chex cereal

1 cup of pretzels

1 cup of peanuts(optional)

1/2 stick margarine melted

1/4 tsp lawry salt

4 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Melt margarine and add salt and worchestershire sauce
Pour over chex mix

Bake at 250 for 1 hour

Stir every 15 minutes