Third Day of Christmas – Pecan Sugar Cookies

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12 Days of Christmas, 3rd day of Christmas, Christmas, family recipe, food, foodie, pecans, recipe, sugar cookie, third day of Christmas, tradition, twelve days of Christmas

On the third day of Christmas Young Wifey shared with me: Nanny’s Florida’s pecan sugar cookies, shortbread squares, and chippers recipes.

Nanny Florida’s Pecan Sugar Cookies

Ingredients: 
1 c. butter, 1 3/4 c. confectioners’ sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp. almond extract, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cream of tartar, 1 c. chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cream together butter and sugar, and beat until fluffy. Blend in eggs and extracts. Mix the dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients. Mix throughly. Stir in pecans. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until barely colored. Allow to cook slightly before moving them to a cooling rack.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

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Second Day of Christmas – Nanny Florida’s Shortbread Squares

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12 Days of Christmas, 2nd day of Christmas, Christmas, cookie, food, foodie, recipe, second day of Christmas, shortbread, tradition, twelve days of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas, Young Wifey shared with me: Nanny’s Florida’s shortbread and chippers recipes.

Nanny Florida’s Shortbread Squares

Ingredients:
1 lb. butter, 1 1/2 c. sugar, 2 egg yolks, 5 c. unsifted flour

Directions:
Preheat oven 325°F. Cream butter until soft and smooth, gradually beat in sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, Gradually add flour, working it in until throughly blended. Knead in the bowl for 1 minute. Divide and pat dough into four 9″x13″x1/2″ baking pans. The dough should be 1/4 inch thick. Cut each pan of dough into 24 squares. Prick with fork (or use your favorite attachment on your pastry wheel to create fancy patterns). Bake for 20-30 minutes. Do not let brown, they should be pale yellow. Cut into squares again while hot, cool.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

First Day of Christmas – Nanny Florida’s Chippers Recipe

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12 Days of Christmas, chocolate chips, family recipe, first day of Christmas, food, foodie, recipe, tradition, twelve days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, Young Wifey shared with me: Nanny Florida’s Chippers Recipe…

Nanny Florida’s Chippers

Usually, when I make chocolate chip cookies (even a double batch), Hubster & Pumpkin chow down and make them all disappear. They love Nanny Florida’s Chippers recipe, but surprisingly it only takes a few chippers to fill the cookie void in their bellies. She would’ve been so thrilled! ♥

Ingredients:
1 egg, 2/3 c. butter, 1 3/4 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 c. chopped nuts, 1 c. semisweet chocolate pieces (I use mini chocolate chips)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix together all ingredients throughly. Press dough into 13″x9″x2″ pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm.

*Can be drizzle with chocolate glaze or frosting as desired.
*Make about 42 bars.

We like to make these with walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, and/or cashews!

XOXO,
Young Wifey

12 Days of Christmas

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12 Days of Christmas, Christmas, Christmas cheer, Christmas countdown, countdown, gift giving, tradition, twelve days of Christmas

I knew I missed my 12 Days of Christmas Countdown in 2012… but what I hadn’t realized is that I missed 2011 also! 

In the past, I’ve avoided a Christmas cookie countdown, since so many other bloggers have already used that idea. This year, I decided that I would use that idea, but with a twist. I’ll be using Nanny Florida’s cookie recipes! I may not be posting recipes daily, but I plan to have 12 of her cookie recipes posted before Christmas Eve! Check in tomorrow for the First Day of Christmas…

Nanny Florida’s Christmas Cookie Countdown

2010’s Christmas Countdown – On the twelfth day of Christmas Young Wifey shared with me her Espresso Jar Candle, Gingerbread Man Ornaments, Fleece Blankets,Bottle Cap Magnets, Fleece Sphere Ornament, Button Wreath Ornament,Christmas Mouse Cat Toy, Melted Frosty Ornament, Crocheted Fan Bookmarks, Crocheted Snowflake Ornaments, Wine Glass Charms, and Glass Globe Ornaments…

Melted Frosty Ornament

2009′s Christmas Countdown – On the twelfth day of Christmas Young Wifey shared with me her chocolate Christmas fudge, chocolate bonbons, coconut clusters, cranberry almond bark, chocolate amaretto cherries, pecan turtles, raspberry chocolate truffles, gingerbread fudge, peppermint bark, dark chocolate peanut butter balls, cracked glass candy, and her peanut butter fudge recipe…

Cranberry Almond Bark

What type of Christmas Countdown would you like to see next year?

XOXO,
Young Wifey

November 2013

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grateful, gratitude, November, thankful, Thanksgiving, tradition

Every November, I keep track of 30 things for which I’m grateful. Some years, I post it daily on Facebook, write it in my journal, or post it on my blog…

I’m grateful for a colorful world…

NOVEMBER 2013
1st – I’m thankful for 70°F in November!
2nd – I’m thankful for hot water.
3rd – I’m thankful for Nanny Florida’s Recipe box.
4th – I’m grateful for my supply of Scottish tea, and how it perks me up in the morning.
5th – I’m grateful for my DNA and the two who gave it to me!
6th – I’m thankful for my furbabies, and how they always know just when I need extra love!
7th – I really appreciate our middle school’s awesome PSA, and that they serve us dinner during parent/teacher conferences.
8th – I am grateful for all of my best girl friends.
9th – I’m thankful for Karma.
10th – I’m grateful for a quiet day at home with Hubster & Pumpkin. ♥
11th – I am thankful for all US Veterans, and the service, commitment, and sacrifices they have made for the honor and protection of our nation. Thank you Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, including all Reserves and Guards.
12th – I’m fortunate to have 4 nieces and 3 nephews.
13th – I’m thankful for the opportunity to help others.
14th – I am grateful for my 3 sisters, life’s first (and last) best friends.
15th – I’m grateful to have a humidifier, for without it, I wouldn’t make it through winter.
16th – I am thankful for a hilarious and loving Hubster! Happy Birthday!
17th – I’m fortunate to be able to laugh, even when I should cry.
18th – I’m thankful to have a school (work) family to cares about me.
19th – I’m grateful to see my student loan amount start to go down, even if only a little  smidgen.
20th –  I am thankful for the internet and the opportunities it provides to stay connected with loved ones.
21st – I am grateful to know about and feel connected to the grandparents I never had the opportunity to meet.
22nd – I’m thankful sick days.
23rd – I’m grateful to still get handwritten letters in the mail.
24th – I am thankful that my grandmother was able to finally leave the assisted living home.
25th – I’m thankful for Aleve and caffeine, for without them, some headaches would never ease.
26th – I’m grateful for early dismissals!
27th – I am thankful for long phone calls with great friends.
28th – I’m fortunate to have a warm house, running water, and plenty of food.
29th – I’m thankful for snowplows and safe roads.
30th – I am thankful to have a few days off for Thanksgiving break (even though I brought home three bags of work!). 

I’m thankful that in less than a month, days will begin to get longer again.

What is one thing for which you are grateful this year?

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Nanny Florida’s Oven-Fried Chicken: Recipe 1

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chicken, family, food, foodie, fried chicken, oven fried, recipe, tradition

Nanny Florida’s recipe box has several different recipes for oven-fried chicken. My mom remembers Nanny Florida making the tastiest, juiciest fried-chicken, so I decided to make it a point to try each recipe and determine the best. Consider this round 1!

Oven-Fried Chicken: Recipe 1

Nanny Florida’s Oven-Fried Chicken: Recipe 1

Ingredients:
2 1/2 – 3 lb. broiler-fryer chicken (cut up), 1/3 c. flour, 3/4 c. breadcrumbs, 1/4 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese, 1 c. butter (melted), 1 egg, 2 Tbsp. water, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Mix together flour, salt, and pepper and set aside. Whisk together egg and water and out aside. Combine cheese and bread crumbs and set aside. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in egg mixture, and then bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in a 13×9″ baking pan,  and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 375°F, for 1 hour or until tender.

*I used drumsticks and boneless skinless chicken breasts to test this recipe…

Verdict:
It was tasty! I don’t think I’ll use this for drumsticks again since I like them to be extra crispy. It did however make the chicken breasts extremely juicy which won Hubster’s seal of approval.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Groundhog Day 2012

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daffodils, February, groundhog, groundhog day, prediction, prognostication, Spring, tradition, weather, winter

Groundhog Day… (readers outside of North America, read here) I love the possibility of early Spring. Being a Pennsylvania resident, it’s a big deal, after all it’s our groundhog that is the infamous one.

However, I never understood the logical behind the prognostication. Seeing your shadow should signal that it’s sunny and thus have an early Spring, not 6 more weeks of winter. Andhow trustworthy is his prediction anyway? Two weeks ago he was gallivanting at the PA farm show, not hibernating. hmm…

Do You See What I See?

Regardless of his prediction, this week I spotted my daffodil popping up through the soil. Usually this time of year it’s my crocuses.

Hey Punxsutawney Phil, BRING IT ON!