My really good friend Cass has posted a contest for a Cookbook Give-away. Not just any cookbook. A Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook! The fascinating thing about this cookbook is that the table of contents shows the pictures of all the cookies in the cookbook. Full-color, beautiful cookies there and on the inside pages. Recipes that make you gain weight just looking at the titles and photographs that make you want to nibble the pages - what more can you ask?

If you don’t visit her site for any other reason than to see her eyes crossed as she tastes one of the delectable cookies she made, then go for that reason! If you want to enter the contest yourself, just leave her a comment. For more entries, write a post that links back to Sis Cass and Stumble her post, too! Can’t be much easier than that!

Oh, the contest ends at midnight, March 23. Happy Easter!

Technorati Tags: cookbook, Martha Stewart, Recipes, contest, Easter

Since I was surfing around the internet, looking for some low-salt recipes for my Sister, I thought I’d share one that I found to be particularly good. The Low Sodium Cooking site gives you lots of great tips, lots of recipes, and even resources about where you can find some no-salt ingredients for your cooking.

The site is not written by a doctor and isn’t intended to replace sound medical advice. But I think it’s going to be very helpful as we try to reduce all of our sodium intake and help Sis stay on her heart healthy diet.

Technorati Tags: low-salt recipes, recipes

My sweet Mother developed this recipe after tasting some at a restaurant. After a few experiments, she came up with this Italian Cream Cheese Ball that’s super good on crackers. If you want, you can also roll the ball in toasted pecans.

ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE BALL

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 chopped fresh green onion
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Method

Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature, then mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. The cheese ball improves with age.

This is a big hit at all kinds of get-togethers, and certainly isn’t limited to holiday gatherings. It would be delicious at a tailgate party as well!

As long as you’re in the mood for new recipes, why not head over to My Wooden Spoon and check out some of the great recipes there. You might even want to submit one of your own there!

Technorati Tags: recipe, Italian Cream Cheese Ball, holiday, tailgate party

I want to reach out to all of you who voted for my Christmas Cookie recipe - Snowball Cookies. With your help, I won the contest! You can read The winner is at Charlotte’s cooking blog - Charlotte’s Household Tips. Don’t forget to look for recipes there, too. I’ve got my eye on the chili recipe now!

I made a pot of chili just a few days ago and it turned out very good. At least, that’s what my son told me! We like to add sour cream to homemade chili, or shredded cheese. Either one makes a great topping to mix in.

Technorati Tags: Christmas Cookie recipe, contest, Charlotte’s Household Tips

I’ve just come from visiting so you wanna be a Domestik Goddess and find myself delighted in what’s offered there. Not just cooking, but a slew of other things we domestic engineers can make good use of.

I particularly liked the Meringue Cookies recipe. It’s only three ingredients, and I do love three ingredient recipes! I’m going to be trying this very soon, although mine might not be as beautiful as hers are. Those are like little jewels.

I hope you’ll visit her site and give her a high five in comments!

I entered a contest with my Christmas Snowball Cookies recipe that I recently posted here. I hope to win a cookbook entitled Best of the Best from the Mid-Atlantic Cookbook and $10 gift certificate from Amazon.com. You can go vote for me, or anyone you would rather, at the Christmas Cookie Recipe Vote post.

I’ll not resort to begging, but I would love to win these things. They would make great Christmas gifts for my younger daughter!

You can vote once a day in the poll, so remember to come back tomorrow and vote again!

Technorati Tags: cookbook, Best of the Best from the Mid-Atlantic Cookbook, Amazon.com, Christmas gifts

I made these Christmas Snowball Cookies for years, then I lost the recipe. I just found it again over on Cooks.com, though, and wanted to share it with you.

These cookies are melt-in-your-mouth tender and wonderfully tasty. They are also easy to make and the snowball shape is perfect for the Christmas season.

Christmas Snowball Cookies

(Cooks.com)

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pound butter
• 4 cups sifted flour
• 4 tablespoons vanilla
• 2 cups minced walnuts (I use pecans)
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Method

Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour; mix well. Add vanilla and walnuts; mix well. Shape into balls, about one inch. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Cool 3 to 5 minutes.

Put powdered sugar into a zip lock bag. Gently shake cookies in the powdered sugar. Place on waxed paper. When completely cooled, shake again in powdered sugar.

If you have a favorite Christmas cookie recipe, click over to Charlotte’s Tips and enter her contest! Look around while you’re there. I think you’ll find lots of great tips and recipes you can use!

Technorati Tags: Christmas Snowball Cookies, Cooks.com, Christmas

I want to introduce you to a new cooking blog called Tinfoil Chef. Though it just began at the end of October, there are already several interesting and yummy sounding recipes along with some nice kitchen tips you might enjoy. Click over and check it out for yourself. I figure Tinfoil Chef will grow almost daily and I look forward to reading the entries!

Technorati Tags: recipes, Tinfoil Chef

I just wanted to point you to Halloween Costume, Chili Recipe, and Crustless Pumpkin Pie. This is my sister’s blog and she’s posted a really funny picture along with the recipes mentioned in the post title.

Halloween was traditionally our family day to get together for chili, caramel apples, and popcorn balls. Sadly, as the years have gone by and children grown and moved out, that tradition has pretty much gone by the wayside for most of the family as they begin their own new traditions. Still, my Sis continues this in her home as she always has since she’s really the one who started it all off for us!

Technorati Tags: Halloween, caramel apples, popcorn balls

Just quickly wanted to tell you about a great cooking blog I just found called The Cheap Gourmet. The first thing you’ll probably notice there is a free download for some delicious pumpkin recipes! I downloaded it and am ready now to make a grocery list for ingredients. Especially for the Pumpkin Dip!

Of course, that’s not all that’s on the blog, but it’s certainly appropriate for the fall of the year.

We love pumpkin. I used to buy two or three every year at this time, clean out the cavity, and bake them until they collapsed. Then it was easy to scoop out the pulp and put it in the freezer in 1 cup portions for use in breads, pies, cookies, and other great treats.

Technorati Tags: pumpkin recipes, pumpkin