More Holiday Favorites (recipes)

Good morning everyone.
I hope this all well today.  I feel better now that I VOTED!  I was in and out in 5 minutes.
Now comes the hard part ------ waiting!
God bless us all and our country.

Today I will be listing a couple more recipes that have always been favorites in my life.  They started with Mom and I have continued on  with them.


SPRITZ COOKIES
1 C butter, softened
1 C confectioners sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. rum extract
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
(Colored sugar, icing, nuts, candied cherries, etc. optional - for toppings)

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and extract.  Combine the flour and salt and gradually add to the creamed mixture.
Using a cookie press fitted with disk of your choice (for fancy designs), press cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet about 1" apart.
Bake at 375* for 6 - 9 minutes, until lightly browned.  Yields about 7 dozens (depending on design).

**You can sprinkle with colored sugar, top with a nut or cherry half before baking.  You can also add icing after baking.  Sometimes I make candy cane shaped cookies and add stripes of pink icing.  Or tree shapes and add a tiny bit of green icing.
**I have also used peppermint extract or almond extract instead of rum for variation.
*You can also add food color to the dough for pretty colored cookies
.These were always a family favorite.
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JELLO SALAD
This is one of G's favorites!
1 can pineapple (crushed or chunks - we like chunks)
3 oz. Jello  (flavor according to holiday)
1 C evaporated milk
3/4 C apple
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C mayo
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (don't leave out!!)

Drain pineapple and keep juice.  Mix juice with enough water to make 1 cup.  Heat.  Dissolve Jello into hot mixture and then cool slightly.  Stir in evaporated milk.  Add in the mayo and whisk until smooth.  Add the remainder of the ingredients.  Chill.

I usually double the recipe when making.  When I double, a can of evaporated milk does not make 2 cups - so I used the evaporated with regular milk added.  (Just a hint for you)

We make orange Jello for Thanksgiving, and either lime or strawberry or cherry at Christmas.  You can use any flavor you want.  It's all good! (I have made peach and pineapple Jello at Easter too).
**Another tip - sugar free Jello does NOT set up in this recipe well.  I have tried.
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DUMP CAKE
1 - 20 oz. can pineapple with juice
1 - 20 oz. can cherry pie filling
1 cake mix
1 C chopped nuts
1 stick butter

Dump fruit and juice and pie filling into the bottom of a lightly greased pan.  Pour the cake mix (straight from box) over the fruit.  Even it out.  Cut butter into pats and lay all over the top.  Top with chopped nuts.
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  YUM!!!

**You can really use any fruit in syrup you have and any flavor pie filling.  Experiment with different flavor combos.  (You can use equivalent of home canned).
**I have used white cake mx, yellow cake mix, orange and lemon.  All have been good.
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These recipes are all very easy and fairly inexpensive to make.  Most of the ingredients are things we all have on hand.

I will be making all of these sometime over the next few weeks.  I will continue to share some of our holiday favorites in the upcoming weeks.
I hope you all enjoy. 

TIS THE SEASON for goodies!