Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop 2012

Welcome to my stop on the Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop.  I'm going to talk a little about my families Christmas and New Years traditions and share my favorite cookie recipe too.

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My Family Traditions

We try to get together every holiday but with 2 of my 3 sisters out of town, it can be difficult.  It's become somewhat of a tradition to celebrate Christmas with my youngest sister in town with my parents at her house, we either get together for Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day brunch.  We usually have a nice ham, two different kind of potato dishes (mashed/hash browns and sweet potato), lots of crescent rolls (usually at least 40), sometimes we'll have scrambled eggs, a non-alcoholic Trader's punch to drink and then all kind of cookies and other yummy desserts to eat.

Favorite Cookie Recipe

I have and always will love these cookies that my mom and I found in an old cookie cookbook.  I'm posting the newest version of it (which is true to the original) from a fellow blog site I occasionally visit - PieKnits 

Scandinavian Almond Bars

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature is easiest
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• Milk
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
• Almond Icing (below)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixer bowl beat butter or margarine till softened. Add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add egg and almond extract and beat well. Add flour mixture and beat till well mixed.

Divide dough into fourths. Form each into a 12-inch roll. Place two rolls 4 to 5 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten till 3 inches wide. Repeat with remaining rolls.

Brush flattened rolls with milk and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 325°F for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. While cookies are still warm, cut them crosswise at a diagonal into 1-inch strips with a sharp knife. Cool on wire rack. Drizzle with Almond Icing. Enjoy!

Makes 48.

Almond Icing

Stir together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and enough milk (3 to 4 teaspoons) to make icing of drizzling consistency.

Non-Alcoholic Trader's Punch

2 Cups Orange Juice

2 Cups Lemon Juice

1 Cup Grenadine Syrup 

3/4 Light Corn Syrup 

3- One Litre bottles Ginger Ale (Chilled and Not Spicy - Recommend Canada Dry)

Ice Ring 

Punch Bowl

Chill the juices and grenadine syrup overnight.  Prepare an ice ring (you can add strawberries and fresh orange slices to make it pretty) and leave in freezer overnight.  

To Prepare:

Mix chilled juices in a large container, add both the grenadine syrup and the light corn syrup to the juices, mix and re-chill in refrigerator for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.  

To Serve: 

Pour juice mixture into punch bowl, add the ice ring and then slowly add the 3 one litre bottles of ginger ale  

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