Deanna's Daughter

This has been a Christmas morning tradition in Brock’s family for years.

Christmas Blueberry Oat Muffins

In a medium-sized bowl, combine and let stand for at least 10 minutes;

1 c. oatmeal

1 c. buttermilk

and then add to it;

1 beaten egg

1/4 c. melted butter

In a small bowl, combine the following;

1 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. brown sugar

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until the everything is just mixed.

Fold in;

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes – this will make 12 muffins.

An old recipe of Mom’s, and it honestly is easy, if you don’t mind fiddling with the pastry.

Butter Tarts

Pastry for 1 pie crust should make 12 tarts in a regular muffin tin.  See Pastry – Crisco.

1 c. raisins

1 c. brown sugar

2 T. butter

1 egg

1/2 t. vanilla

Cover the raisins with boiling water, let them sit for a few minutes and then drain.  Add the warm raisins to the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Roll out your pastry and use an appropriately sized round cookie cutter to cut out your circles.  The pastry really only needs to come about half way up the inside of each muffin cup and the pan doesn’t need to be greased.

Fill each unbaked pastry shell about 3/4 full with filling – the filling should make exactly 12 and it should not reach the pastry line.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes, and allow the tarts to rest in the pan for about another 20 before attempting to remove them.  When you’re ready to get them out of the pan, carefully run a knife around the edge of each tart – I did say this was fiddly – and if they are loosened, you should be able to hook them underneath and gently lift them out.

Normally, out of 24 tarts, about 3 are ‘ruined’ when I try to get them out of the pan and Brock and I have to immediately eat warm butter tarts.  It happens, only the cook needs to know the truth.

We spend a lot of time with family over the holidays and the girls adore their little 8-month-old cousin.  This was very apparent when we were heading home one evening and Waverly broke into song at the top of her lungs, ‘Skinnamarinkydinkydink, skinnamarinky-do, I LOVE GREYSEN!!’.

Straight from the Best of Bridge – everyone I know loves this one.

Wild Rice Broccoli Casserole

2, 180 g packages of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice

2 large heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and drained

2, 10 oz/284 mL cans of mushroom soup

2 c. old cheddar, grated

Cook the rice as directed -  it’s fine if the rice is tender and there’s still extra moisture left.  Prepare the broccoli and in a medium bowl mix together 1 1/2 c. of the cheese with the soup.

Grease a 4 L casserole and spread half of the rice evenly on the bottom followed by half of the broccoli and then half of the soup mixture.  Repeat the layers and top with the remaining 1/2 c. of cheese.

When you’re ready to bake it, cook at 350 for about an hour.