Erin and Rebecca here is your prize...

Sorry it is late and all they had left was the smaller one!

Since the nature of the contest was to share you wish list your prize is a Santa's bag

to put your wishes in!

Enjoy and thanks for the participation!!

All of you who have won during our Christmas Season Congrats....

Please watch the blog for some exciting changes and

a new look hopefully if I figure out photoshop! Please watch the blog

because our contests and giving will not cease! We love our fellow supporters!

May you have a wonderful, happy and healthy new year with many

fun filled family traditions and yummy recipes!

Keep Cookin!

Our Next Winners....

Sorry I wanted to post this last night but Erin and Rebecca for you wish list and for your participation you win! Thanks ladies for those fabulous wish lists! I love them!! I hope you get your wishes one day and I hope all are seeing some of theirs fulfilled today! Merry Christmas! Love to all!
**Rebecca, I have your address but Erin please e-mail me yours!

New Contest!

I want the winner circle to get bigger...it has some room for more of you! So here is another little contest.... I love lists...I make lists for everything. This contest is about a "list", your list, your wish list for Christmas. I know you all have them! Start thinking if money were no object, or as funny or serious or sad or happy or frivolous as they may seem what is your (yes, not your kids, spouse, dog cat, cousin, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.) wish or wishes. If it be world peace, great more power to you but I want to know your wishes for this Holiday and why you want it. Make a comment on this section and you will be entered for a very very cute prize. ALL you have to do is comment your wish or wishes and the whys...if you have 20+ great, I will love them. You are not exempt if you have already won...I recommend that you spread the word...it always makes the judges sit up and take notice if you bring in new readers. Also I am going to be doing some Christmas baking this weekend so watch for new posts on fun recipes. Comment as many times as you want all day long....
Have fun!

Winners Circle

Grandma's Honey Taffy

It seems like it was just yesterday Gram was in her brilliant Orange kitchen cooking up yummy candies, pies, and cookies for the Christmas Season. Each family member had their favorites, mine was honey taffy. To this day it causes my mouth to water with just the very thought of it. Gram had beautiful long slender fingers, and can remember how her hands, those beautiful hands, would work and pull the taffy to a tasters perfection. It was like an artist with their sweeping strokes creating a master piece, with every pull of the hot taffy Gram was making a mouth watering delight and a dentists' nightmare! Gram had candy thermometers but she relied on the good ole' water test too. I think back and I feel she just knew by sight when the taffy had cooked to perfection.

So all last week I got a hankering for the melt in your watering mouth Christmas goody and finally Friday I had to succumb to my cravings: I made it! Since Gram was a master cook it always intimidated me to try something as hard as candies, not only are they hard but if you mess up and fail the ingredients can become quite costly with mistakes. Despite my misgivings I pushed on and by 10:00 p.m. that evening I had over 100 pieces of this yummy treat...no mistakes...perfect just as if Grandma had guided every stretch and pull; as if she stood next to me as I stirred the pot and whispered it is ready. I did this all without a candy thermometer, using strictly the water test.

I am sure you can imagine how proud I am to have had success on the first try! So here is my Grandma's Honey Taffy recipe. Enjoy and don't be intimidated, if I can do it you can too!

Stir Together:

2 cups sugar

2 cups honey

2 cups cream

Cook on medium heat. Stir occasionally. Boil to soft crack. Cool mixture in a separate buttered pan (We use a cookie sheet that has edges). Butter hands and stretch until mixture becomes stiff to pull. Stretch into a long rope and cut as desired. Wrap in wax paper.

Bran Muffins

Ok, now don't panic, these are very yummy. These are not those huge, dry, heavy, bland bran muffins you see at whole foods stores. These are moist and delicious, and great way to sneak some fiber in your diet! My picky husband loves these and if he likes them, anyone will! If you need to, give them a new name like Magic Million Dollar Muffins or Super Hero doughnuts. Whatever works. Let us know if you liked them and if you came up with a fancy new name to appeal to your family!

Bran Muffins

2 1/2 Cups Bran Flakes Cereal
1 1/4 Cup Milk
1 1/4 Cup Flour
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Oil



Combine the bran flakes with the milk and let it sit for abut 20 minutes so it can get nice and mooshy. I mix it with a fork after about 10 minutes to help break up the bran. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350, combine your dry ingredients, and spray your muffin tin with Pam. Add the egg and oil to the bran/milk mixture and then add the dry ingredients. Mix with whisk or fork. Fill each muffin cup about half full then bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

My family likes these best with honey and butter, and I love them with jam. Try whatever strikes your fancy!

*Low cal version. You can swap the oil for 1/3 C applesauce which ends up saving like 400 calories. They taste exactly the same, but the texture is altered slightly. My kids didn't notice, and my picky husband simply said they seemed "bouncy". It makes them a bit more chewy. So if you are entering a baking contest, stick to the oil, but otherwise the applesauce is a nice way to save a few calories.

Trust me, would I share a recipe that wasn't any good? Have a Bran-tastic breakfast!

And the Winners are...

You guys totally made it easy on my judges! I didn't even have to use them. I know there are more fun stories, traditions/memories, and recipes out there BUT you didn't enter, so you don't win. So for taking a chance and getting it done I am not extending the contest for more entries, I am rewarding those that entered, 1 in each category, and giving them their much deserved prize! They submitted great entries that would have been great competition for anyone and I REALLY appreciate their support! So without further suspense....I know it is the only reason you are reading this post ; )..........AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Amy for her 2 yum-yummy recipes!

Her Entries are:

Egg- Sausage Casserole
Start this in the evening before going to bed and then bake in the morning.
Line a 9x13 pan with bread crusts trimmed off.

9 eggs
2 c. milk
2 tsp. dry onion
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
Beat all of the above.

Cook 1 lb. of sausage and drain. Pour eggs over bread and sausage- let it set in fridge all day. Bake @ 350 for 45 min.

Christmas Tree Cookies
1 c. shortening
3/4 sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract
2 1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Green food coloring

Mix all ingredients and form into a ball and then roll out and cut with Christmas tree cookie cutter.

Bake 10 min. @ 375

I think I will be adding the casserole one to my Christmas morning feast!!

Candee for her "HOT" Christmas story!

Here is her entry:

"Weston is from Rexburg, and it being a college town, has a LOT of Christmas trees that are discarded just before the holiday. Students throw away these trees just before leaving for home. So, Weston's brothers get the driest looking tree and steal it from the garbage pile and take it home. They continually do things to dry it out until Christmas Eve. Then we have a 'tree lighting' ceremony, where all the neighbors are invited for hot chocolate and homemade doughnuts. Then the tree is lit on fire. A couple of years the tree has not burned well (because of fire retardant)and we have had to add things like cotton balls with vaseline to aid in the burning process. It is really scary to see how fast the tree goes up in smoke!"

Love it!

Last but not least, Shannon for your sweet memory/tradition!

Here is her entry:

"I have a little tradition that we just started last year. My husbands very dear grandma (she raised him) just passed away last year. We called her Nini. Well, Nini just loved jammies. She had dozens of really cute festive jammies. Everytime we would go over at night she would have on some really cute seasonal jammies on and I just loved them. So when she passed away we decided to give everyone jammies for a christmas eve present every year. We have a huge pajama party on Christmas eve and bake yummy treats. (Nini also loved to bake.) So that is my small little christmas tradition that we have started in memorie of Dougies Nini."

Thank you to each of you for supporting this blog! I hope you feel your hard work has paid off! Shannon, I sort of know your address but I need your address to get you your organizer. Ladies all I ask in return is for you to take a pic and share it with us when you get your goodies! Rosie posted her win on her blog and I absolutely loved it! I have yet to see Mandy's pic! I hope she got her book!

Watch for the next CONTEST! Ti's the Season to have fun and enjoy one another!

Contest Prizes!

Sorry, I have been working hard to "Deck my Halls" the past few days and I know I have promised to post the prizes for this first contest....I love these! I hope you are as excited about them as I am!

Best Christmas Recipe 1st Prize:

This is a family fun book! I love getting my kids involved in the kitchen, I learned from the best, kids were number one at my Grandma's House and even at my Mom's house. These kind of memories help to build a strong family! Nothing like licking the spatula memories!

Best Christmas Story 1st Prize:

A cute story! I just love heart warming Christmas stories, my aunt was always on the ball and would get us a stack of 25 new Christmas Stories each year, one for each day of the Christmas Season! This book is not only heart warming but one that you can wrap up with the kiddies on the couch and read aloud...make a memory!

Best Christmas Memory/Tradition 1st Prize:

This is a fun little holiday organizer! I just love being organized and I don't know what I would do without my holiday planner that I have had for years. This is a very simple friendly one, where you can slip in coupons, recipes etc.... It helps to be organized to be sure you get all those fun memories and traditions in!

New Contest!!!

I am home from the "Land of Milk and Honey!" (That is my hubby's name for my home town). I have been shopping and I have SOOO many fun things to give away!! Well you all have failed on the first contest : ( I was going to give each person who commented below on their Thanksgiving stories something fun for the Holidays! No one commented so there goes that fabulous idea....so now that I have all my goodies we are going to have a fabulous favorite Christmas tradition, story, or even recipe contest. Each story will be judged against stories, and likewise with the recipes and traditions. E-mail them to holly2300@yahoo.com. Judges, other than myself will decide the winner(s). All entries must be received by next Tuesday at 12:00 a.m. (Midnight, December 9th, 2008). Since we just got home today I still need to look through all my fun stuff and decide what to give so I will post the prize(s) tomorrow. Please note that what you send us may or may not be used on our blog. We reserve the right to be able to use what you send with appropriate credit given to you!

I just love contests so get us your entries!!! Have fun and remember this is all free without any strings attached!!!