Mmm...Pumpkin Cobbler

 
PUMPKIN COBBLER 
Courtesy of LaDonna (Donna) Elvig, Snohomish County, WA

Ingredients:

• 1 large can pumpkin


• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk


• 3 eggs


• 1½ cups sugar


• ½ tsp cinnamon


• ½ tsp nutmeg


• 1 box yellow cake mix (dry)


• 1 ½ sticks melted butter

Preparation:

• Mix together the first 6 ingredients and spread into a 13 x 9 well buttered baking dish.

• Sprinkle the cake mix over the pumpkin mixture and drizzle the butter on top

• Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean

Christmas Punch: "Raspberry Shrub" (non-alcohol)

A raspberry-based Christmas punch seems fitting for this particular part of Washington state, considering that Whatcom County - the county in which I live -  boasts the largest annual raspberry harvest in the United States.

In case you're wondering about the term "shrub," the name of this and other drinks in the "shrub" category come from the Arabic word sharab which means, literally, "to drink." Shrubs are an old time beverage, the word "shrub" (as descriptive of a drink) going back to at least 1747 where the Oxford Dictionary defined it as, "..."any of various acidulated beverages made from the juice of fruit, sugar, and other ingredients..."

Classic shrub recipes often call for the addition of vinegar or brandy to give it zing, but the following recipe relies on a can of lemonade concentrate and ginger ale for that.

Ingredients:

• 4 pkgs (10 oz. each) frozen raspberries
  

• 1 can (6 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate (do not add water)
  

• 2 quarts ginger ale

Preparation:

• Thaw raspberries, then cook all four packages in a saucepan for ten minutes.


• Force through strainer with wooden spoon while still hot


• Allow to cool


• Add lemonade concentrate


• Just before serving, add the ginger ale, well-chilled


• Serve over ice.

Makes 24 servings of about 1/2 cup each.

Easy Home Decorating Ideas for Christmas

Storm, over at 365 Days of Christmas, has put together a phenomenal list of suggestions for easy, inexpensive Christmas Decorating. Check it out!

Easy, Inexpensive Salmon Cheese Ball

This recipe has the advantage of utilizing canned salmon, which is cheaper than smoked salmon, contains no sharp bones, and is easier to work with than hard-smoked fish. The addition of liquid smoke is a must for this recipe.

Ingredients

- 1 eight ounce package of cream cheese, softened.
- 1 sixteen ounce can of salmon, well-drained and flaked
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chopped mixed nuts
- 1/4 cup snipped parsley

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients except nuts and parsley; shape mixture into a ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 4 days. Mix nuts and parsley; coat ball with mixture.