DDQ Sauce (Deedee's BBQ Sauce)

2 C Brooks catsup
1/2 C brown sugar
Dash Allspice
Dash garlic powder
2 T vinegar

Simmer all ingredients together for 10 minutes.

Stacy's Mom's recipe.  She never bought BBQ sauce in a bottle. 

Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Soup

1/2 pound italian sausage
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
2 28oz cans plum tomatoes in juice
1 9 oz package fresh tortellini
1/2 cup heavy cream
Chopped basil
Parmesan cheese

In a soup pot, brown sausage.   Remove from pot and drain on paper towel.    To the same pot, add olive oil, onion and carrots, cook until soft.   Add garlic and stir until fragrant, stir in cup stock to deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits.   Reduce stock by half and add tomatoes.   Stir, cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.    Add remaining 1cup stock and tortellini, cooking for about 5 minutes more.  When tortellini looks done, stir in cream and chopped basil.
Serve hot with Parmesan cheese garnish.

**note: for basil, I chop basil in blender with a tbsp of olive oil when I clean out the garden at the end of the growing season.   Freeze it in an ice cube tray and pop into ziplock bag when frozen.   Fresh tasting basil all winter!

Pickle Rolls (Minnesota Sushi)

A Jansen Family Christmas Eve tradition.  I have been making these since about 1979.

INGREDIENTS:
Pickles (long)

4 oz cream cheese
5 drops Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t horseradish
1t grated onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

12 slices thickly sliced Boar's Head Pastrami

PROCEDURE:
Mix all cream cheese and spices together.  Spread on pastrami slice.  Roll pickle up into the pastrami.  Chill.  Slice into 1/2" coins.  Serve. Enjoy.  Repeat. 

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg

• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Additional granulated sugar (I used Red and Green)

Suggest using at least that much PB since they can be dry.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each

cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 48 cookies..

Grandma Conrad's Christmas Cutouts

This recipe from Delia Shirmer Conrad dates back to the 1920s.  It has been a Jansen Family staple for generations.  The decorations on the cutouts become more creative and outrageous each year!

DOUGH:
1/2# butter
1C Sugar

Cream the above until fluffy.

3C flour
2t cream of tartar
1t baking soda
1/3 t salt

whisk the above together in separate bowl.  Add 2T of the whisk-mixed powder to the butter mixture, then beat in:

2 eggs
1t vanilla
2T milk

Blend in remainig flour mixture on lowest speed so it doesn't blow all over the kitchen.

Chill for 1 hour.  Roll-out with lots of flour on the cloth.  Make the cookies a bit thicker for kids decorating. 

Bake at 350F for approximately 8 minutes. 

ICING:
Whisk together powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency.  Thinner the better for kids especially.