Today’s topic in our Wives of Faith Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Carnival is all about food! Now, here is a disclaimer: I do not consider myself a cook at all – I love watching Food Network and my husband and I are beginner “foodies” in the loosest of terms, but I like eating other people’s food, and definitely not my own! 
I wish I could throw things together like my mother-in-law can. She doesn’t consider herself a cook either, but I’m telling you, she can “throw things together” as she likes to say, and it comes out wonderful! Me – not so much.
At any rate, there are a few recipes I like to make around Christmas time. I wouldn’t say any of them are my favorite, but my family and I enjoy them and maybe you will too!
On Christmas Eve, I always like to serve what we call smorgasbord, a tradition passed down from Cliff’s family that they did when they were kids. We roll up and cut ham, turkey and roast beef (sliced from the deli) as well as some cubed cheeses with some different mustards and sauces for dipping. I also like to spread cream cheese on deli ham (cut really thin) and roll the ham slices up. SO GOOD!
One of my favorite dishes to make for Christmas Day is a recipe passed down from my mom. 7-up salad is really yummy and both my husband and son love it too. You can make it with or without nuts (I make it without) and it’s a great sweet side dish to all of the savory dishes we tend to have.
7-up Salad
Ingredients:
8 1/2 oz. crushed pineapple
1 c. hot water
1 box lime jello (4 serv. size)
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 pkg. Equal
1 tsp. vanilla
7 oz. diet 7 -up (or gingerale)
Instructions:
Drain pineapple, saving juice. Add enough water (hot) to juice to equal 1 cup. Bring to a boil. pour pineapple and juice into blender and add jello and cream cheese. Blend on high for 1 minute. Add equal, vanilla and 7-up. Pour into dish and chill for 5 hrs. (Usually better to make this the night before you want to serve.)
Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
I also have a favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. My little addition to this cookie is to add extra granulated sugar after you use the fork to make the tine marks on the cookie. Yum!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter/
1/2 cup (1/2 stick) Crisco Shortening
1-1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsps milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 375 deg. F. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
2. Combine Jif, Crisco, light brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended.
3. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by heaping teasponsfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Can’t wait to see everyone else’s recipes!
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven’t had peanut butter cookeis in so long! You have inspired me!
When I met my husband he tried to convert me to putting cream cheese on deli meat then rolling. I always told him no it was gross never in a million years would we ever serve it up. Then I tried it thinking it was pretty good. Since then I’ve had that on our platters during holidays but always thinking we are the only people in the world to like it. Guess he wasn’t as crazy as I thought and others like it too. Merry Christmas!
Wow Sara…that 7up salad is REALLY similar to something my mom makes every year called “Lime Jello Salad.” It doesn’t have 7up but it does have the lime jello, cream cheese, and pineapple. It also has pecans and is YUMMYYUMMY!!! (We call it “Slime Jello Salad” but we all love it!)
Mmm…sounds good!
Your Christmas Eve tradition sounds like fun. 
Great recipes! My mother-in-law is the same way! She teaches me some things though! I like the sounds of your smorgasbord, it sounds so yummy!!
oh wow! these recipes sound so good! I must give them a try! Thanks for sharing!