These easy to make dill biscuits are tasty and a good bread to serve with salads, but I think you’ll like them enough to serve them with any meal. They are buttery and don’t need additional butter when served, but who doesn’t like extra butter?

Ingredients:

• 1 can Pillsbury Grands Homestyle Buttermilk biscuits
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp. dehydrated onion flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped finely (I use scissors and cut the dill.)

Instructions:

In a microwave-safe glass container, add butter and onion flakes. Melt butter. Add fresh dill. Open the can of biscuits, roll each biscuit in the butter-onion-dill mixture, covering both sides of the biscuit. Place biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet / baking pan. Bake according to the instructions on the can (350-degrees for 13-18 minutes).

This is a very good cranberry cake recipe. I especially like that it is not overly sweet. That fact makes sweet whipped cream or ice cream the perfect sides. Not only is this tasty, it’s super easy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease/butter a 9-inch pie pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts, and toss to coat. Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, and almond extract. If you are using frozen cranberries, the mixture will be very thick. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

The cake is good warm, but I actually think it tasted better the next day (I did not refrigerate it – I wrapped the top with plastic wrap and kept it on the counter).

Make this while you can still find fresh cranberries. I haven’t tried the recipe with frozen cranberries, but the friend who turned me on to the recipe says they work very well.

Note: this recipe was originally posted at allrecipes.com under the name Crustless Cranberry Pie.

This is a very tasty and easy recipe for baked acorn squash. I will make only one change when making it again. I’ll add a pat of butter to each acorn squash along with the cream.

Recipe:

• 2 acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeded, and bottoms trimmed to lie flat if necessary
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 8 sprigs thyme
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash halves cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Divide cream and thyme among halves.
2. Bake until squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife – 35 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake until cheese is melted and golden. – 10 to 15 minutes.

Source: Everyday Food December 2012

This year family members will receive a gift of homemade mulling spices in hand-crafted tea bags paired with apple cider.

I found the recipe for the mulling spices at the Cooking Channel.

Here is the simple recipe:

• 2 inches of cinnamon stick (not that found in the craft store – see spices in grocery store)
• 4 cardamon pods
• 4 black peppercorns
• 3 whole allspice berries
• 3 star anise pods
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons dried orange zest

Combine all in a heavy-duty, plastic, zip close bag. Crush the spices with a mallet or heavy object. Divide the spices evenly between 6 ready-to-fill tea bags or sachets. Store in an airtight container, and include the recipe for using in hot cider.

NOTES:

• The recipe says it will fill 6 tea bags. I did not find that to be the case. Being a tea drinker, I believe this recipe only makes enough for 4 tea bags.
• Dried orange peel is the equivalent of dried orange zest.
• I used one whole anise star – I did not break pods off of stars.
• I made my own tea bags, which you can do too. The instructions are below.

Make Tea Bags Using Coffee Filters

I used Melitta filters to construct the tea bags because they provided two sides that were already seamed. Per my notes above, one recipe for the mulling spices equals 4 servings. I equally divided servings between whole Melitta filters, made sure the spices filled the bottom of the filters, and then I ran a straight stitch above the pockets holding the ingredients. I trimmed excess filter fiber away using pinking shears.

Packaging the Mulling Spices

I placed 8 tea bags in quart-size, zip freezer bags (the number of tea bags was determined by the number of 8 oz. servings per jug of cider). I then made a tag (which I’ve included here for you) with instructions for making mulled apple cider. I’ve taste tested this combination and I give it two thumbs up.