Peppermint Bark-- Kelly (Ahlden) Milk Recipe

               There are so many holiday themed recipes to get done this year.  I have a feeling I will be doing Christmas desserts into mid-January.  Since Grams and I are still feeling the holiday cheer, we decided to make peppermint bark.  I have had this many times at family gatherings, but this was the first time I tried to make it.  When I read that there were only three ingredients, I knew that this would be my kind of recipe.  I love that many of my aunts and cousins contributed “easy” recipes for beginners like me. 

               Grams and I got a kick out of going to the garage for our recipe.  Bakers aren’t just armed with spoons and spatulas; they also need a strong hammer from time to time.  In the past, I always used a rolling pin to break up things like nuts and hard candies.  Now I am going to use the tool bench in the garage.  We put the opened peppermints into doubled freezer size baggies and went to town.  This is where the recipe can be tweaked for personal taste.  I like a few larger chunks of peppermint I mine, so we left a few mints slightly bigger.  Grams and I also decided to take the easy route and melt the chocolate in the microwave.  We just put it in for about 30 seconds at a time and then stirred. 

               As usual, Grams told me that this recipe would be perfect for one of our family gatherings.  This is a conversation that we have while baking no matter what the recipe is.  This time, I fully agreed with her though.  Grams suggested that we could change the food coloring to reflect the holiday.  Maybe light blue and yellow at Easter and school colors for a graduation.  She said that this stuff is so good, we shouldn’t save it for just Christmas time.

               My family all agreed.  This was a great munchy to have on hand while we were all lounging around the house.  We decided that we liked it best when it was kept in the fridge.   The bark was a little extra crunchy that way.  This year, my family was blessed to have all five of us home for Christmas.  Peppermint Bark was munched on while opening gifts and playing board games.  I hope you all had a great Xmas!

Mom’s Pink Peppermint Candy—Kelly (Ahlden) Milk

1 bag starlight peppermints

1 pkg white chocolate (break into 4)

Red food coloring

Unwrap mints.  Put them into heavy duty Ziploc bag.  Break into pieces with a small hammer or rolling pin.  Melt white chocolate in microwave or double broiler.  Microwave 60 seconds, stir, then 30 seconds, repeat until melted.  White chocolate burns easily so watch it closely.

When melted, put in a couple drops of red food coloring to make it pink.  Stir in broken peppermints to taste.

Lay out a few sheets of wax paper.  Spread mixture about a quarter of an inch think.  Cool completely and break into pieces.

Note from Kelly:  My mom has made this special pink candy every Christmas for as long as I can remember.  We enjoyed it at home and it would be sent with all of the other Christmas goodies to neighbors, friends, and teachers.  The day we would make the Christmas goodies was very special to all of us.  Christmas music always played in the background and when the refrigerator was full, the treats were put into old special holiday tins on the front and back porch.  Many memories bring a smile to my face when I think of Mom’s Pink Peppermint Candy.

Grandma Ahlden's Sugar Cookies

If you are an Ahlden, Christmas means SUGAR COOKIES!!!  Anyone who has been at an Ahlden family function knows that we take sugar cookies very seriously.  There isn’t just a few store bought frosted cookies.  We bake enough cookies to feed a small army.  This is necessary though since we are quickly multiplying into a small army.  To put it into perspective for you….The process spanned three days (one for mixing, one for baking, and one for frosting/decorating).  The total hours spent on the cookies exceeds eight hours.  Fifteen Ahldens participated in the sugar cookie process.  Grandma Ahlden’s sugar cookies are certainly a labor of love.  It is A LOT of work, but they are a family tradition we couldn’t live without.  Christmas Eve at Uncle Ronnie’s =Sugar Cookies!

               My mom and I mixed all of the dough on the first day.  It is best if it has time to chill in the fridge for several hours.  The dough is much easier to handle if it is cool.  We quadrupled the recipe for the Christmas Eve cookies.  To get them mixed, mom and I used two super large bowls and strong wooden spoons.  Believe it or not, we made so much dough that we used 10 2/3 cups of flour!!  Multiplying all of our ingredients by four definitely challenged our math skills. 

               Grandma Ahlden, mom, and I did all of the baking on the second day.  In my opinion, this is the most difficult and time consuming part of the process.  Since we use cookie cutters, it is a very tedious step.  First we roll out the dough with flour, next press the cutters down, then move them unto the baking sheet, and finally put them into the oven.  This is all going on while there is already a batch baking and trying not to be burned.  It takes a long time to get into a good pattern and figure out what each person’s job is.  Once Grandma, Mom, and I got into the rhythm, it worked better.  Grandma really enjoyed helping out in little ways, but she had trouble remembering not to grab the hot pans after they came out of the oven.  I would not allow mom or grandma to make any angel cookies this year.  Their necks are so fragile, and their heads pop off!

               Frosting and decorating is definitely the most fun.  This year, we had several extra special helpers.  I thought it would be fun to invite all of the great-grand-girls for the decorating part.  I was thrilled to have seven of my cousins there to help.  This was the first time we had invited all the girls to decorate and frost cookies.  It actually went surprisingly well.  The girls probably went home with belly aches because we ate a couple dozen while we frosted.  The girls kept saying, “I decorated this cookie so pretty, I’m gonna have to eat it!” Nothing like sugar cookies for breakfast!

               Ahlden Sugar Cookies are probably not the best sugar cookies ever made.  To be honest, I think the recipe is just so-so tasting.  Their tradition is what makes them special.  When Grams was baking with mom and I she said, “I wonder how big a mountain it would make if we piled up all the cookies we baked over the years?”  It’s in the Ahlden blood to like sugar cookies.  We can’t help it--- It’s Sweet to be an Ahlden!

Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies (Grandma’s Sugar Cookies)--- Lorraine AhldenRecipe

½ cup shortening (part butter or margarine)

1 cup sugar                        1 egg

1 t. vanilla                         

2 2/3 cups flour                 1 t. baking powder

½ t. soda                             ½ t. salt

½ cup sour cream

Heat oven to 350.

Mix shortening, sugar, egg, and vanilla thoroughly.

Measure flour, blend dry ingredients.

Add to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream.

Chill dough.  When you are ready to bake and cut out cookies, take only a small amount of dough out at a time.  The dough should stay cold. 

Bake 8 to 10 min at 350.

Note from Grandma Ahlden:  This has been a favorite sugar cookie in our family for year.  We have made them for several school parties, for Kristin’s wedding and our Christmas Eve party.

Lorraine’s Frosting Recipe

Make frosting with powdered sugar and milk.  Add vanilla and mix well.  To a 2 lb box of powdered sugar add 1 tbs of Crisco shortening to frosting.  Be sure to mix until Crisco is blended well into the frosting mixture.

 

Oatmeal Cake--Connie Ahlden Recipe

       Every year at Thanksgiving my mom tries to make my Grandma Johnson’s recipe for Tapioca Jell-O Salad. Every year it tastes less than thrilling.  On several occasions, I have attempted to re-create my mom’s recipe for homemade potato salad.  It never tastes quite as good as when my mom makes it.  It seems that some recipes are just meant for certain people.  I’m thinking that Oatmeal Cake must be meant for Connie Ahlden.  The Oatmeal Cake that me and Grams made was certainly delicious, but I have a feeling that this recipe goes more smoothly for Connie.

       Today is my last day home for Thanksgiving break, so I wanted to spend some time baking with Grams before I head back to school.  When I went to her house to pick her up, I quickly discovered that baking would need to be postponed a few hours.  Apparently, Grams had decided that she would haul out and hang up all of her Christmas decorations by herself.  Since she often forgets what task she is on before finishing, and certainly should not be standing on chairs, I figured I better intervene.  I was worried that if Grams was responsible for storing the decorations she took down, we would find frames in the pantry and wall hangings under the sink.  I decided to put on some Christmas tunes and get myself into the holiday spirit.  We had a lot of fun going through all her decorations, and I most enjoyed putting up her nativity scene.  This is one of the pieces that I remember always being up in Gram’s house during Christmas.  You can tell that it has been in the family for years by the wear on Mary and Joseph’s face and the hot-glued legs of the sheep.  Clearly, that swaddled baby Jesus has watched over the Ahlden Christmas for years. 

       After putting up Gram’s Christmas decorations, we delved into the baking.  The dough turned out thick and smooth by Grams’ constant stirring.  The dough turned out well and tasted like a good start.  Grams was in a great mood today.  I think decorating her house really brought up her spirits.  She pretty much took over the recipe when it called to boil the old fashioned oatmeal.  I’m pretty sure she is a pro at making oatmeal since it is one of the few things she attempts to make for herself these days.  At least oats are heart healthy.  We baked the cake for about forty-eight minutes.  The last eight minutes we bumped the heat down to 325 degrees because the edges were getting dark. 

       The trouble we had came with the topping.  I have little (or no) experience with using a broiler.  Broilers are very TEMPERAMENTAL!  Connie’s recipe warned that it would broil very fast, so we just stuck it in for two minutes to start.  Already, after two minutes, the topping was getting dark, so we pulled it out.  The trouble was that the inner topping was still somewhat runny while the outsides were burning.  We decided to remove it from the broiler and hope that the topping thickened up after standing.  We looked at it after it set out a few minutes, but it was still runny in the inside.  Grams and I turned the broiler back on and gave it two more minutes to broil.  Whoa! The edges went dark crispy, and we had to pull off a couple pieces of fried coconut.  It actually turned out pretty good considering our inexperience with using a broiler.  It tasted good, just looked a little funky.  Connie didn’t lie- watch out…it broils fast! 

       Since it is Thanksgiving weekend, I suppose I should be thinking about what I am thankful for.  I guess at this moment, I am thankful for my ability to laugh at our “less than perfect” baking product.  I should probably also be thankful that I have not burnt the house down while baking my way through the Ahlden Family Cookbook.  I have had a great year with much to be thankful for…

      Parents who are a daily reminder of love and devotion.  Every day they show me what it means to be a family.  30 years of marriage and they still keep it hot!!

      The opportunity for Ashley to make new friends and become independent at Parkside.

      A brother who keeps me in line, but more importantly keeps my laughing.

      An awesome group of friends who are ALWAYS ready for a girls’ night!

      The end in sight for my educational career.  1 semester of classes and 1 semester of student teaching left.

      An amazing boyfriend who loves me even when I throw a 22 year old tantrum because my hair didn’t turn out right.  I’m thankful for the six months we’ve been together and the forever still to come.

      The memories that Grams and I are making while baking our way through the Ahlden Family Cookbook.  It comforts me to know that when she forgets these times, I can tell her about them.

             All of you.  You have made me into a writer and listened to my rambling.  If you are actually reading this, it is likely that you are someone special in my life.  I am thankful for you. 

Oatmeal Cake—Connie Ahlden Recipe

 1 ¾ cups boiling water            3 eggs 

1 ½ cup oatmeal                      2 ¼ cups flour

¾ cup soft butter                     1 ½ t. baking soda

1 ½ cup sugar                          ¾ t. salt

1 ½ cup brown sugar(packed) 1 t. cinnamon

1 ½ t. vanilla                           ½ t. nutmeg

Combine boiling water and oats.  Let stand.

Cream butter with sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.

Gradually add flour and rest of ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees in a 9x13 greased pan for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Topping:

Melt ¾ cup butter.  Add 1 cup brown sugar (packed), 6 T. milk, 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1 ½ cups coconut.

Spread on cake.  Broil until brown.

Note from Connie:  Watch it!!--- It cooks fast!!! (I can vouch that this is very true.)

Pay Day Bars--Kelly (Ahlden) Milk Recipe

Kelly and I have always LOVED desserts!

             Sometimes I’m a little sweet, and sometimes I’m a little salty.  I like M & M’s in my popcorn and chocolate covered pretzels.  Sweet and salty is the perfect combination to satisfy all your taste buds.  Today Grams and I made Kelly Milk’s recipe for Pay Day Bars.  At my house, we refer to them as Frito Bars.  Over the years, these have become a staple at Ahlden family gatherings.  We have made it Kelly’s duty to bring this delicious sweet and salty treat to every holiday.  The truth is, this dessert isn’t visually appealing.  It looks kind of strange, and the ingredients don’t sound like an appetizing combination.  They taste delicious though, and that’s the most important thing!  I asked Kelly what the story was behind the Pay Day Bar recipe.  Apparently, when Kelly worked for Aunt Jan and Linda Kuipers at The Wedding Center, one of her co-workers brought it in, and she was hooked!  It’s a little odd, just like the Ahlden clan!

            You may recall that my favorite recipes are those with four ingredients or less. These desserts are easier for me to make and for Grams to understand.  After I measured the sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup in the saucepan, Grams was in charge of the simmering.  She has patience in baking that I will never know.  I want to turn the burner on high and increase the oven temperature an extra fifty degrees to make everything done a little faster.  Baking my way through the Ahlden Family Cookbook, I have learned that this isn’t a good idea.  Now I leave the slow simmering and tedious jobs to Grams who approaches all things with patience and love.

           

             If you visit my mom’s house during Christmas, you know that she LOVES Christmas decorations.  I am not exaggerating when I say that there is a Christmas decoration within 12 inches of every space in our home.  My house basically turns into Santa’s Village during the month of December.  Grandma’s eyes lit up when I brought her into our house today.  We took a long tour of the rooms and looked at each of the holiday decorations.  Grams and I talked about our favorite decorations and the memories we have of each piece.  Not surprisingly, this lead to a trip to The Gathering in Gilman to check out their new holiday decorations. 

            Frito Bars are something unexpected.  Drizzled over corn chips, they don’t look anything like they taste.  I can tell you, but you really have to taste them to believe it.  They are a bit odd, but surprisingly delicious.  If you like Pay Day candy bars or anything sweet and salty, this recipe is for you.  They’re a little odd, but who isn’t a bit odd at times!

Pay Day Candy (a.k.a. Frito bars)

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup white corn syrup

1 bag Fritos corn chips

Bring first three ingredients to a boil in medium saucepan.  Simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly.  Spread corn chips onto cookie sheet or platter.  Pour mixture over corn chips and let cool.  Break into pieces and enjoy.

Note from Kelly:  I like to bring this to family functions, and we never have any to bring home!  It’s also fun to make just for a special treat at home.