Bean Soup Mix in a Jar
2 cups dry black beans
2 cups dry Great Northern beans (or any small white bean)
2 cups dry red kidney beans
2 cups dry pinto beans
2 cups dry green split peas
In four 1-pint canning jars, layer beans in order given, dividing evenly between jars. For seasoning packets, use four individual small sandwich bags, or four 6-inch squares of plastic wrap or foil.
Into EACH seasoning packet (you'll need FOUR times this amount TOTAL for all four jars of soup mix), place:
3 teaspoons beef (or vegetable) bouillon
3 tablespoons dried chives (chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried savory
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
To Prepare Soup:
3 hours before serving, rinse beans with cold, running water. Remove stones or shriveled beans. In a Dutch oven or stock- pot, bring beans and 9 cups water to boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. Place beans, 5 cups of water, and seasoning packet contents into pot. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours until beans are tender. Stir occasionally. Add one 16-oz. can stewed tomatoes with liquid (break up tomatoes). Heat to boiling. Reduce to low, and cook 15 minutes more. Discard bay leaf.
Each jar of soup mix will make approximately 6 - 8 generous servings.

Buttermilk Cornbread
1/4 pound butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375º. Grease an 8 inch cast iron skillet. Melt butter in skillet. Pour butter into mixing bowl. Return skillet to oven to keep hot. Add the sugar to the butter in the mixing bowl and mix well. Quickly add eggs to butter and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into bowl. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the hot skillet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Cast Iron Skillet Seasoning
1. TO PREPARE FOR SEASONING (and burning off old cure): First, scrub any loose rust off. I even took an SOS pad to it. Dry it off. Put in in your oven (do not put grease on it at this time) and run the self-clean cycle. You will probably have some smoke, so turn on the vents. Let it cool completely. When cool, brush off any remaining residue and scrub any left over stubborn spots with an SOS pad again.
2. TO SEASON: Preheat oven to 500º. Using your fingers or a kitchen towel, smear solid shortening over every surface and into every nook and cranny. (Important note here...do not use anything but solid shortening here, ie Crisco. The use of spray oils or vegetable oil at any point in the curing of the skillet is said to leave a sticky, brown, uneven cure.) You want this coating to be very thin. Put the skillet upside down on a rack in the middle of the oven. Put another rack directly under it with a piece of aluminum foil to catch the oil drippings. Let it bake for 2 hours. You may need the vent again. Now, let the skillet completely cool in the oven before moving it. The long cool down is essential. You should repeat these instructions in #2 one more time before actually using the skillet.
3. GENERAL CARE:
~Do not wash with soap after skillet is properly seasoned.
~Usually a rinse with hot water is all that is needed.
~For really caked on/burnt on food, put a little pure canola oil in the skillet. Pour Kosher salt into the pan to create a paste and use a clean sponge to scrub the burnt on food. The salt works as a scouring agent, and washes out easily. Wipe out the pan, apply a thin coating of shortening, and then wipe it off, and the piece is ready to be stored.
~Always dry the skillet well before storing.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package dried cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes approximately 2 ½ dozen cookies.

Christmas Doodles
2 ¾cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
½ cup shortening
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons colored sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. With a handheld or standing mixer, beat together the shortening and butter. Add the 1 ½ cups sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth. Mix the 3 tablespoons colored sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough, by hand, into 1 ½-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. Flatten the balls into ½-inch thick disks, spacing them evenly on unlined cookie sheets. Bake until light brown, but still moist in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Lebkucken
½ cup honey
½ cup molasses
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅓ cup candied pineapple
⅓ cup chopped pecans
In medium size saucepan, mix honey & molasses. Bring to a boil. Cool. Stir in brown sugar, egg and lemon juice. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg and add to honey/molasses mixture. Stir in the candied pineapple and pecans. Chill dough overnight. Roll on floured board ¼" thick, keeping rest chilled. Cut with diamond shape cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees or until no imprint remains when cookie is lightly pressed; about 10-12 minutes. Store in an air tight container for 3-4 weeks to soften.

Sugar Glaze
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup powdered sugar
Put the sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer 3 minutes or bring to 230° on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar. Use a pastry brush to paint on cookies. Makes about ¾ cup of glaze.