Monday, December 19, 2016

Fruitcake Cookies and Texas Trash! Both are Christmas Traditions!

Late last night - right about the time I SHOULD have been crawling into bed - I mixed up this year's Fruitcake Cookie Dough!


In years past I would make a batch on November first and then another on December first.
We used to take the cookies with us to Colorado on our winter skiing trips.


My Aunt Irene gave me this Hood County Cookbook and I have been making the recipe for many, many years!


It is IN THE BAG! I will bake them Monday!
We finished watching the end of the Christmas episode of Alaska the Last Frontier before we finally went to bed!

This morning it was a frigid 19 degrees when I woke up.
Normally we don't turn on the central heating unit at night - but this night I made an exception!
I left Louis Dean in bed and went on to church by myself.
I  put his phone right beside him in case he needed me.
He has had a bout with indigestion lately! Not fun!

After church, I joined Amber and Mike and the kids for lunch at Dickey's!


It's always a party with these kids!!


I love this picture! 


Sweet Trystan!
Remember when it was hard for y'all to tell them all apart??
No more!


My special little Logan!!


Mama and her boy!!

Guess which one went home with me???


Kailey!
We came in and she immediately got into her warm gown and we settled into the guest room bed with its comfy flannel sheets to read our books and take a nice nap together.


Then it was Texas Trash Time!!!
We do it BIG in Texas!!!
I used:
4 bags of pretzel sticks
2 bags of mini pretzels
2 bags of buttered pretzels
5 Boxes of Corn Chex
4 boxes of Rice Chex
9 boxes of Wheat Chex (these are smaller boxes)
3 big containers of salted peanuts and 2 smaller ones.

My mother made Texas Trash every Christmas to give all her employees at the answering service where she was the manager. She gave my kids extra big cans of it because they loved it so! She saved her Folgers Coffee cans all year long to fill up with Texas Trash and gift them out. I need to find a Folgers can and fill it for her this year. It's a tradition that I have kept going.
I may need to teach Amber and Summer how to make it some day!


There was a bit of confusion for Kailey about the 'trash' part of Texas Trash!
She crumbled up the first bag of pretzel sticks, poured them out into the trash can lined with fresh double bags, and then tossed the bag in after them. Plus she asked if she could add the seasonings and I said yes. I thought she would sprinkle them on top as she did the last time we made Texas Trash.
NOPE!!! She just took the lids off and tossed the jars on top of the pretzel bag.


She and I had a little meeting and she soon got the hang of it!


My helper!!


She was pretty proud of herself!
The opening of all the boxes, bags and containers was the hardest part.
We mixed the butter and Worcestershire sauce and started baking sheet after sheet of trash!


I timed it perfectly!!!
While the trash baked, we watched the Cowboys game.
I changed out the baking sheets during the commercials. Louis Dean would pause the game if I wasn't back yet.


I am happy to say we WON!!!!
THIS may be the best moment of the whole game!!
Ezekiel Elliott jumped into the huge Salvation Army Kettle after his 13th rushing touchdown!!!

Great game!!!
As soon as it was over, I tucked Kailey into our bed and Louis Dean into the guest room.
Then I went back to the kitchen where I have continued to bake Texas Trash.
I'm STILL baking it!!!
It may well be 3:00 in the morning before I finish!!

21 comments:

Jutta said...

I especially love too photos - A and K. Amber's eyes full of love, gratitude, joy, and peace. And K by the huge container with the big spoon. Priceless! ❤

Nancy Chan said...

Its a joy to see your happy family photos especially your grand kids! Texas Trash sounds wonderful! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Arlene G said...

Traditions are so important and especially at Christmas. We have a special Christmas punch we make every year at my Mom's house and it brings back so many memories.

Kathy said...

This is so fun to see Kailey carrying on the family tradition of Texas Trash. She'll be an expert in no time. Hope those fruitcake cookies turned out too. Although by this time you can probably make them in your sleep.

Estelle's said...

Now that's is a huge amount of Chex Mix (Texas Trash). I make one batch for Thanksgiving and that's our tradition! Anyone would love receiving a batch...always love carring on the traditions!

Jodi W. said...

Breaking Tony Dorset's record is quite impressive, especially since it was done by an Ohio boy! Although we live in Ohio, we are really Notre Dame fans ....just saying. You and I are definitely on the same page as I was making the dough for your fruitcake cookies right before the game. I couldn't find gluten free maraschino cherries this year so I used dried cherries instead. I hope they are as good as last year. My parents and I went crazy over them......;) Thank you for that fantastic recipe.
xoxo Jodi

Linda said...

I'm a Hood County girl and I have an old Hood County Cookbook!! Can't wait to see if it contains your fruitcake cookie recipe. If not, I'll just write yours in a card. I do love fruitcake but I may be the only one around here who does.

Love the story of Kailey and the Texas Trash. So good for her to have some special time with you. She may demand more of that kind of time.

Trystan has always looked like a porcelain doll to me with her beautiful skin, strawberry blond hair, and dimples.

MadSnapper said...

I have happened to hear the Cowboys won because as I said in the bedroom and blog Bob is in there watching it on the DVR and I would not want to hear the sounds that come out they did not win. That is one humongous bag of edible trash. Each of the quads has their own special look and their own special personality. And they're all wonderful

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a great post today, with a peek into your exciting day! I LOVE the pictures of Amber and Logan and Amber and Harrison! They are laughing and so happy. These are picture of JOYOUS motherhood!! The story of Kailey making the Trash is hilarious!!! Of COURSE since it is trash, you would throw the containers in there as well! Now THAT is LOGIC! She is a smart girl. Does Louis Dean have acid reflux or something similar? I saw that football player in the big red kettle, and could not figure out what was up!

Bev said...

WOW... that Texas trash....I love watching Kailey eat it:)!!

Susie said...

Linda, I could not help but laugh about the Texas trash helper's mistake. So sweet and innocent. I love the pictures as always. Praying for LD to get well soon. I hear it's cold down there. Brr. I love that Kailey put her warm gown on as soon as she got to your house. Our Emma likes to put a big t-shirt on to relax in. LOL. Blessings to all, xoxo,love you, Susie

Vee said...

So if there's anything extra in the Texas Trash, you'll know why. =D Soooo cute! My grands would listen to me yabber on for a while about this or that and then one would invaribly say, "That is just an expression, right?" The funniest one was when Sam was four or five and he was told to keep his eye on the ball while playing baseball. Yup, the next thing we knew he had his eye literally on the ball.

You're going to be skidding into a Silent Night here pretty quick, Linda. Hope that you have a few before the big day.

I think I really must try your cookie recipe. It must be tasty and beautiful.







Carole said...

Is it called Texas trash because you make it in a trash bag? What a mountain! I'm sure I'll be stopping by before Christmas but just in case I would like to wish you, LD, Amber Mike and the dear Quads - and all your other family and friends a very Merry Christmas. Hope LD feels better soon. Take car y'all! (That's about the sum of my ability to behave Southron). Cheers from Carole's Chatter

BeachGypsy said...

Now THAT trash looks GOOD!!love all the happy pictures!

BeachGypsy said...

Ps-- how did Summers shots turn out? Are they helping her?

Diana Ferguson said...

Go Cowboys!!!

Daniela @Frugal Aint Cheap said...

I absolutely LOVE this! Texas trash at its best! what a sweet tradition

Linda Reeder said...

That's a BIG batch of trash!

Vee said...

I will be reporting in again, but just to let you know that I have gathered my ingredients for the cookies!

Bluebird49 said...

O, Linda! What a wonderful Christmas you continue to have, especially since the Quad's birth! (Not just to Amber and Mike--but to everyone in your house!) You know I don't feel good about it, but I do feel a little envious. I cannot imagine any family spending a more special a month of Christmas---and every other month of holidays--as the Chapman Christmas. LD--has made it all more special, too--and you all have given him new life, I know. It's just a special life, and I'm glad youall got together. What a special blending of your family--and from oldest kids to youngest grandkids --how blessed they are, how blessed YOU are. I am just so glad you've all got together, and I'm so glad you will share it with us! To all the Chapmans from all the Atkins! Make it a big YES until next Christmas.

Vee said...

So finally! I am munching on a Fruit Cake Cookie...yummy. Very nice flavors. My cookies seem a bit drier than yours probably are...I wouldn't hesitate, for example, to keep them in a tin on the counter and not in the fridge. These seem also like the kind of cookie that gets more delicious with time. By Christmas, they'll be super duper good.