Dana Marie's Country Living Blog

These are the most delicious cookies! Anything filled with jam is going to go on my favorite list every time. I filled these with my homemade berry jam, but you can use whatever flavor jam you like. Homemade or store bought doesn't matter. They bake into the most beautiful golden brown cookies with crispy flavorful edges leading into a nice soft center. Delicious!!  Enjoy! ~ Dana   Jam-Filled Cookies Ingredients 1 cup salted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup jam, any flavor Instructions 1 . In a large bowl, combine the softened butter and granulated sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix again until ingredients are combined.  2 . In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients. When well mixed, fold in the rolled oats. ...

Here is my super-indulgent Candied Bacon, Pecan, Egg and Waffle Breakfast recipe. Granted, you would not want to eat this all the time, but it makes a great treat for a special occasion. You can tone this recipe down by not adding brown sugar to the bacon or skipping the bacon altogether.  Or you can just make the candied bacon as a snack or appetizer. It is hands-down delicious if you are a bacon lover. I like to use peppered bacon - that sweet plus savory and spicy experience is to die for! ~Dana Pecan-Candied Bacon  Pecan-Candied Bacon Ingredients 12 bacon strips, thick-sliced is best brown sugar chopped pecans Instructions 1 . Get a rimmed cookie sheet and place baking parchment paper in the bottom. Place a wire rack on the paper, large enough to hold the bacon strips. Lay the bacon strips on the rack, not touching each other so they don't stick together when baked. 2 . Bake in a preheated 375-degree F oven for 20 minutes. 3 . Remove from oven and sprinkle the bacon with b...

I made this delicious ham salad for lunch, to be served on toasted English muffins. It's so yummy and something a little different, which is nice. A lot of ham salad recipes call for the ham to be ground up, but that's not really my thing, so I chopped all the ingredients into fine, small pieces. I also added pineapple for a bit of a twist. A finely chopped apple would be good, too. You can serve this on any type of bread or cracker, but I think toasted bread is best.  I hope you give it a try! ~Dana Ham Salad  Ingredients 4 cups finely chopped cooked ham 1 cup finely chopped celery 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper 1 cup finely chopped pineapple, well drained 1 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard ground black pepper to taste ground cayenne pepper to taste (optional - I use 4 shakes) salt to taste (optional) Instructions 1 . In a large bowl, mix the ham, celery, bell pepper and pineapple together. Be sure to get as much moisture out of the pineapple as possible before...

These delicious cottage cheese flatbreads are gluten-free - there's no flour in the recipe. You can flavor it with any spices that you like. I use McCormick® Garlic Butter Seasoning, which is quite good in this bread and has a little kick in it. Or you could just use salt or no spice at all if you prefer. You may use these flatbreads in any way that you like to eat your bread. I like having them for snacks. Enjoy! ~ Dana Cottage Cheese Flatbread Ingredients 3 eggs, room temperature 1/2 cup cottage cheese 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/2 tsp spices of your choice, such as McCormick® Garlic Butter Seasoning 1 tsp cream of tartar 1 teaspoon honey (optional) Instructions 1 . Separate the eggs into two bowls - yolks in one and whites in the other. 2 . Add the cottage cheese to the yolks. Using a fork, smash the curds to make them as smooth as possible. Do not use a beater in the yolk bowl. 3 . Blend in the cornstarch, spice and honey if using. Mix with a plastic spatula or wire whisk until a...

Look what I did! One has ham filling, the other has chicken filling. I made them up as I went. Oh so good! When it comes out of the oven, it only has to cool for five minutes, then dig in! Serve with a nice salad, and you've got a wonderful meal. ~ Dana  Ham and Potato Bake Ingredients 2 cups cubed potatoes olive oil as needed for sautéeing 1 cup chopped tricolor or regular carrots 2 cups sliced mushrooms 1 leek sliced thinly 2 cups cubed ham 3 tablespoons butter 3-4 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup chicken broth 4 slices white American cheese     or any good white melting cheese spices to taste:     garlic powder     onion powder     salt & pepper 1 sheet puff pastry 1 egg for egg wash Cooking the ham & potato filling  Instructions 1 . Start by preparing the vegetables. In a hot skillet with olive oil, sauté the cubed potatoes and carrots until they have a nice brown color on all sides. Turn the heat down to medium o...

One of my best tricks at Halloween is to make spider cookies. They're peanut butter cookies with little peanut butter cups on top. Here's how I do it - Halloween Spider Cookies Step 1 . Bake a batch of peanut butter cookies using your favorite recipe. Step 2 . While the cookies are still warm, put a small peanut butter cup on top of each one and let cool. Step 3 . Melt some chocolate chips, and using a piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag with a hole cut in the corner, draw some legs coming from each peanut butter cup. Step 4 . Pipe two dots onto each peanut butter cup and apply sugar eyes. You can find them in the baking section of your local store. And here's my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe from my newest cookbook, Vintage Cookie Recipes , available on Amazon® . Have a yummy, creepy Halloween! ~ Dana   Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients 1/2 cup salted butter, softened 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup granulated white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla ...

I made the most yummy simple biscuits the other night. They're great as a side dish at dinner or for a delicious snack. These are semi-homemade, because you start with a couple cans of refrigerator biscuits. I used Pillsbury®, but any brand will work. Enjoy! ~Dana Garlic & Cheese Pull-Apart Biscuits Ingredients 2 cans refrigerator biscuits 1/2 cup salted butter 1 tablespoon chopped parsley chopped fresh chives, to taste garlic powder, to taste garlic salt, to taste ground pepper, to taste 7 ounces gouda or mozzarella cheese Instructions 1 . Using kitchen shears, cut the opened biscuits into pieces, about 3/4 inch. Place them in a large bowl. Biscuit pieces and herbed butter 2 . Next, melt the butter. I used my homemade garlic-chive butter - the recipe is here on the blog if you would like to make it. Otherwise, you can use regular butter and add the parsley, chives, garlic powder, garlic salt and ground pepper. As for how much to add, just season to your taste. Melted butter w...