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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - On Day 12, we wanted to share some recipes from some members of the KLTV/KTRE staff. We hope you enjoy them as much as you do!

“This recipe is a must have at all our family holiday gatherings. I got the recipe from a co-worker many years ago. I made it for my family and since that first time, it has been a big favorite at every holiday meal. Very simple to prepare – if it weren’t, it never would have made it to my holiday table!” - Cathy Carmichael

1. Cathy’s Corn Casserole

Submitted by Cathy Carmichael, KLTV-KTRE program director

1 can whole kernel corn (drained)

1 can cream style corn

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

One 8-ounce container sour cream

One stick of melted butter

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir together until well mixed.

Pour in a lightly buttered casserole dish and back at 350 degrees until the edges start to turn slightly brown. Usually about 45 minutes or so.

I use an old square corning ware casserole dish – not sure of the dimensions – maybe 2 quart?

Word to the wise – I use full fat sour cream and real butter – you know it just tastes better!

2. Cody G’s M&M and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Submitted by Meteorologist Cody Gottschalk

Ingredients:

2 ¼ Cup Flour

1 TSP Baking Soda

½ TSP Salt

1 Cup Butter (SOFTENED, NOT MELTED) If melted totally, cookies will have a stronger “butter” taste to them

¾ Sugar

¾ Brown Sugar1 Egg

1 TSP Vanilla Extract2 Cups M&Ms

1 cup Mini White Chocolate Chips

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside for later.

In a separate bowl, beat sugar and brown sugar into the softened butter for around a minute until mixture has a smooth and slightly thicker consistency. Make sure there are no bits/clumps of sugar in the mixture. Crack and beat the egg, then add beaten egg and vanilla extract to the flour/sugar mixture and stir with wooden spoon until smooth, again for around a minute.

Take your flour mixture from the first bowl and add to your sugar/butter mixture. Stir and fold the dough for 1 to 2 minutes until thick. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to avoid any dry clumps. Once dough is prepared, add M&Ms and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed within the mixture.

Scoop dough balls and place onto an ungreased, nonstick baking sheet, leaving about an inch or two of room between each cookie. Be sure not to grease the pan, as the bottom of the cookies will likely burn before the top of the cookies are finished rising.

Heat oven to 375° and bake on center rack for 8 to 11 minutes. Cookies will have a tan/light brown coloring and will be quite soft at first. Remove from heat and allow cookies to cool and harden for 15-20 minutes. Cookies should be somewhat firm but still soft to bite into. Enjoy!

“This was my wife’s grandmother’s recipe for green chile cheese grits.” Rich Tuz

3. Original Green Chile cheese grits

Submitted by Rich Tuz, IT engineering assistant

6 cups boiling salted water

1-1/2 cups grits

3 eggs

1stick of butter

1 lb of old English cheese

1tsp paprika

3 tsp savory salt

2 cans of green chiles

Tabasco to taste

Chopped Jalapeños to taste

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes until golden on top and firm in center.

4. Travis’ Grandma’s deviled eggs

Submitted by Travis Noriega, digital content producer, news producer

1 dozen eggs

6 Tbsp

mayonnaise

2 Tbsp

prepared mustard

salt and pepper to taste

paprika for garnish

Bring eggs to a boil, boil 10 min. Then give eggs an ice bath so they peel easy. Peel each egg, slice in half, place yolk in a bowl to the side.

Once all eggs are peeled and cut, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now take the yolks and mix the mayo and mustard in until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Place a spoonful of the mixture into each egg half. When finished sprinkle with paprika. Enjoy.

“This is one of my husband’s favorites. It’s easy and the kids can help!” - Katie Vossler

5. Meatball Bubble Biscuits

Submitted by Chief Meteorologist Katie Vossler

1 can Pillsbury golden layers biscuits

10 frozen fully cooked Italian style meatballs

2 sticks string cheese

1 T. Parmesan cheese

1/2 t. Italian seasoning

1/4 t. Garlic powder

1 c. Marinara sauce

Heat oven to 375. Separate biscuits into 2 layers each. Cut meatballs in half and cut string cheese into small pieces. Place 1 meatball and 1 piece of cheese into each biscuit. Wrap dough around it and seal the edges. Place seam-side down onto 9″ round cake pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Use marinara sauce for dipping.

12 Days of Christmas recipes: 12 KLTV-KTRE family recipes(East Texas Kitchen)

“Whether at breakfast or a big family gathering, these homemade buttermilk biscuits bring back a lot of memories of my Great Grandmother Abby.” - Lane Luckie

6. Grandma Abby’s Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Submitted by GMET Anchor Lane Luckie

Ingredients:

(Makes 16)

4 cups self-rising flour, sifted, plus more if needed

2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lard, or shortening

1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Add the lard/butter and cut together. Use a fork to stir in the buttermilk. Gently knead the dough a few times, adding more flour as needed. Roll out the dough and cut out biscuits with a small round cutter or drinking glass. Place on baking sheets and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Butter after removing from the oven.

“This is one of my grandma, Ella Gorman’s recipes. She is from Crowley, Louisiana and has all kinds of really yummy Cajun recipes from her mom. In our household, a lot of holiday meals revolve around Cajun food whether it’s shrimp sauce, gumbo, crawfish casserole, crawfish Étouffée and other staples. She has gifted everyone in our family a box full of our family recipes all filled out in her handwriting for our own households. We are now able to pass down the traditions with our additions. While my grandma kind of specializes in Cajun food she’s just an amazing cook all around. I have found my love for cooking and baking from spending time in the kitchen with her. I hope everyone enjoys one of my favorite recipes!” - Avery Niles

7. Shrimp sauce:

Submitted by Multi-media journalist Avery Niles

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup flour

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

3 cups hot water

2 lbs shrimp

2 cans tomato sauce

1 can rotel

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 tbsp Tony’s

1 tbsp butter

Sauté vegetables in butter until no longer crisp, set aside. Heat oil, add flour and cook until browned...pour hot water over the mixture. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve over rice.

“These are good with maple bacon...yum!” - This is Billy’s mother-in-law Brenda McLain’s recipe.

8. Green Bean Bundles

Submitted by Billy Williams, IT Engineering Manager

5 cans whole green beans

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

garlic powder (a good shake)

package of bacon

Cut bacon in four sections. Drain beans.

Wrap 8 to 10 beans in bacon.

Melt sugar, butter and garlic. Pour over the beans.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.

“My wife Claire’s pecan pie cheesecake” -

9. Claire’s pecan pie cheesecake

Submitted by Colten Sneed, Future Assignments Manager/Red Zone Producer

Pre-made Graham Cracker Crust

For the Pecan Pie Filling

⅓ cup of salted butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of light corn syrup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups of pecans, chopped

For the Cheesecake

2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon of salt
1½ tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
3 eggs
½ cup of sour cream

For the Pecan Topping

¼ cup of salted butter
⅓ cup of light brown sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
¼ cup of heavy cream
1 cup of roughly chopped pecans

For the Pecan Filling

STEP ONE: In a 2-quart saucepan, melt ⅓ cup of butter over medium heat.

STEP TWO: Combine the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, and pecans, and then add that mixture to the butter in the saucepan. Or you can add the sugar, corn syrup, and pecans first and the eggs and vanilla over the top, so it’s all being stirred in together.

If you cook the eggs in butter without adding the other ingredients, you might start making scrambled eggs! Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes total. The mixture will come to a boil.

STEP THREE: Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the mixture deepens to a golden brown and thickens.

Stir constantly while the mixture is cooking to ensure it doesn’t stick or burn to the bottom or sides of the saucepan.

STEP FOUR: Pour the pecan pie filling into the chilled crust and spread it into an even layer.

For the Cheesecake

STEP ONE: Next, prepare the creamy cheesecake layer. Using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until fully mixed and fluffy. Mix in the salt and flour.

STEP TWO: By hand, gently stir in the vanilla extract and one egg at a time until fully combined.

STEP THREE: Mix in the sour cream and stir until smooth.

STEP FOUR: Pour the cheesecake mixture evenly over the pecan filling mixture.

STEP FIVE: Place the pan into the oven and bake for 1 hour, until the cheesecake is just slightly jiggly.

STEP SIX: Turn off the oven when the cake is just slightly jiggly and leave the cheesecake inside with the oven door closed for 30 minutes. Then crack the door open for another 30 minutes while the oven and cheesecake cool.

STEP SEVEN: When the cheesecake has cooled completely, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

For the Pecan Topping

STEP ONE: Melt together the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer. The mixture will deepen in color.

STEP TWO: Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the pecans and spoon the topping over top of the cheesecake.

“This is so easy to make, but it’s a longtime Esparza family holiday tradition. Anyone could make this with their eyes shut. They’re so good too. Nice mix of salty and sweet. My mom makes them every year.” - Julian Esparza

10. Chocolate-Pretzel treats

Submitted by Julian Esparza, KLTV Producer/Anchor

1. Layer sheet pan with store bought pretzels. Traditional or square work. 2. Top pretzels with Hersheys kiss. 3. Bake in the oven for a few minutes. Just long enough to melt the chocolate some. 4. Take out of oven and top Hershey’s kiss with one M&M. 5. Let cool and enjoy!

This is the perfect holiday breakfast idea! Stick it in the oven and forget about it for 40 minutes, then enjoy with coffee or cold milk.

11. Cranberry-walnut breakfast cake

by Mama Steph, East Texas Kitchen host, digital journalist

1 cup plain flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (pecans would also be good)

one stick of butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon each of almond and vanilla extract

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a skillet or a cake pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs slightly to break them up, then add flour, sugar, butter and salt, stirring to make a creamy batter. Stir until batter is relatively smooth and no visible lumps of flour are present. Add nuts and cranberries, and mix into the batter.

Pour batter into the pan, and then smooth the top with a spatula. If desired, add a handful to the cranberries to the top and press in, just to make it even more vibrantly colored when it comes out of the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Enjoy!

12. Mama Steph’s Cranberry-White Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Walnuts

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

4. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips and cranberries.

5. Use a cookie scoop (I use the OXO Good Grips medium size scoop) and place scoops of dough on a nonstick cookie sheet, or use parchment paper to line sheets before placing and baking cookies.

For best results, take them out while they are still soft, being careful not to overcook. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.