Four family favorite holiday desserts

These recipes have either been in my family for years or have been developed by me and/or my daughters. We all three love to cook and enjoy developing recipes on our own. The first recipe listed below was found in a text book used at a chefing and baking school in Louisville. I made several major changes to it until I got it just the way I wanted it.

The second recipe, chocolate Fondue is a great recipe to serve at Christmas, delicious and fun to eat, kids really love it, as do adults. Serve it with a variety of fresh fruit, chunks of angel food cake and/or marshmallows.

Kim's cheesecake is a real favorite of all of ours. We have served it on Thanksgiving and Christmas both. She has developed and perfected it over a period of several years And it is one of the best cheesecakes I've ever tasted...smooth and delicious.

I've included a Christmas morning breakfast cake. This cake is a little work intensive, but definitely worth it. To begin with, it is beautiful. The cranberries against the white cake and cream cheese are very Christmasy. And it tastes heavenly.

To die for bread pudding
serves: 8

Ingredients
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup Brandy
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 loaf day-old French bread
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup orange juice
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
Bourbon or Lemon sauce
whipped cream

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine raisins and Brandy in a small pan. Heat just to a simmer. Set aside.
Us part of the butter to coat a large, glass baking dish.
Tear bread into chunks and put into baking dish.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick. Add vanilla, remaining melted butter, cream and orange juice. Mix together.
Add raisins in Brandy. Pour mixture over bread and let sit for at least 3 hours.
Bake at 350 until brown and almost set (aprox. 45 min).
Spoon into dessert dishes, pour sauce over top and garnish with whipped cream.


Chocolate Fondue
serves: 6-10

Ingredients
6 ounces dark good chocolate
3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoon Gran Marnier or Kirsch
fruit, chunks of Angle food cake, and/or marshmallows

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a double boiler, Stir until melted and well blended.
Transfer to a Fondue pot. Keep warm. Supply each person with a long fork and a small plate.
Have guests take turns dipping fruit, cake and/or marshmallow into the chocolate


Kim's Pumpkin-marble Cheesecake with chocolate crust
serves: 8-10

Ingredients
2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup fine chopped pecans
1/3 cup soft margarine or butter
2 8/ounce pkgs Philadelphia cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 15.3/ounce can pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions
Combine cookie crumbs, pecans and margarine or butter.
Press into bottom and up 11/2 inches of sides of a 9/inch spring form pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.
Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla.
Mix at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Reserve 1 cup batter.
Add remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices to remaining batter & mix well.
Alternately, layer pumpkin and cream cheese batters over crust.
Cut through batters with knife several times for marbled effect.
Bake at 350 degrees fro 55 minutes.
Loosen cake from rim. Cool before removing from pan. Chill & serve.


Christmas Morning Breakfast Cake

Ingredients
i cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2-1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries


Instructions
Chop cranberries and add 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Alternately, add sour cream and dry ingredients to butter mixture.
Stir in cranberries and spread in bottom of a 10/inch spring form pan.

Filling
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cranberry preserves

Beat sugar and cream cheese until smooth.
Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
Pour over cake batter, leaving a one inch border.
Heat preserves until pourable. Pour over filling.

Topping
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
4 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all topping ingredients together
Sprinkle evenly over top.
Bake 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees.
Top will be jiggly.
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
Freezes well.

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How to make delicious holiday appetizers

It isn't always easy to juggle work, family and a social life. And yet most women enjoy giving parties and entertaining friends and family, especially during the holidays. Christmas is so festive and a great time to have fun decorating the house, buying gifts and cooking and baking special recipes and dishes for the ones they love. If you are working and taking care of a home and children, having enough time to do all the things you want to do during the holidays is a real challenge.

The first thing you need to do is to decide if you will be having a party, preparing Christmas dinner, or just serving snacks and drinks to friends and family who drop by during the holiday season. If you are doing all three, it would be a good idea to start way ahead of time and freeze a lot of your food items.Appetizers are always a delicious addition to dinner, a party, or to go along with drinks at a cocktail party of informal gathering.

I have included six different appetizers here. Some can be made ahead of time and frozen, others can be made the morning of or a day or two before your party. When guests drop by or when you are ready to start your party, you can take out what you need from the freezer, defrost it and pop it in the microwave or oven, if need be.

APPETIZERS (you can freeze)

Curried sausage balls
Prep: 20 min. Bake time: 15 min


Ingredients
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
8 ounces finely shredded Cheddar cheese
3 cups biscuit baking mix
1/2 cup finely minced green onion
1/4 cup finely minced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon Curry powder

Instructions
Combine all ingredients and mix well. This can be done by hand, with a heavy duty mixer, or in a large food processor. Shape into small balls and freeze for up to two weeks. When ready to serve, place on a baking sheet (with sides). Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes, until browned on bottoms. Serve on a platter right from the oven or place in cruet and cover with your favorite bar-b-cue sauce. Set tooth picks and small plates next to sausage balls.


Spinach balls
Prep: 10 min. Cook time: 15 min.


Ingredients
6 eggs, lightly beaten 6 oz. pkg. stuffing mix 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Instructions
In a bowl, combine eggs, stuffing mix, butter, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach; mix well.Can freezr at this point for up to two weeks. When ready to serve, shape into 1-1/2-in. balls; place in an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve on platter, with tooth picks and small plates handy.

APPETIZERS (make the morning of or day before)

Lemon-Basil Cheese Ball
Prep: 15 min. serves: 24


Ingredients
1 8-ounce carton mascarpone cheese1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (4 ounces)3 tablespoonss finely chopped pistachio nuts2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh basil4 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel1/8 teaspoon pepper


Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, beat mascarpone with an electric mixture on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Stire in Gruyere. Stir in pistachios, basil, lemon peel, and pepper.
2. Line a 2 cup bowl with plastic wrap. Transfer cheese mixture to bowl. Cover and chill 3 hours or until firm. (Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) To serve, unmold onto a serving plate; remove plastic wrap. Serve with pita chips or crackers. Makes 24 servings


Artichoke dip

Prep time: 15 min. Baking time: 20-25 min.
Serves: 10

Ingredients
2 6-ounce cans of artichoke hearts
2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons lemon juice
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Beat all ingredients together with mixer on medium for one minute. Mixture will keep in refrigerator for 2 days. When ready to serve, empty mixture into an oven proof dish and bake at 325 degrees fro 20-25 minutes. Serve with chunks of French bread

Appetizers (somewhat time consuming, but incredible)

Brie wrapped in puff pastry

(easy)Prep: 15 min., Bake time: 25 min. Make ahead the morning of the party (except for baking)
Yield: serves 8-10

Ingredients

a sheet of puff pastry, thawed

1 eight-ounce round of Brie cheese

1/2 cup whole pecans

1/3 cup brown sugar

2TBL butter

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter and sugar together and add pecans. Unfold pastry on a floured surface. Put cheese in the center. place pecans and brown sugar mixture on top of cheese. Fold pastry over the cheese to cover it. Trim excess pastry and press to seal. Reserve scraps for decoration, if desired. Beat egg with 1 TBL water. Brush seams of pastry with mixtture. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Brush with egg mixture. Bake 25 minutes or until golden. Let stand 20 minutes. Serve with crackers or chunks of french bread.

Sundried Tomato and Basil Spread (a little more complicated, but awesome)
Prep: 25 min., Chill: 8 hrs. Make this recipe up to 3 days before the party.
Yield: Makes 20 servings


Ingredients
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/3 cups sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened and divided
1/3 cup tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
Garnishes: fresh rosemary sprigs, sun-dried tomatoes
Crackers or baguette slices


Instructions
Beat 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Set aside.
Process dried tomatoes in a food processor until chopped. Add 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, tomato paste, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Spoon into a bowl, and set aside. Wipe container of food processor clean.
Process garlic and next 4 ingredients in food processor until chopped. Add Parmesan cheese, remaining 3-ounce package cream cheese, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; pulse just until blended, stopping to scrape down sides.
Spray a 6-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup butter mixture evenly on bottom of springform pan. Layer with half of tomato mixture, 1/2 cup butter mixture, and half of basil mixture; top with 1/2 cup butter mixture. Repeat layers with remaining tomato mixture, 1/2 cup butter mixture, and remaining basil mixture. Top with remaining butter mixture. Cover with plastic wrap; chill at least 8 hours.
Run a knife gently around edge of pan to loosen sides. Remove sides of pan; carefully remove bottom of pan, and place layered spread on a serving tray. Garnish, if desired. Serve with crackers or baguette slices. (from Brenda Dills, Southern Living Magazine)



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Thanksgiving on a shoestring

Enjoy the holiday

During this time when most of us are cutting back on our spending and trying to find ways to beat the economic slump, entertaining family and friends may be quite a challenge, especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Americans love to eat. Some wait all year for that one day they can "pig out" and feel okay about it. Everyone stuffs themselves with all manner of food and drink on Thanksgiving. It's been a tradition since the pilgrims sat down with the Indians for the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth in 1621.

Keeping the cost down

Even if you are out of work, on employment or temporarily living with your parents, it is still possible to create an incredible Thanksgiving dinner, if you give it some thought. The secret is in the planning and in doing most of the work yourself. Rather than rushing out and buying up expensive bags of ready made dressing, cans of cranberry sauce and canned gravy, you might want to consider making these items from scratch. Lots of good recipes are available on the internet and making them from scratch costs a lot less and, in most cases, tastes better.

Planning your dinner

You first have to decide whether or not you can afford to buy a turkey. That might depend on the size of your family and the amount of money you have to spend. Turkeys are more expensive than chicken or other fowl and are usually quite large, so you might consider buying a chicken instead or Cornish game hens, if you're cooking for a smaller group. Chicken goes just as well with all the thanksgiving trappings. However, if you absolutely have to have a turkey, remember that if you buy one a little bigger than what you'll need for the big day, you can have at least three meals out of it by making wonderful dishes with the left overs. Some ideas are: turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie, turkey/rice soup, turkey burgers, and turkey hash.

Food and Drink

After the meat, the easiest and least expensive dishes to include in your meal are potatoes (white or sweet), vegetables, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie. The first two items will probably be on sale at your grocer during the season. Vegetables vary in cost from inexpensive green beans, corn, broccoli and squash to more expensive mushrooms, artichokes and asparagus. A big cost saver would be to make your own dinner rolls or biscuits and pie, as well as the cranberry sauce, the dressing, and the gravy. They really are not difficult to make and you can actually have fun doing it, if you allow enough time. Figure your schedule out ahead of time and make some of your food and drink items the day before.

The kids most likely will drink milk, and some of the adults too. But, for something a little more festive, you might try a cranberry punch or serve a lovely white wine with your turkey. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio all go well with turkey, as does Pouilly Fuisse (which is a little more expensive, but might be an interesting choice if you are a guest and want to bring something special to the host or hostess). And, of course after the main meal, lots of delicious strong coffee to keep everyone from falling asleep from the the tryptophan in the turkey is a must.

Making a fabulous pie

If you don't like pumpkin, apple pie goes well with this type of meal. And if you have children, they really enjoy helping in the kitchen and can be assigned various jobs to help you out. Making pie crust seems to strike terror in the hearts of many cooks. So, buying them ready made has become common place. However, they are more expensive than homemade and, in most cases don't taste as good. For those of you who are adventurous, here is a video with exact instructions. Once you have your crust(s) made, you can either add apples for a scruptous apple pie or canned pumpkin for the traditional pumpkin pie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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