NOT JUST A RECIPE: MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH (Dec 12), and Festive Kwanzaa (Dec 26); Enjoy the Holidays with the Following Recipes

After lighting the Hanukkah menorah, sit down to a cozy dinner that may include this side dish of roasted fresh vegetables with a sweet touch of apricots.

As a menu suggestion, it would be a tasty

accompaniment to roast chicken.

Roasted Vegetable Tsimmes with Apricots

Tsimmes means “a fuss” in Yiddish, but

this recipe is quite easy.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

ingredients:

4 large parsnips

2 large beets

2 large sweet potatoes

2 large onions

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 head garlic, peeled & separated into cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweet OR hot paprika

one, 7 ounce package, dried apricots-halved

Peel vegetables and cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces. In a roasting pan

arrange vegetables in rows, avoid mixing the different vegetables.

Drizzle with oil.
Sprinkle with garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and paprika. Do not stir.

Cover tightly, roast for 1 hour. Uncover and sprinkle with apricots.

Gently stir each row of vegetables, avoiding mixing. Roast uncovered

another 35 minutes more, or till vegetables tender. Stir once. When

ready to serve, combine vegetables in a serving bowl.

Makes about 10 servings.

Tip: Prep vegetables and garlic the day before, and keep in plastic bags

in the refrigerator. Keep beets and garlic separate. Have room-temp before

roasting.

An elegant choice for your Holiday dinner, but surprisingly easy and quick to do. The hardest part is ordering from the supermarket and picking it up. Your meat man at the market will tell you how big a roast you will need for the number of people. This recipe is based on a 5-6 pound roast with about 10 ribs, which is approx. 6-8 servings. Also, if you are unsure how to carve the meat when serving, ask at the market and they will show you.

The mushroom-bread stuffing goes great with the pork, and the apricot preserves glaze is simple...just brush it on out of the jar.

I have a friend that made this for New Years Day a few years ago.

She had never cooked a Crown pork roast. She wrote me later, saying she was intimidated by it, but persevered, and couldn’t believe how easy it was, and how delicious. She made a few changes by adding thyme as a seasoning, and used her own stuffing recipe. She added that she made her own chutney by mixing apple pie filling, dried cranberries, and walnuts, and just heated it. Her company was impressed, she felt like a chef, and hasn’t hesitated to make it again.

Stuffed Crown Roast of Pork

Ingredients:

1 pork loin crown roast (5-6 pounds, about 10 ribs)

1 teaspoon seasoned salt, or use salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Stuffing:

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup diced celery

1/4cup butter

3 cups day-old bread cubes (use sturdy bread, not too soft)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup apricot preserves

garnish optional (but very Christmassy) - 1 cup whole fresh cranberries, fresh curly parsley.

Place roast, rib ends up, in a shallow roasting pan; sprinkle with seasoned salt. Cover rib ends with foil. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 1 and 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms and celery in butter till tender. Stir in bread cubes, salt and pepper.

After 1 and a half hours, remove roast from oven and spoon stuffing into the center of the roast. Brush sides of roast with preserves. Bake 1 hour longer or until a meat thermometer inserted into meat between ribs reads 160 degrees. Remove foil.

If you want to do a cranberry garnish, string cranberries on a 20 inch piece of thin string or thread. Loop the cranberry string in and out of the rib ends. Place roast on serving platter.

Garnish around bottom with some fresh curly parsley and a few red cranberries.

This makes it look so festive, especially for Christmas.

Son Craig, Christmas w/ Hailey, Christopher, friends

Fruited Gelatin Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water

1 large (8 serving size) package cranberry flavor sugar-free gelatin

1 and one-half cups cold ginger ale or water

2 cups seedless green or red grape halves

1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

In a large bowl add gelatin to boiling water and stir till completely dissolved.

Add cold water or soda and mix in well. Refrigerate about 1 and ½ hours till thickened.

Stir in grapes and oranges and pour into a 6 cup mold or bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours until firm. Unmold onto serving plate.

(To unmold, dip mold into warm water 10-15 seconds. Using moist fingers pull gelatin from around the edge.

Sweet Potatoes with ginger and Apple Cider

Serves 6

1. Cook 2 and one half pounds peeled sweet potatoes till soft. Cut into large chunks. Transfer to bowl, food processor, or blender.

2. Bring 4 cups apple cider (not ap. juice) to a boil. Let simmer until cider is reduced to approximately a cup, about 30 minutes. Add to sweet potatoes along with one-quarter cup peeled and minced fresh ginger and 2 tablespoons butter. Process or mix till very smooth. If mixing by hand, use your hand electric mixer.

3. Season with salt & pepper to your taste and serve hot.

Me wishing April & Barry Merry Christmas

CHRISTMAS BAKING BEGINS NOW IN MANY KITCHENS!

It's time to think about Christmas cookies! If you happen to go to any cookie swaps, this would be a great recipe to bring. I added it to my Christmas cookie list about 8 years ago and it has become one cookie-bar I do every year now. It's on my table at my Christmas Eve open house, and I have taken it to many Christmas Fairs, office parties, and cookie exchanges.

It is a bit of pecan pie in a delicious, buttery shortbread-cookie crust.

PECAN PIE COOKIE-BARS

crust; Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 15x10x1 inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed beat 2& 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup(2 sticks)cold butter (no substitute) cut into pieces, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs; press firmly into prepared pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown.

Filling; While cookie crust is in oven, in a large bowl beat 4 eggs, 1 and 1/2 cups light corn syrup, 1 and 1/2 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, until well blended. Stir in 2 and 1/2 cups of pecans that have been chopped into large pieces.

Immediately pour this over the baked hot crust, spreading evenly. Bake 25 minutes more or until filling is firm around edges and almost firm in the center.

Cool completely before cutting into 2” x 1 &1/2 “ bars. Makes about 48

TASTEFUL GIFTS FROM YOUR KITCHEN

What to make for that cookie swap? A treat for the teacher.

Expressing appreciation to a neighbor. What to bake for the church fair/bazaar? And how to do it on less money this year. The answer is in your kitchen. Homemade treats are loved by most everyone. Here are some ideas that I hope will be helpful and inspire you:

1. Have a baking spree with a family member or friend. Set aside 2 full days or a weekend to “get it all done”. Cooking with someone makes it go fast and is fun.

Set up stations. Put on the music and go to it.

2. Try to match gift to recipient:

Energy munch to a family going on a ski trip. Cookie mix to the busy mother down the street. A ready-to-eat (and freeze) entrée for the working couple. Chocolate-covered pretzels or Oreos for the known chocoholics in your family.

3. Include the recipe. This is not only because they may want to make it themselves, but also insure there are no allergies to the ingredients.

White Christmas Jeweled Fudge

Ingredients:

3 (6 ounce packages) premium white chocolate

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped green candied cherries

1/2 cup chopped red candied cherries

Over low heat, melt chocolate with sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Remove from heat; stir in cherries. Spread into a foil-lined 8 or 9 inch square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off foil and cut into squares. Store in a tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Kwanzaa begins on December 26.

It is a celebration of family, community, heritage, and culture.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Ingredients

Directions

Combine mashed sweet potato, sugar, egg, and melted margarine or butter in a mixing bowl. Beat with a fork until smooth. Stir in milk. Set mixture aside.
Stir together flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of dry mixture. Add sweet-potato mixture and stir just until combined.
Turn out onto a well-floured surface. Knead gently for 10 to 12 strokes. Roll or pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Reroll as necessary. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet.
Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned. Makes 16 to 18 biscuits.