Give me your favorite tried and true holiday recipes... I'm in search of some new dishes - from nuts to bolts so to speak ... appetizers, main courses, sides, desserts, snacks, etc.

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When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and swing.

My friends wait all year for me to make these at Christmas :

GINGERBREAD BOYS

1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 soft butter
1 tsp. orange rind, grated

Sift together first 3 ingredients. Bring molasses and shortening to boil in saucepan. Cool slightly; add flour mixture and orange rind; mix well. Chill thoroughly. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into boy-shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet, 1/2 inch apart, 8-10 minutes in 375 degree oven.
Yield: 3 dozen.


CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR FROSTING

1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tbsps. milk (about)
few grains salt
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream butter or margarine. Sift sugar; gradually add, creaming constantly. Add enough milk to make mixture right consistency for spreading. Add salt and vanilla extract. Makes enough to fill and frost (2) 8" cake layers or 12 medium cup cakes.


I usually cut these into all sorts of seasonal shapes, then use food colouring to make 4 different colours of icing to decorate them with!

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Si à travers nos veines coule encore le sang...
Si dans les jeux d'enfants on entend encore l'accent...
Si nous sentons encore l'espoir de nos grands-parents...
Si dans les voiles du large souffle encore le vent...
Y'a jamais eu de Grand Dérangement.

Strawberries hulled.

Get a small alcohol burner, check out your old fondue kit.

Dip strawberries in brandy, roll in demerara or brown sugar and pass through the alcohol flame.

Then dip into whipped cream and savour.

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Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating

Clementine segments dipped in melted dark chocolate and allowed to harden make a refreshing but indulgent after dinner chocolate. I usually serve mine with a selection of homemade truffles and marzipan fruits too.

Mix sausage meat with half a packet of bought bread sauce mix and form into stuffing balls. Place in a shallow dish and sprinkle the remaining bread sauce mix around the balls, add milk and bake in the oven to make the best stuffing ever to go with Turkey.

I have more, but don't have the quantities written down in front of me right now, so I'll get back to you.

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"Time flies like an arrow -
Fruit flies like a banana"

M Y - N A U G H T Y - P I C T U R E S ! !

My favorite!!

ORANGE GINGERBREAD

1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup dark molasses
1 & ¼ cups orange juice
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
2 & ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ cup raisins

**Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add raisins. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Bake 40 minutes, making sure not to over bake. Gingerbread will be moist. Serves 24.

*Per serving: 173 calories; 3 grams protein; 6 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 0 cholesterol; 162 miligrams sodium; 4 grams fiber; VEGAN

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Just be yourself. The rest will fall in line.

I think I'm going to give the Gingerbread boys a try.

Anyone else have a favorite recipe.... cookies/candies/fudge are on my agenda in the near future.

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When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and swing.

i have an easy cookie recipe for mint chocolate cookies that are better than girl scout thin mints.

nabisco chocolate wafers.
about 12 oz melting chocolate
peppermint oil

melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stir in a drop of peppermint oil, taste it to see if it's good, make it a bit more minty, tasting as you adjust to about 7 heavy drops, dip cookies to coat, set in the fridge to cool on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

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Trees give peace to the souls of men * Nora Waln

The forest would be very quiet if no other birds sang than those who sing the best * Henry van Dyke

some fairly sordid tales, rambles, and anecdotes
Hypothetically Speaking * Something More * Cammy Interrupted * An Experimental Vacation * Masked * so..damn..hot * Thank You * My toy, his idea * no.19 Maple Lane * I Have A Surprise For You * Yesterday * In a Quiet Kitchen * help me decide * untitled prose * more untitled prose

Easy Fudge

1 can chocolate frosting (I like milk chocolate)
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
walnuts

9x9 pan foiled and sprayed with pam spray or similar product.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave 30 sec increments until smooth
Very very very quickly add the frosting and stir together until blended
fold in nuts
Pour into pan.
Place wax paper over the top and press mixture until smooth on top
Put in fridge for 2 hours
Pop out fudge and cut into small squares 1x1 as it is very rich.

I have used white chips and white frosting and put in crushed oreos
white chips and frosting with crushed pepermint sticks and a few drops of pepermint oil
chocolate chips/chocolate frosting with small marshmallows, peanuts for a rocky road fudge.
peanut butter chips/white frosting with peanuts and 1/2 cup of peanut butter for peanut butter fudge (or you can fold in chocolate chips instead of peanuts)

ummmmmmmmmmm.. pretty much any combo of frosting & chips will work. Limited by your imagination!

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

Oh my... that sounds wonderful... and easy way to hull those strawberries is to use a fat straw like they have at McDonald's and shove it right through... works really slick.

Now can those berries be warmed over a candle or will only an alcohol burner do?

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