Ingredients:

8 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons of dry yeast
1 cup of warm water (105F, 40C)
1 cup of warm red wine
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of brandy
grated peel of 2 oranges
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of raisins
1 1/2 cups of walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup of pine nuts
1 tablespoon of grated gum mastic or 1 tablespoon of crushed anise seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Topping
milk
2 whole walnuts in shells
sesame seeds

Procedure:

Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and 2 tablespoons of flour, stir until dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes, until it bubbles. In a large mixing bowl, sift the salt with 2/3 of the flour. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture, the remaining warm water, and the wine. Mix until a soft dough forms, cover with waxed paper and a damp towel, and set aside to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk. Punch the dough down and knead for several minutes until any air pockets are gone. Sift in the remaining flour, add the oil, orange juice, brandy, and grated orange peel. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, raisins, walnuts, pine nuts, gum mastic or anise, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg until blended, and add to the dough. Knead well until the dough is firm and doesn’t stick (about 10 minutes), cover, and allow to rise for 1/2 hour. On a lightly buttered baking pan, shape the bread into two circular loaves, about 8 inches in diameter. Cover with a dry cloth and a damp cloth over that, and place in a warm place to rise again, until doubled in size. Using a floured knife, score a cross into the top of the loaves, and place one whole, unshelled walnut at the center. Brush the bread with milk and scatter with sesame seeds. Place a pan with at least 1 inch of water in the bottom of the oven and preheat to 450F (230C). Place the bread in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove the pan with the water, reduce heat to 390F (200C) and bake for another 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, brush lightly with water, and cool on a rack. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the anise seed.

Decorate Your Christmas Bread (photo): At step 6, pull a fistful of dough from each loaf. Pat the dough back into shape to rise. When risen, use the small pieces of dough to create designs: roll them out into strips and coil around whole walnuts pressed into the top in the shape of a cross (photo), or make them into the shapes of your choice and place on top of the loaves. Continue with the recipe. Brush with beaten egg instead of milk to get a brighter glaze.

Ingredients:

750 gram /1 lb. 10 oz. royal icing
or 650 grams/1 lb. 7 oz. ready-to-roll icing
3m ribbon
edible colored and gold balls

Procedure:

Attach the balls on to the top of the cake with royal icing. Use the colored ones for branches, gold for the trunk. Tie the ribbon around the cake.

Ingredients:

8 oz./225 grams seedless raisins
8 oz./225 grams currants
8 oz./225 grams sultanas
3 oz./75 grams chopped dried pear
1 oz./25 grams chopped dried pineapple
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
8 oz./225 grams fresh white breadcrumbs
3 oz./75 grams plain flour
1 tsp. ground mixed spice
¼ tsp. salt
8 oz./225 grams shredded suet
8 oz./225 grams soft light brown sugar
a dash of angostura bitters
4 large eggs - beaten
2 fl. oz/55 ml. dark rum
2 fl. oz/55 ml. calvados
3 fl. oz/75 ml. milk
1 sterilized penny

Procedure:

Lightly grease a 2¾ pint/1.6 litre pudding basin and line the base with non-stick baking parchment. Put the raisins, currants and sultanas in a large mixing bowl with the dried pear and pineapple, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, flour, mixed spice, salt, suet and sugar. Stir to mix. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, a dash of the angostura bitters, rum, the calvados and milk. Add to the fruit mixture and stir well. At this stage add the sterilized penny and take turns in the family to stir the pudding and make a wish. Spoon into the pudding basin and press down well. Cover the surface with a disc of greaseproof paper. Cover the whole basin with some more paper and foil, making a pleat in the center to allow for expansion during cooking. Secure with some string. Place the pudding basin into a large saucepan and pour enough boiling water in to come halfway up the basin. Now bring up to the boil, cover the pan and boil steadily for 5 hours making sure the saucepan doesn’t boil dry. Top up with boiling water only. Once cooked, remove from the pan and allow to cool completely. Re-cover with some fresh greaseproof paper and foil. Store in a cool, dark place for four weeks, or even longer. To reheat on the day, steam the pudding for 2 hours as before. To serve, turn out onto a warmed serving dish. Warm some rum in a pan, and set it alight with a match. Pour this over the pudding and decorate with holly.

Ingredients:

1-12 oz. can sliced pineapple
1- 16 oz. can apricots
1- 16 oz. can pears
1- 16 oz. can peaches
1-15 oz. jar spiced apple rings
1 cup. raisins or other dried berry, optional
1/2 cup. butter
1/2 cup. sugar or Splenda
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup. dry sherry or apple juice

Procedure:

Drain the cans of fruit and layer in a 2 quart casserole dish: Combine in saucepan: butter, sugar (or splenda), cornstarch, and 1 cup dry sherry or apple juice. Cook until thick. Pour over fruit mixture, bake for 30 minutes until bubbly. May also top with some crushed oatmeal cookies toward end of baking. Makes 8-10 servings. Good for Holiday buffet.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp. plain yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. powder gelatine
1/4 cup water

For Crust:
1 cup crushed graham crackers
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp sugar

Procedure:

Mix powder gelatine and water in a small cup and set aside. Combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a round cake pan (8 inch). Stir cream cheese in a bowl until soften. Put water and gelatine mixture into microwave and heat for a min. Add yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, and gelatine into softened cream cheese and mix well. Pour the filling into the crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Serve with your favorite fruit or jam.

Ingredients:

Mashed Potato Clouds:
4 large russet or Idaho potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Herbed butter pats:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon dill or dried chives

Procedure:

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the potatoes and use the tip of the peeler to scoop out any brown spots. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and then slice into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, watching carefully to make sure they do not boil over. Once they have come to a boil, cook for an additional 10 minutes or until tender (about 20 minutes in all). (While the potatoes are boiling, make the butter pats: see step 4.) Take the pan of potatoes off the stove and drain the water. Pour the milk over the potatoes and add the butter. Using a potato masher, press down on the potatoes until they are smooth. (If you are working with younger kids, transfer the potatoes from the hot saucepan to a large bowl before mashing.) To make the herbed butter pats, mix together the softened butter and the dill or chives. Press the mixture into a 2-inch by 3-inch rectangle on a piece of waxed paper. Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then use miniature cookie cutters to cut out butter pats. Spoon the mashed potatoes onto the dinner plates and serve with a pat or two of herbed butter. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds (about 7 cups, halved) fresh Brussels sprouts
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups grated sharp white Cheddar cheese
paprika, for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

Heat a large skillet and crisp-cook the bacon. Transfer it to a plate and set it aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pan. Add the onion to the pan and saute over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes; add the garlic for the last minute. Scrape the onions and garlic into a large, shallow casserole and spread them around evenly. Set aside. Trim the Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half (or quarters, if very large) lengthwise. Bring a large soup pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the Brussels sprouts. Return to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain immediately in a colander for 5 minutes. Transfer to the casserole, spreading the sprouts evenly in the dish. Set aside. Heat the oven to 375°. Combine the milk and chicken broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring over medium heat, for about 1 minute, until the flour is light golden brown. Whisk in half of the hot milk and broth. Heat and whisk for a minute or so, until thick. Add the remaining liquid and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese, mustard, salt, thyme, and pepper. Pour the sauce evenly over the Brussels sprouts. Mince the bacon and sprinkle it over the sauce. Sprinkle evenly with the Cheddar cheese and dust lightly with paprika, if desired. Place the casserole on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Makes 10 servings.

Ingredients:

red, green, and black
(or chocolate) sprinkles
1 cup white chocolate chips
20 8-inch pretzel rods

Procedure:

On a piece of waxed paper, arrange 1 1/4-inch-wide stripes of red, black (or chocolate), and green sprinkles, as shown below. In a shallow microwave-safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips on high for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for 30 seconds more. Stir until smooth (it will be thick). Use a knife to spread the chocolate over half of a pretzel rod. Roll through the sprinkles until coated with stripes. Chill. To present the sticks, bundle them with ribbons. Makes 20 sticks.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound spicy pork bulk sausage
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced peeled cored apple
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 bay leaf
8 cups 1-inch cubes French bread with crusts (from 1-pound loaf)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, beaten to blend

Procedure:

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; sauté until cooked through and brown, breaking into pieces with spoon, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Add celery and next 6 ingredients to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Add mixture to sausage. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Reheat to lukewarm before continuing.) Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13×9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add bread to sausage mixture. Whisk milk, broth, and butter in bowl to blend. Mix into stuffing; season stuffing with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs; transfer to prepared dish. Bake uncovered until cooked through and brown, about 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 package frozen, chopped spinach
yellow, red, and orange bell peppers
olive oil
cornmeal
pizza dough for one 12-inch round pie
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 to 1/3 grated romano cheese
feta cheese

Procedure:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cook the spinach, drain, and press it to squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside. Use tiny cookie cutters to shape circles and stars from the peppers. Set aside. Coat a 12-inch pizza pan with olive oil, then sprinkle on the cornmeal. Roll the dough into a circle and place on the pan, pushing the edges to the rim. Spread the tomato sauce on the dough and sprinkle on the grated Romano cheese. Top with the chopped spinach and then drizzle olive oil over the spinach. Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the spinach and arrange the pepper circles. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is browned. Cut the pizza into triangular slices and then trim the crust to form a trunk. Finally, top each slice with a yellow star. Makes one 12-inch pizza.