Christma recipe collection

Rugelach roll flaky cream cheese dough around apricot preserves, cinnamon-brown-sugar, walnuts, and raisins into bite-sized crescents. A classic Jewish bakery cookie for Hanukkah and Christmas alike.

Fish in horseradish sauce -- This recipe is the first of the 12 dishes that make up the traditional Polish Christmas-eve meal, which is eaten after sundown on Christmas eve.

Old-fashioned homemade caramels cooked with cream, butter, and a touch of vanilla until soft, chewy, and golden. A classic Christmas candy you can cut into squares or wrap one by one for gifting.

Santa Claus cookies are soft drop cookies with bright lemon zest, baked then frosted and decorated into jolly Santa faces. A Christmas cookie tray classic for kids.

Santa Claus cookies decorate flat sugar cookies with red sugar caps, miniature marshmallow tassels, currant eyes, cinnamon candy noses, and coconut beards. A festive holiday craft cookie kids can help build from baked rounds.

Sauteed spinach with garlic and a little fresh tomato, cooked down in olive oil into a quick, savory side dish. A simple, healthy way to turn a pound of greens into a flavor-packed plate in minutes.

.

Chilled shrimp and artichoke hearts tossed with lemon, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh mint, and parsley in the style of San Benedetto. A bright, elegant Italian appetizer served at room temperature.

Appetizers have long been a part of the culinary tradition in Europe, but they're relatively new to America. One of the first to appear in American cookbooks, at the turn of the century, was shrimp cocktail.

A traditional Slovak Christmas Eve soup of earthy mushrooms and tangy sauerkraut in a creamy milk roux, finished with browned butter onions and a dusting of paprika. Rustic, comforting, and meatless.

Christmas stollen with raisins, almonds, walnuts, lemon and orange zest in a buttery yeast dough, frosted with powdered sugar glaze. Make two to three days ahead for best flavor.

Vegan Spanish rice made with brown rice, stewed tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, celery, and warm spices. Oil-free and full of flavor, sauteed in vinegar and water instead of oil.

Spells & Bells are festive Christmas cookies cut into holiday shapes and deep fried until golden and puffed, then served plain, sugared or glazed. A cream-rich fried dough that's crisp outside and tender within.

Spiced Christmas ornaments mix cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves with applesauce into a fragrant no-bake dough rolled and cut into holiday shapes. A homemade craft that scents the tree for years.

Spiced gingerbread with cinnamon, mace and nutmeg, brightened with orange zest and brandy, studded with raisins. A moist, dense holiday loaf perfect for Christmas tea trays.

Cinnamon applesauce Christmas ornaments: scented dough ornaments made from cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and applesauce. Not edible, but they smell like Christmas for months.