Holiday Recipes

Lemon poppy seed bundt cake with fresh lemon zest, lemon extract, and a tender butter crumb. The brunch and tea-time classic finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

The colors the fruits used in the cookies suggest those of the robes worn by the four ordres mendiants, monastic orders that originally lived on charity -- the Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans and Franciscans.

An apricot stuff for roasting whole chicken or turkey, perfect for the holidays. From a church LIFE cookbook. Bake outside the bird for a low fat alternative.

Halloween gag cookies rolled in Grape-Nuts and served from a clean litter box with a scoop. Chocolate and gingerbread dough logs shaped like, well, you know. Harmless fun.

Little fruit cake squares packed with chopped dates, candied cherries, and pecans, baked in a 9-inch pan and rolled in powdered sugar. Bite-sized holiday treats.

Pumpkin-shaped Halloween cake made from two chocolate bundt cakes stacked together, frosted orange with a banana stem and fruit roll-up jack-o-lantern face.

Low-calorie eggnog made with skim milk, beaten egg whites, and sugar-free sweetener. All the creamy holiday flavor without the guilt.

Do you love Bloody Marys? Do you love herring? Then, you'll LOVE this cocktail!

Magiritsa, the traditional Greek Easter soup of slow-simmered lamb and liver, rice, fresh herbs, and a silky egg-lemon avgolemono finish. Eaten after midnight mass to break the Lenten fast.

These pancakes can be made ahead and frozen. If using in Sweet Red Bean Paste Pancakes, bring back to room temperature before cooking with the red bean paste. Otherwise, reheat before serving.

Minestra di riso per Pesach is an Italian-Jewish Passover soup with tiny chicken-matzo meatballs, rice, and a hard-boiled egg yolk in each bowl. Delicate holiday soup with cinnamon-spiced meatballs.

Miniature cookie houses: a sturdy vanilla cookie dough built for construction. Roll, cut, bake, and decorate into tiny Christmas houses. The classic holiday project for kids and crafty bakers.

Old-fashioned Southern bourbon eggnog with whipped cream, beaten egg whites, and fresh nutmeg. Five ingredients, no cooking, and pure Mississippi Delta holiday tradition.

Molded cheese treats made by melting cheddar in the microwave and setting it in candy molds or lollipops. A one-ingredient party trick for kids' lunchboxes and holiday platters.

Crustless cranberry pie with fresh cranberries and pecans under a golden, buttery batter that bakes into its own sweet crust. A simple holiday dessert with no pie dough needed.

Mounds of Bugs are no-bake Halloween treats made from Mounds candy bars with licorice legs, Reese's Pieces eyes, and chocolate sprinkle spots. A fun candy craft kids love to make.