Christmas recipes

Christmas Spice Cookies recipe

This is a quick, easy way to saute asparagus. The dish has a light flavor and makes a great accompaniment to Italian meals. I make this year-round, but we especially enjoy it at Thanksgiving

This turned out quite nicely, was surprised at how well it held together considering there was no egg to help bind the ingredients together. We made a vegetarian shallot gravy to go along with it. Nice herby flavor throughout.

Wrapping your turkey in parchment while roasting yields a bird that is moist and delicious.

This one skillet side dish makes for quick and easy cleanup. The crunchy butter and maple toasted pecans dress up everyday green beans for a side worthy of a holiday feast.

A classic pumpkin pie spike with rum. Dark, rich and delicious.

"A tall, impressive cake that showcases the flavors and smells of the holidays. A three-layer extravaganza with a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. It fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. It will be talked about long after the party is over." Source: The Pastry Queen Christmas, by Rebecca Rather

Classic old favorite holiday treat

Nancy Reagan's Pumpkin Pecan Pie recipe

A tasty way to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It includes leeks and mushrooms along with the turkey in a traditional flaky pastry.

THese made the rounds in our neighborhood this holiday season. Everyone wanted the recipe.

Some cocoa powder, a little bit cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg make these popcorn balls taste uniquely delicious. They are chocolaty with a little bit spicy. The cinnamon sugar gives the warm crunchy coating.

This is always a hit! I tweaked it by using 1/2 c oil and 3/4 c orange juice and it turned out great. We made these into muffins and put them in gift bags for our out-of-town guests at our wedding and they all loved them. For muffins, we baked at 350 for 25 minutes and it made about 22 muffins per batch.

Sauteed mushroom and Swiss chard with layered mashed potatoes, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top, after baking the flavor is wonderful. It is also a good dish for holidays.

Pumpkin, cognac, cream cheese, sour cream and spices make this cheesecake creamy, smooth, rich and delicious. The toasted almonds adds extra nuttiness, and it also gives the cheesecake a beautiful coating on the outer edge. This is the kind of cheesecake that everyone gives a big "WOW".

"A Contest winning recipe from Oma Rollison (my mother) featured in Reminisce Magazine with her now famous Banana's 'N Cream Bundt cake. A San Diego, Calif. newspaper once dubbed her "The Queen of Country Cooking." (I guess the apple never falls far from the tree.) She's no longer with us, but her wonderful recipes are."