Christmas/10 recipes

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.

It's the season of Swiss chard and kale. We got lots of these fresh leafy greens from our CSA farm, and I was trying to come out an idea to use them up, surfing the internet, found a recipe in New York Times, it's a chard and feta phyllo tart. Definitely got the inspiration, I used both chard and kale, instead of feta, I used cheddar; and I sauteed some fresh mushrooms and added some toasted pine nuts, which worked very well. Also, I used a pie plate instead of a tart pan, and it was a great success, absolutely flavorful and delicious. The phyllo crust came out flaky and crispy. Have definitely become one of my signature recipes :)

Slow-cooked beef patties in a creamy mushroom and onion gravy. Real comfort food.

"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.

This prosciutto, fontina and sun-dried tomato tart was brilliant. The combination of these three ingredients and the buttery-crispy puff pastry was absolutely delicious!

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.

Simply delicious. If you use canned beans, it only takes you about 10 minutes, a tasty and flavorful salad is ready. Have it as a side dish or a nutritious main dish.

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.