7 santa recipes

Santa's white fudge made with sour cream, corn syrup, and sugar cooked to soft-ball stage, then loaded with candied cherries and pecans. Creamy holiday candy in an 8x8 pan.

Santa Maria beans made with pinto beans, bacon, ham, tomato puree, and red chile sauce. The classic California Central Coast side dish for tri-tip barbecue, slow-simmered until rich and tender.

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 Maria salsa is the no-cook California barbecue staple: chopped canned tomatoes, celery, onion, and green pepper sharpened with horseradish, vinegar, and Worcestershire. Pour, chill, serve.

Chicken Santa Fe: pounded chicken breasts broiled and glazed with sweet-hot jalapeno pepper jelly, then crowned with roasted red pepper strips. A quick Southwestern dinner with a glossy, sweet-spicy finish.

Santa Fe spicy baked black beans with chipotle puree, ancho chiles, molasses, and two vinegars in a smoky-sweet sauce. Baked for an hour until thick and saucy. Serve in warm corn tortillas.

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.