Hi Everyone,

Well it's time to post our Christmas Dinner for 2001, some new recipes, some favorite tried and trues....

Last night was my DH's Company Christmas Dinner held at Ruth Chris' Steakhouse and the food was fabulous. I had a dessert called a Caramelized Banana Tart which was a tart made of sweet dough shaped into the size of a small cereal bowl, filled with sweet pastry cream, topped with sliced banana and sprinkled with sugar that was caramelized, it was delicious!! I will be having fun trying to re-create it after the holidays!!

I have been very busy, just like you, running around getting errands done, doing the yard, making goodies for friends and neighbors, and finishing two beautiful wreaths made of old Christmas balls. They really came out fabulous looking and so decorative and colorful too!!

Happy Holidays to all the wonderful people here at TKL and their dear families!! I hope all your Christmas wishes come true....

Best Regards, Gina

Here is the menu for this year:

Appetizers:
Bacon Dates
Crab Dip

Country Glazed Roast Turkey
Sausage, Apple and Nuts Stuffing
Homemade Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Peas
Corn Pudding
Sweet Potato Crunch
Spinach Tart
Yeast Rolls and Butter

White Chocolate Cake
Miss Betty's Chocolate Pie
Torta Napoli

The Recipes:

Dates Wrapped in Bacon

2 boxes of pitted dates
2 packages of bacon

Cut bacon package in half, wrap a date in a bacon half and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, halfway thru baking turn them around so they bake completely. Drain, let them cool and arrange on a pretty dish with toothpicks.

Crab Dip

12 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. crab meat
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. mayonnaise
1 T. diced onion
1 T. parsley

Beat cream cheese until soft. Stir in remaining ingredients. Sprinkle a bit of paprika over and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve warm with favorite crackers.

Country Glazed Roast Turkey

2 T. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 c. honey
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. allspice
1/2 stick butter, softened
Turkey

Butter the turkey all over and sprinkle salt and pepper all over and inside cavity. Stuff the turkey and truss. Roast at 350 till done. (Follow instructions on packaging regarding pounds per hour). Baste turkey with pan drippings every 25 minutes....

Mix lemon, honey, cinnamon and allspice and glaze turkey last 15 minutes of roasting. Beautiful glaze!!!

Sausage, Apple & Nuts Stuffing

1 lb. Tennessee Pride or Jimmy Dean Pork mild sausage (sage added)
2 c. chopped onions
1 c. chopped celery, incl. leaves
1 bag 14 oz. Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing plus a small bag of stuffing
2 c. chicken broth (Swanson's canned)
2 sticks butter
1 c. golden raisins
3 red apple, washed, cored and chopped
1/2 c. chopped almonds or pecans or walnuts
1t. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
2 packets GWashington's Seasonings
Cook sausage in skillet till browned. Drain and set aside. Heat the broth and melt a stick of butter in it. Set aside. Saute onions and celery in butter till onions begin to golden.

In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry stuffing, the onions and celery, sausage, chopped apple, raisins and nuts and begin blending, with your hands, add 1 c. of broth at a time till you get to the mushy stuffing stage.

Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff the turkey both ends and truss. In the tummy area, cut an apple in thirds widthwise, and put this slice over the opening so stuffing does not leak out. You should have enough left over to put in a casserole with foil over and bake the last 45 minutes of the turkey.

Corn Casserole Supreme
serves 6

1 reg. size can of creamed corn
1 reg. size can of yellow corn, drained
1/4 c. sugar
1 scallion, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. margerine, melted and cooled
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
paprika for sprinkling top
Preheat oven top 350. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and blend well. Pour into a greased 12x8x2 baking dish, sprinkle paprika over top and bake for 45 minutes.

Spinach Tart
serves 8

1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 T. margerine
1 T. flour
2 10 oz. pkgs. frozen chooped spinach, thaw and drain well
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. cream, scaled
salt and nutmeg to taste
3/4 c. grated parmesan or swiss cheese
1 deep dish pastry shell, partially baked about 10 minutes

Saute onion in margerine til limp. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Sprinkle flour over onions, add well-drained spinach. Beat eggs slightly and slowly add cream to eggs. Add egg mixture to spinach mixture and blend well. Add seasonings. Pour into partially baked pastry shell, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until set.

Sweet Potato Crunch

6 sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/3 c. well packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 t. Cinnamon-Cider Syrup
handful of small marshmallows

Crunch Topping:
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tblsp. cinnamon

Boil potatoes til tender. Take skin off when cooled and able to handle. Put in a large bowl and whip them til fluffy adding all other ingredients. Pour into a buttered casserole and top with the crunch topping.Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle on marshmallows arounbd the edges and bake additional 5 minutes.

White Chocolate Cake
serves 16

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated
1/2 lb. white chocolate, melted
2 1/2 c. cake flour
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. pecans, finely chopped
1 c. golden raisins

Cream butter and sugar, beat in yolks, vanilla and chocolate. Add buttermilk alternately with flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat egg whites stiff, fold in, stir in nuts. Pour into greased 9x13 or bundt pan and bake at 350 50-60 mts. Cool 5 mts. invert on wire rack and cook completely before icing.

Icing:
1 stick butter, softened
1 8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
1 c. pecans, finely chopped
1 lb. box powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients together excpet nuts til nice and smooth. Fold in nuts and ice cake.

Miss Betty Brown's Chocolate Mountain Pie

1 ready made graham cracker pie crust
1 1/4 c. cold milk
1 package large Jello Instant Choc. Pudding
8 oz. tub Cool Whip
1 small chocolate bar, shaved in curls

Pour the cold milk into a large bowl. Beat in the chocolate pudding mix using a whisk. Fold in half of the Cool Whip and spread into the prepared pie crust. Top with the remaining Cool Whip and shave the chocolate bar in curls over the top. Refrigerate before serving.

Serves 8

Torta Napoli

(This is my copy-cat version of Dessert Rosa served at Carrabas). A cool and light dessert!!!

Cake:
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
5 eggs, separated
1 t. vanilla
1 c. sour cream

This can be prepared as a layer cake or a 9x13-inch cake. For the 9x13-inch cake, Sift all dry iungredients together, set aside. Cream butter and sugar til fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add the dry alternately with the sour cream. Beat the egg whites til stiff and fold in. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until cake is set. Let the cake cool, layer on the pastry cream first, then the thinly sliced bananas, crushed pineapple and then the crushed strawberries. Top with the Cool Whip and refigerate cake til ready to serve.

For Layer Cake:
Oven at 350. Grease and wax-paper 2 9-inch round baking tins. Sift together all dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar til fluffy. Add egg yolks one at at time. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream.

Beat egg whites til stiff. Fold into batter and pour into pans. Bake 25-30 minutes and cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert and cool completely.

Pastry Cream:
1 box French Vanilla instant pudding
8 oz. cool whip
Mix the pudding according to instructions, fold in half of cool whip, reserve other half for topping.

To assemble cake:
Pastry Cream
1 c. crushed drained pineapple
1 sliced banana, very thin
1 pint strawberries, crushed slightly.

Slice each layer into 2 by using floss. Layer in this manner.

cake
pastry cream
pineapple
strawberries
bananas
Repeat until last layer. Spread the top layer with the remaining cool whip. Refrigerate til ready to serve.