½ cup sugar ¼ cup red cinnamon candies 3 whole cloves ½ cup orange juice 2 Tablespoon lemon juice Orange or lemon slices, quartered Wash cranberries. In large saucepan combine the cranberries with 3 cups of water. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes or until cranberry skins pop. Remove from heat; cool. Press cranberries through a food mill or sieve. Strain cranberry juice through several layers of cheesecloth to remove small seeds. In a 4 ½-quart Dutch oven or kettle combine cranberry juice, the remaining 5 cups water, sugar, cinnamon candies and cloves. Bring to boiling reduce heat. Boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve candies. Stir in orange and lemon juices. Serves hot or cold. Garnish each servicing with orange or lemon slices. Makes 10 (6-ounce) servings. Neva Phillips Pilot Point
Egg Curry
4 eggs 2 potatoes Ginger paste, small amount 1 onion 2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tomatoes 5 teaspoons of oil 2 cups water Cumin seeds (from Indian store) Red chili Turmeric and cumin powder Boil eggs and potatoes in container. Peel the boiled potatoes and eggs. Cut the potatoes into 4 pieces. In another container, put oil and little turmeric powder. Fry the eggs lightly and keep them aside. In the container, put little cumin seeds, 1 red chili, chopped onion, little ginger paste, sugar, cumin powder, turmeric powder and sauté them. Add chopped tomatoes. Add boiled eggs and potatoes. Put 2 cups of water and salt to taste. Let them boil for few minutes. Eat with basmati rice. Serves 4 people. Nandini Das Denton
Elaine’s Appetizers
2 cans crescent rolls 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded 3 eggs 1 ½ cup pepperoni Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan, roll out crescent roll dough to form a crust. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the crust. Cut into squares. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Elaine Wittman Denton
Fruit Cheese Ball
2 (8-ounce) bars of cream cheese, softened
24
½ cup drained crushed pineapple ½ cup apricot preserves or favorite kind 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup chopped pecans Mash together cream cheese, pineapple and preserves. Stir well and add cheese. Pat into desired ball or balls and roll in pecans until all sides are covered. Chill well. Serve cold with favorite crackers or chips. Serves 6 to 8. Janie Walters Denton
Ham and Cheese Puffs
1 package (2 ½ ounces) sliced fully cooked ham, chopped 1 small onion, chopped ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese 1 egg 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 tube (8-ounce) refrigerated crescent rolls In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients; set aside. Divide crescent dough into 24 portions. Press into greased miniature muffin cups. Spoon 1 Tablespoon of ham mixture into each cup. Bake at 350 degrees oven for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Janell Trachta Aubrey
Holiday Au Lait Recipe
2 cups hot brewed coffee 2 cups milk, heated ¾ cups Coffee-mate liquid creamer 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg Cinnamon sticks (optional) Combine coffee, milk, Coffeemate, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large container. Serve with cinnamon sticks. Sis Walker Aubrey
Holiday Punch
2 cans frozen orange juice 2 quart ginger ale 1 quart water 1/2 cup sugar 1 quart pineapple juice 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 2 quart sherbet 1 orange, 1 lime Mix sugar and water. Add 1 tray of ice cubes, then add juices and sherbet and add last the ginger ale. Nancy Lee Murrell Lake Dallas
Hot Chili Cheese Dip
1 onion, finely chopped 2 teaspoon canola oil 2 garlic, minced 2 cans chili without beans 2 cups salsa 2 package cream cheese, cubed 2 cans sliced olives, drained Tortilla chips In a skillet, sauté onion until tender and add garlic. Stir for one minute. Move to slow cooker. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low. Stir often and before serving
with chips.
Mary Walker Aubrey
Hot Mushroom Turnovers
9 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature ½ cup butter plus 3 Tablespoons (divided use), at room temperature 1 ½ cups flour plus 2 Tablespoons plus flour for rolling dough (divided use) ½ pound mushrooms, minced 1 medium onion, minced 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves ¼ cup sour cream 1 egg beaten Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Early in the day, beat the cream cheese, ½ cup butter, and 1 ½ cups flour to make soft dough. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in waxed paper, and chill for at least 1 hour. In a skillet, melt 3 Tablespoons butter. Sauté the mushrooms and onion until tender. Add the salt, thyme leaves, and 2 Tablespoons flour. Stir in the sour cream. Chill. On a floured surface, roll out ½ of the dough into a 15-inch circle about 1/16-inch thick. (Keep the remaining dough chilled.) Cut into 2 ¾-inch circles (about 20). On one half of each circle, place 1 teaspoon of the mixture, brush the edges with beaten egg, fold the dough over to form a semicircle, seal the edges with the tines of a fork, and prick the tops. Put the turnovers on an ungreased baking sheet, brush with beaten egg, cover, and chill. Re-roll unused dough and create more turnovers. Repeat the procedure with the other half of the dough. Bake uncovered for 12 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 40-50. Kathy Fielder Denton
Iced Herbal Cooler
8 red zinger or cranberry cove tea bags 1 (12-ounce) can thawed frozen apple juice concentrate 4 ½ cups cold water 1 orange slice 1 lemon slice Pour 4 cups boiling water over 8 red zinger or cranberry cove tea bags. Let stand until lukewarm. Discard tea bags. Combine herb tea with 12 ounces can thawed apple juice concentrate, 4 ½ cups cold water. Add 1 slice of orange and 1 slice of lemon squeezing slightly to release juice. Chill. Serving Instructions: Serve over ice, garnished with a sprig of mint and or honeysuckle. Serves 10. Maureen Wilcox Aubrey
Italian Zesty Shrimp
1 stick butter 1 lemon 1 package dried Italian seasoning 1 ½ pounds fresh shrimp
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt a stick of butter in a 9x13-inch pan. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of butter. Put down fresh shrimp and then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning. Put in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve with garlic bread. Serves 5. Phyllis Broomfield Aubrey
Mexican Quiche
1 (6-inch) flour tortilla ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (2 ounce) 3 ounces bulk pork sausage 1 Tablespoon chopped sweet pepper 1 egg ¼ cup milk 1/8 teaspoon salt Fresh cilantro (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, heat tortilla about 45 seconds or until warm. Place tortilla into a greased 15-ounce casserole dish. Top with ¼ cup of cheese. In the same skillet, cook sausage and pepper until sausage is cooked and green peppers is crisp and tender and drain well. Spoon over tortilla and cheese in casserole. In a small bowl, combine and mix egg, milk and salt and pour into casserole. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until firm. Serve with cilantro. Phyllis Broomfield Aubrey
Minestrone
2 cups onions 1 cup sliced celery 2 garlic cloves, minced ¼ cup vegetable oil 5 cups beef broth 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce 2 cups chopped cabbage 1 cup sliced carrots 3 teaspoon Italian seasoning ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 cup uncooked spaghetti 1 cup parmesan cheese 1 ½ pounds grown beef 1 ½ cups sliced zucchini 1 cup fresh green beans 1 can (16-ounce) kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 can garbanzo beans, drained In an eight quart soup kettle, sauté onions, celery and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cabbage, carrots, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. In a large skillet cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, drain and set aside. Stir into soup along with zucchini, beans and pasta. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until spaghetti and vegetables are tender. Top each serving with cheese. Also add more beef broth at the end of cooking. Serves 20 (5 quarts). Janice May Justin
Holiday Traditions