Happy Holiday Recipes

Homemade Caramels

Homemade goodies and holiday candies make wonderful neighbor gifts and treats to share at the office, shops, schools, church and around town!

Caramel Pecan Fudge

Here are just a few of my favorites - fudge, truffles and brownies are always a nice place to start!

Chocolate Coffee Truffles

I also love to make holiday goodies to give as gifts because they are delicious, thoughtful and frugal!

Butter Cream Brownies

Spread a little holiday cheer with your homemade creations and tasty treats - I promise you'll love the results!

Amish Caramel Corn

Visit Alicia's Recipes to find more recipes perfect for holiday celebrations and Christmas  time! 

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Holiday Snacks

It's that time of year - snack time! The holidays may mean celebrating Christmas with family and friends, but they also signal our taste buds to get some serious snacking in before January 1st. Most of us are either staying in where it's warm and toasty with not much else to do but...snack, or we are headed out to parties, pageants and plays to frolic, make merry and...snack!

Whether you are a sweet or salty snacky person, I've collected just a few recipes here for you to try for your next holiday snack attack. Create these tasty little treats for home or to share at your next holiday gathering.

Amish Caramel Corn

Apple Crisp

Bacon Jack Deviled Eggs

Blackberry Muffins

Butter Cream Brownies

And so, the busiest season for shopping, sharing and snacking is here! Thankfully it only lasts a few weeks and then we all make resolutions to give up the snacking. Ah well...

Connect with us on Facebook to share your favorite holiday snacks or visit Alicia's Recipes for more holiday recipes!

Welcome to Holiday Candy Land!

At our house, we have a tradition to play a few solid games of Candy Land at Christmas time while making Christmas goodies, candies and treats. In between batches of fudge and decorating sugar cookies, I sacrifice my last thread of holiday sanity to a game I know I can win, but I never do.

(It's way more fun to watch your four-year-old's eyes light up when they realize they just drew the winning blue card.) It's about the giving right? Back to the Christmas treats...whether you are making just enough to share at the office or oodles of goodies to spread around town, try some of our favorite holiday candy recipes. You won't be disappointed!

Caramel Pecan Fudge

Caramels

Cherry Peanut Butter Balls

Chocolate Coffee Truffles

Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

Enjoy your holidays and create some candy bliss for the neighbors with some of our favorite candy recipes! Visit us on Facebook to share your favorite Christmas goodies or visit Alicia's Recipes for all sorts of recipe ideas.

And if your four-year-old wants to play Candy Land, practice losing graciously.

Bake, Decorate and Make Merry!

It's that time of year again! Time to bake, decorate and make merry! If making merry means shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday - great! Good for you! I personally would rather make merry by staying home and baking cookies, but that's just me.

If you have a notion to do a little holiday baking, why not try one of our delicious recipes? I've included just a sample of possible new recipes to add to your Christmas baking arsenal. So bake away! If you have time do a little decorating and make merry too.

Christmas Apple Muffins

Frosted Marshmallow Brownies

Chocolate Cola Cake

Blueberry Oat Muffins

Cake Balls

However you decide to make merry this holiday season, visit our site's Holiday Recipes section to find some new ways to add to the merriment! Connect with us on Facebook to share your favorite holiday baking recipe or visit Alicia's Recipes for all sorts of Dessert ideas!

Baked Ham with Pepsi Cola Sauce

Today's recipe is...

Baked Ham with Pepsi Cola Sauce

12 oz. Pepsi Cola
1 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Dash Tabasco sauce
1 mashed clove garlic

Mix together. 1/2 semi boneless or boneless ham, can also be used for canned ham. Ham scored and studded with cloves, bake in moderate oven 325 degrees for 1 hour. Baste with sauce. Baste with sauce very 15 minutes. When serving, use sauce over sliced ham.

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Pumpkin-cream Cheese Jelly Roll

Today's recipe is...

Pumpkin-cream Cheese Jelly Roll

ROLL
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 each eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin pie filling
1 confectioners' sugar

FILLING
12 oz cream cheese, at room temp.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate
1 pieces
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds,
1 toasted and coarsely chopped

Prepare Roll:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line jelly-roll pan with waxed paper. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl at medium speed for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Beat in sugar, a tablespoon at a time; continue beating until very thick and lemon colored, 5 to 7 minutes. On lowest speed, beat in pumpkin just until blended. With rubber spatula, fold in flour mixture in 2 batches. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until top of cake springs back when lightly touched in center. Generously sieve confectioners' sugar over clean kitchen towel. When cake is done, immediately loosen edges; invert onto towel. Remove waxed paper. Sprinkle cake with additional confectioners' sugar. From a short end, roll up cake with towel, jelly-roll fashion. Let cool on wire rack
for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare filling:
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in bowl for 5 to 8 minutes until creamy. Stir in chocolate and almonds. Unroll cake. Spread with cheese mixture. Reroll without towel. Refrigerate at least for 4 hours or overnight, covered.



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Christmas Crescent Cookies

Today's recipe is...

Christmas Crescent Cookies

1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks)
2 c. flour
2 c. chopped pecans
5 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla and water. Sift flour and salt, stir into mixture. Add pecans and mix well. Shape into size of walnut and shape into crescent. Bake slowly at 325 degrees about 20 minutes. While warm, roll into powdered sugar.


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Buckeye Candy

Today's recipe is...

Buckeye Candy

18 oz. creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 boxes powdered sugar
1/2 lb. butter
1/2 stick paraffin (may substitute shortening)
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Mix together first 3 ingredients and roll into small balls. Put a toothpick in each one and lay on wax paper. Refrigerate until cold. Melt paraffin and chocolate chips in double broiler. Dip balls into chocolate and place in refrigerator. Great for Christmas time gifts.


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Baked Ham and Piquant Orange Sauce

Today's recipe is...

Baked Ham and Piquant Orange Sauce

5 lb. smoked ham
Whole cloves
Brown sugar
6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
6 oz. sliced onions
2 tbsp. water
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cubes instant beef bouillon
3 c. water
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 tsp. orange peel
2 tsp. mustard

Place ham on rack in roasting pan. Score ham with knife. Stud with cloves, sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 325 degrees 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Baste with orange juice. In non-stick skillet, heat onions, garlic, broth until slightly brown. Add water and tomato paste, cook until sauce is reduced 1/3. Stir in mustard and orange peel. Makes 12 servings.


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Amish Pumpkin Bread

Today's recipe is...

Amish Pumpkin Bread

3 c. granulated sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 lb. canned pumpkin
3-1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. water
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt (scant)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. EACH: cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg

Mix sugar, oil and eggs together. Add pumpkin. Then add dry ingredient and finally water, stirring just until mixed. Pour batter into two (2) greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake  at 350 degrees for one (1) hour. Especially good spread with cream cheese.

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Cranberry Caramel Bars

Today's recipe is...

Cranberry Caramel Bars

1 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups uncooked regular oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 (10-ounce) package chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 (12-ounce) jar caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 13x9x2 pan with aluminum foil, leaving a little overhang, and you can lift bars out to cut with no problem.

Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl with the cranberries and set aside. Combine 2 cups of flour and the next four ingredients. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture and set aside. Press remaining mixture into bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish or pan (use a piece of wax paper placed over the top to press down the mixture). Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with dates, pecans, and the cranberry mixture. Stir the caramel sauce and the remaining 1/3 cup flour together until smooth, spoon over cranberries. Sprinkle with the reserved 1 cup flour mixture. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool on a wire rack. Lift out of pan with foil overhang. Cut into bars, makes approximately 24

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Sweet Potato Pudding

Today's recipe is...

Sweet Potato Pudding

1 lg. sweet potato, grated
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
3 eggs

Beat sugar, eggs, milk, add other ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a dish greased with a little butter.

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Sweet Potato Custard Pie

Today's recipe is...

Sweet Potato Custard Pie

4 med. sweet potatoes
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
6 lg. marshmallows, quartered
1 c. grated coconut

Bake or boil sweet potatoes; when well done mix with sugar and butter; add marshmallows and grated coconut. Pour into pie shell and bake 1 hour in 350 degree oven.

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Pumpkin Pie

Today's recipe is...

Pumpkin Pie

Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated skim milk
3 eggs
5-1/2 teaspoons EqualÆ for Recipes or 18 packets EqualÆ sweetener or 3/4 cup EqualÆ Spoonfulô
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Roll pastry on floured surface into circle 1 inch larger than inverted 9-inch pie pan. Ease into pan; trim and flute edge. Beat pumpkin, evaporated milk and eggs in medium bowl; beat in remaining ingredients. Pour into pastry shell. Bake in preheated 425oF oven 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350oF and bake until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes 8 servings.

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Sweet Potato Balls

Today's recipe is...

Sweet Potato Balls

2 c. cooked sweet potatoes
6 marshmallows
2 c. prepared cereal crumbs

Mash sweet potatoes and season to taste; shape into balls, roll in crumbs. Place on broiler grill until brown. Turn, place a marshmallow on top of each ball, brown lightly. If desired you can place a marshmallow in the center of the balls, then roll in the crumbs and broil.

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Brine For Truffled Turkey

Today's recipe is...

Brine For Truffled Turkey

2 gallons cold water
1 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon peppercorns

Pour the cold water into a 5 gallon bucket or stock pot. (If you're using a bucket, make sure its been thoroughly cleaned). Dissolve the salt and sugar in a little bit of warm water, and add it to the cold water. Add the peppercorns and any other seasoning you might want to flavor the bird. Place the bird breast-side down in the bucket and cover. Store the bucket in a cold, dry place (like your refrigerator) and turn the bird once during brining. A 10-pound turkey should brine about 6 to 10 hours. A breast should soak for at least 4 hours and a duck for 2 hours. Once brining is done, pat the meat dry and cook it immediately.

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Pumpkin Pie

Today's recipe is...

Pumpkin Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

With mixer or blender, mix above ingredients. Pour into prepared pie crusts and bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes. Makes two

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Christmas Butter Cookies

Today's recipe is...

Christmas Butter Cookies

1-1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 c. margarine
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
Cookie decorations

Mix sugar and margarine; add egg and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Mix flour, soda and cream of tartar; blend. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Roll a portion of dough into 1/8-inch thickness; cut into desired shapes. Sprinkle on decorations. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

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Holiday Chicken Salad

Today's recipe is...

Holiday Chicken Salad

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour.
Makes 12 servings

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