Christmas Stollen

Ingredients

 

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup currants
• 1/3 cup sultana raisins
• 1/3 cup red candied cherries, quartered
• 2/3 cup diced candied citron
• 6 ounces marzipan
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the egg, white sugar, salt, butter, and 2 cups bread flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has begun to pull together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in the currants, raisins, dried cherries, and citrus peel. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the marzipan into a rope and place it in the center of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal. Place the loaf, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow loaf to cool on a wire rack. Dust the cooled loaf with confectioners' sugar, and sprinkle with the cinnamon
6.  
7.  

Pecan Tassies

Ingredients

• 2 cups margarine
• 4 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the margarine and cream cheese until well blended. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Roll into small balls, and press into the bottoms and sides of tart pans or mini muffin pans.
3. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the pecans. Use a spoon to fill each of the crusts 2/3 full with the filling mixture.
4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, until shell is light brown, and the filling has puffed up. Cool, and carefully remove from pans. 
5.  
6.  

Gingerbread Houses

Planning and Building
Here are supplies you'll need:

• The pattern
• Gingerbread dough: double the recipe
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheets
• Aluminum foil
• Plywood base or heavy cardboard, doubled to support the house
• Royal icing, recipe doubled
• Pastry bags and decorating tips
• Butter knife, palette knife or flat sandwich spreader
• A damp cloth for quick clean-ups
• Glue gun (optional)
   

Helpful tips:

• Allow a weekend to complete the house
• Have all supplies ready
• Read all instructions before you begin: you will need to double the gingerbread recipe to have enough dough
• Allow the gingerbread to cool thoroughly before assembling
• Make icing ahead of time
• Keep icing covered with a clean damp cloth (touching icing) and plastic wrap at all times to prevent it from drying out
• Adjust the consistency of the icing by adding more egg whites if the icing is too dry or more powdered sugar if it is too wet. It should be thick and stiff.
• Prepare the base for your house by covering plywood or heavy cardboard with several layers of foil
• Use canned goods from the pantry to stabilize the walls during assembly; remove them before adding the roof
  

The house that Jack built
Visualize the "yard." Will you have a walkway? Trees? A fence? Set the house at an angle for a pleasing presentation.
When assembling, apply a generous amount of icing to one side of the joint and press an un-iced side to the edge and hold until set. (See step-by-step articles for more photos.)
Apply icing-glue to the bottom of your pieces for more stability; adhere them to the foil/plywood base.
Allow 30 minutes for the front, side walls and back of house to dry and firmly set before adding the roof.
You'll need an extra pair of hands when adding and securing the roof.
Allow house to dry completely before decorating: a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Problems?
Don't worry; you'll be able to fill gaps and cover errors later with more icing and decorations.
A fool-proof assembly method, if you're not going to eat the gingerbread, is to use a glue gun. Use icing to finish the look.
Icing can be kept at room temperature overnight. Be sure it is well-covered with a damp cloth and plastic wrap.

Polenta-Blueberry Cakes

Polenta-Blueberry Cakes

Helpful tips Have a plan for decorating. Think about how you want your house to look and what candy should go where. Have candy and decorating supplies ready. Save time and make accessory items ahead of time: snowmen, trees, carts, candles and fences can be made while you're waiting for the house to dry. Apply candy decorations by putting a small dab of icing to the underside of the candy and hold it in place until set. Use extra dough scraps for decorative cut-outs. Keep the tip of your pastry bag covered with a damp cloth in between decorating to prevent hardening. Use tweezers to adhere small items to the house. You may need super glue to adhere top-heavy items, like lamp posts. Storage Help your house survive the nibbles of your children! Moisture is a decorated cookie's worst enemy: display the house in a cool dry place. Cover at night to seal out moisture and dust; lightly drape a clean trash bag over the house and base. Gingerbread houses can last up to a year, if you choose not to eat them. Spray with a clear lacquer for maximum protection. Cover with a plastic bag and store in a box with some Styrofoam “peanuts” to protect house from damage. Turkey Brine Ingredients 1 gallon vegetable broth 1 cup sea salt 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary 1 tablespoon dried sage 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon dried savory 1 gallon ice water Directions In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water. Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine. Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge    Spicy Sausage Skillet Breakfast 1  cup  Mahatma® or Carolina® Whole Grain Brown Rice 1  package (16 to 19 oz.) hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed 1  cup  onion, chopped 1  can (10 oz.) tomatoes with green chilies, undrained 1  cup  (4 oz.) shredded reduced fat Monterrey Jack cheese Preparation Prepare rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking, cook sausage in large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Break up sausage and stir occasionally. Cook for 12 minutes or until done. Drain and keep sausage hot. In same skillet, cook onion 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, sausage and cooked rice and heat thoroughly. Top rice and sausage mixture with cheese. RECIPE IDEA: To make this a main dish recipe, add a can of drained brown or black beans. And, or, add a can of drained whole kernel corn. Calories: 350 /serving Total fat: 17 g Trans fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 70 mg Sodium: 810 mg Carbohydrates: 26 g Fiber: 2 g  Protein: 25 g Honeyed Yogurt and Mixed Berries with Whole-Grain Waffles Ingredients 2  cups  vanilla low-fat yogurt 2  tablespoons  honey 2  cups  fresh raspberries 1  cup  quartered small strawberries 1  cup  fresh blackberries 1/3  cup  sugar 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice 4  frozen whole-grain waffles, toasted 4  teaspoons  toasted wheat germ Preparation Drain yogurt in a fine sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth for 10 minutes; spoon into a bowl. Add honey, stirring to combine. Combine berries, sugar, and juice; let stand 5 minutes. Place 1 waffle on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 cup fruit mixture, about 1/3 cup yogurt mixture, and 1 teaspoon wheat germ. Serve immediately. Nutritional Information Calories: 377 (16% from fat) Fat: 6.8g (sat 2.3g,mono 2.3g,poly 1.6g) Protein: 11.5g Carbohydrate: 71.6g Fiber: 8.3g Cholesterol: 43mg Iron: 1.9mg Sodium: 214mg Calcium: 345mg             Crazy for Cranberries Prep: 10 min. For the best presentation, choose an orange that has the same diameter as the cranberry sauce. Yield: Makes 4 servings Ingredients 1  (16-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce 4  (1/4-inch-thick) fresh navel orange slices Garnishes: fresh cranberries, mint sprigs Preparation Remove cranberry sauce gently from can, leaving cylinder intact. Cut sauce crosswise into 4 equal portions, and place each on a small plate. Top each portion with 1 orange slice. Garnish, if desired.       Polenta-Blueberry Cakes    If you're using frozen blueberries, there's no need to thaw before folding them into the batter. Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 cake) Ingredients 1  cup  all-purpose flour 3  tablespoons  yellow cornmeal 1/4  teaspoon  salt 1/4  teaspoon  baking powder 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda 1/2  cup  granulated sugar 1/4  cup  butter, softened 1  large egg 2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind 2/3  cup  low-fat buttermilk 1/2  cup  fresh or frozen blueberries 1  tablespoon  all-purpose flour Cooking spray 1/2  cup  powdered sugar 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice Preparation Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour and the next 4 ingredients (1 cup flour through baking soda), stirring well with a whisk. Place the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add egg and lemon rind; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour, and fold into batter. Spoon the batter into 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 14 minutes or until the cakes spring back when touched lightly in center. Combine powdered sugar and juice, and drizzle over warm cakes. Nutritional Information Calories: 75 (28% from fat) Fat: 2.3g (sat 1.3g,mono 0.7g,poly 0.1g) Protein: 1.2g Carbohydrate: 12.6g Fiber: 0.3g Cholesterol: 15mg Iron: 0.4mg Sodium: 73mg Calcium: 13mg