by Bruce Chambers
CONTENTS
CHRISTMAS INFORMATION
GRANDMA'S WRAPPED TURKEY
WEIGHTS, ROASTING TIMES
TURKEY
GRANDMA'S BAKED HAM AND APPLES
AUNT PAT'S BUTTER TARTS
MOM'S MINCEMEAT COOKIES
GARLIC BUTTER
GRANDMA'S SHORTBREAD
LIGHTSIDE
WARNING
FOOD INFORMATION
RESPONSIBLE DRINKING, BAR MIXES
CHRISTMAS INFORMATION
The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass." Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion.
Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the Yule log, the giving of gifts, carollers' who sing while going from house to house, the feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back 4000 years.
In 350 AD Julius1, a Bishop in Rome chooses December 25th, as the observation of Christmas.
Both Australia's and New Zealand, Christmas occurs during summer and is celebrated at the beach.
Christmas celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681, however residents of Virginia and New York celebrated the Christmas holiday freely.
Christmas was declared a U.S. federal holiday in 1870.
Many public buildings once commonly included Nativity scenes. By doing so the practice led to lawsuits, claiming the government was endorsing a religion.
In 1984 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a city-owned Christmas display, including a Nativity scene did not violate the First Amendment.
For a complete history on Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Christmas Customs, Carols, crafts, click on the link below: http://www.ask.com/web?q=christmas+history&qsrc=8
Christmas Around The World. History from most countries. http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm
GRANDMA'S WRAPPED TURKEY
Place dressed turnkey, breast up in centre of greased, wide, heavy foil. Bring ends of foil up over breast.
Overlap fold and press up against ends of turkey. Place bird in shallow pan.
Open foil last 20 minutes to brown. Bake at 450 F, (230 C) according to timetable.
Weights Roasting Times
Ready To Cook Weight. Roasting Time.
8 - 10 lbs. 2 ¼ - 2 ½ hours.
10 - 12 lbs. 2 ½ - 3 hours.
14 - 16 lbs. 3 - 3 ¼ hours.
18 - 20 lbs. 3 ¼ - 3 ½ hours.
22 - 24 lbs. 3 ½ - 3 ¾ hours.
TURKEY
1 whole turkey fresh or thawed (12 -13 lbs.) 1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of mixture of fresh chopped herbs (thyme, tarragon, sage summer savoury etc.) Salt and pepper
1 whole peeled onion
Mix the butter and herbs and set aside.
Clean the turkey inside and outside and drain dry. Using your hands, slide through the skin and the meat of the breast and thighs as much as you can. Now take knobs of the herbed butter and spread it all over underneath the skin and onto the breasts and thighs. Also rub some of the butter all over the outside skin as well. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the bird and inside cavity. Put the whole onion into the cavity of the bird. Put the bird onto a disposable aluminum-roasting pan and put it into a hot BBQ, cooking it using indirect heat. Ensure the BBQ is about 325 -350 degrees throughout the cooking process. Adjust temperature if needed. Baste every ½ -hour for about 2 hours until temperature reads 180° at the thigh level. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil loosely around the pan if the skin is browning too fast. Let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.
Cooking time two hours
GRANDMA'S BAKED HAM AND APPLES
2 large slices of ham steak.
2 teaspoons……………..(10 ml)………………….prepared mustard.
4 tablespoons………….(60 ml)……………………brown sugar.
2 tart apples.
1 ½ cups…………………………(375 ml)…………………apple juice.
Place the ham in baking dish and rub with mustard. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons (30 ml), of brown sugar. Core the apple and cut into thin slices. Cover the ham with the apple slices and sprinkle with rest of brown sugar. Add apple juice. Bake at 300 F, (150 C), for 30 minutes or until tender.
YIELD: 4-5 servings. TIME: 40 minutes.
AUNT PAT'S FAVOURITE BUTTER TARTS
1/3-cup ………………………(80 ml) …………………butter.
1-cup………………………………(250 ml)…………………brown sugar.
2 tablespoons…………(30 ml)……………………milk or cream.
1/3 cup……………………….(80 ml)……………………currants
1 egg beaten well.
1 teaspoon……………….(5 ml)………………………vanilla.
Mix all ingredients together. Put in unbaked tart shells. Bake at 450 F, (230 C), for 8 minutes. Turn down to 350 F, (175 C), and cook until brown.
MOM'S MINCEMEAT COOKIES
¾ cup............(185 ml)........shortening
1 ½ cups.........(375 ml).....sugar
3 eggs beaten
3 cups.........(750 ml).......flour
¾ teaspoon.....(3.75 ml)......salt
1 teaspoon.....(4 ml).........soda
1 cup..........(250 ml........canned mincemeat
3 tablespoons..(45 ml).......water
1 cup.........(250 ml)........walnuts
GRANDMA"S SHORTBREAD
1-cup butter 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup fruit sugar
In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add sugar to creamed butter and cream the mixture together. Slowly mix in 1 ½ cups of the flour. Place mixture on clean surface and knead in the remaining flour. Spread mixture in an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Alternatively, you can form them into 2 big cookies, each ½ inch thick, and place on a non-stick baking tray. Using a fork, punch holes all over mixture. Bake at 300°F for 40-45 minutes.
LIGHTSIDE
A priest dies and is in line at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter asked the guy ahead of him his name. The guy replies, "I am Sam Horton, taxi driver from New York." Saint Pater gives him a silken robe and golden staff and said, "Enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
Now it's the priest's turn. He booms out " I am the Right Reverend Anderson." Saint Peter gives him a cotton robe and a wooden staff, and says to the Priest, "Enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Taken back the priest asks, " That man was a taxi driver why does he get a silken robe and golden staff".
"Results," Said Saint Peter. "While you preached, people slept. When the taxi driver drove, people prayed.
WARNING DEEP-FRYING CRAZE With the coming of Christmas people can do themselves serious injury attempting to deep-fry their turkey. In the past deep-frying has burned down houses and put cooks in hospital.
Deep-fried turkey is juicy, and better tasting. However with this high-risk method of cooking, besides the above, your turkey can end up charred by the resulting inferno.
There is an advantage of deep-frying due to its speed. Cooking time is 3 1/2 minutes per pound. A big turkey is done in less then an hour. If you are going to deep-fry your turkey use a commercial pressurized fryer, rather than vats on a stand.
FOOD INFORMATION
Improper food storage (inadequate refrigeration temperature or hot holding temperature). Safe refrigeration temperature is less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and safe hot holding temperature is greater than 140 degrees Fahrenheit. * Improper washing of hands and fingernails. * Improper cooling of foods. Safe cooling of foods is getting the foods to less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit within a four-hour time period. * Cross-contamination (such as from uncooked meat to salad ingredients). * Improper cleaning and sanitizing of eating and cooking utensils, work areas and equipment. * Contamination of food, utensils and equipment from flies, roaches and other pests.
Tips to prepare turkeys safely: * A whole turkey should be cooked at an oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit. * An 8-12 pound unstuffed turkey should be cooked for 2-3 hours. * Preparers should use a meat thermometer. Every part of the turkey should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Frozen turkeys should be kept frozen until ready to thaw. Price Check out the latest prices, compare, by clicking on:
www.shopping.com
www.dealtime.com
RESPONSIBLE DRINKING
If you have teenagers, or in fact any adult, impress on them the risks of driving while intoxicated. Statistics demonstrate many fatal road accidents are caused by drunk drivers.
If you're having a Christmas party, provide food with drinks. Offer non-alcoholic substitutes such as fruit, soft drinks.
2 drinks taken within an hour by a person 100 pounds produces a 075 reading. One drink is equal to about 1.5 oz. of whisky or 2 bottles of beer. The rate of elimination for each hour after drinking has stopped is 015. A 200-pound person, after 1 drink produces a reading of .019, so you can see there is a big difference due to weight.
As a host it is your duty to make sure no one leaves your party impaired. Have some one drive them home.
BAR MIXES, Drinks
EGGNOG
4 eggs, 4 cups milk, 4 tablespoons lemon juice ½ cup cream. 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup sugar.
Beat eggs until thick and lemon colour
Add sugar, nutmeg, and lemon juice
Add ice-cold milk and cream
Beat with rotary beater until frothy
Makes: 6 large glasses
Christmas Juice Punch.
2 quarts apple juice.
2 quarts cranberry juice.
8 oz. lemon juice.
8 oz. Sugar.
2 bottles ginger ale.
Combine everything except the ginger ale. Stir well. Add ginger ale plus chunks of ice before serving.
BLIZZARD.
3 ounces bourbon.
1 ounce cranberry juice.
1 teaspoon lemon juice.
2 teaspoons sugar syrup.
4 ounces crushed ice.
Combine in blender until the drink is thick. Serve straight up.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Some Best Christmas Foods To Remember!
by neelkamal2008
If you're planning any kind of family Christmas or Yuletide celebration this year, especially if you're hosting the event. Or even if you're thinking of what you need to do in terms of preparing food for a family gathering then now, the beginning of November, is where you need to begin your cooking. Many Christmas cakes and confectionaries need to be prepared well in advance so that they can be allowed time to mature. This is particularly the case with rich fruit based cakes and puddings such as Christmas cake, for more details visit to www.300-dip-recipes.com Twelfth Night Cake and Christmas Puddings. Even Stollens are better if stored for a week or two before consumption.
With that in mind, and to help you with your festive planning here are some classic Christmas recipes for you. This first is for the traditional Twelfth Nigh cake, which is typically served at Epiphany, or the Twelfth Nigh but which can also double as a rich Christmas cake: Twelfth Night Cake
Ingredients: 350g butter 350g caster sugar 6 eggs, beaten 75ml brandy 350g plain flour 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 700g mixed dried fruit 50g blanched almonds, chopped 45g apricot conserve or apricot jam 900g almond paste (or marzipan) 4 egg whites 900g icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp glycerine glacé fruit, candied angelica and silver balls, to decorate
Method: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition then add the brandy. Fold-in the flour, spices, fruit and nuts. Grease a deep 25cm cake tin and line the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper. Tip the cake mixture into this and tap to remove any trapped air. Place the cake in an oven pre-heated to 150°C and bake for about 2.5 hours, for more details visit to www.chicken-wing-cookbook.com or until the cake is firm to the touch. If the top of the cake darkens too quickly cover with a sheet of folded greaseproof paper about half-way through the cooking. Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool in its tin for 30 minutes then tip onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Once cold cover the surface of the cake with the apricot preserve or apricot jam. Roll out the almond paste and cut just enough of the paste to go around the side of the cake. Then roll the remainder of the paste out and use to cover the top of the cake. Allow the cake to set for at least two days then prepare the icing by lightly beating the egg whites and incorporating the icing sugar into this to form a stiff paste. Add the lemon juice and glycerine and incorporate well. Then, using a palette knife spread the icing all the way around the sides and top of the cake. Place in a tin and allow to set for at least two days. When ready form a crescent of the candied fruit and anjelica on top of the cake and decorate with the silver balls.
The next recipe is a 'twist' on the classic Christmas pudding that I call the 'Roman Christmas Pudding'. It's a traditional rich Christmas pudding but made with ingredients that the Romans would have had to hand. It also uses the classic Roman combination of fish sauce and pepper in desserts. This has been so successful a recipe that I have to make it for the family every year now! www.resale-rights-profits.com www.resale-rights-explained.com
If you're planning any kind of family Christmas or Yuletide celebration this year, especially if you're hosting the event. Or even if you're thinking of what you need to do in terms of preparing food for a family gathering then now, the beginning of November, is where you need to begin your cooking. Many Christmas cakes and confectionaries need to be prepared well in advance so that they can be allowed time to mature. This is particularly the case with rich fruit based cakes and puddings such as Christmas cake, for more details visit to www.300-dip-recipes.com Twelfth Night Cake and Christmas Puddings. Even Stollens are better if stored for a week or two before consumption.
With that in mind, and to help you with your festive planning here are some classic Christmas recipes for you. This first is for the traditional Twelfth Nigh cake, which is typically served at Epiphany, or the Twelfth Nigh but which can also double as a rich Christmas cake: Twelfth Night Cake
Ingredients: 350g butter 350g caster sugar 6 eggs, beaten 75ml brandy 350g plain flour 1 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 700g mixed dried fruit 50g blanched almonds, chopped 45g apricot conserve or apricot jam 900g almond paste (or marzipan) 4 egg whites 900g icing sugar 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp glycerine glacé fruit, candied angelica and silver balls, to decorate
Method: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition then add the brandy. Fold-in the flour, spices, fruit and nuts. Grease a deep 25cm cake tin and line the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper. Tip the cake mixture into this and tap to remove any trapped air. Place the cake in an oven pre-heated to 150°C and bake for about 2.5 hours, for more details visit to www.chicken-wing-cookbook.com or until the cake is firm to the touch. If the top of the cake darkens too quickly cover with a sheet of folded greaseproof paper about half-way through the cooking. Remove the cake from the oven, allow to cool in its tin for 30 minutes then tip onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Once cold cover the surface of the cake with the apricot preserve or apricot jam. Roll out the almond paste and cut just enough of the paste to go around the side of the cake. Then roll the remainder of the paste out and use to cover the top of the cake. Allow the cake to set for at least two days then prepare the icing by lightly beating the egg whites and incorporating the icing sugar into this to form a stiff paste. Add the lemon juice and glycerine and incorporate well. Then, using a palette knife spread the icing all the way around the sides and top of the cake. Place in a tin and allow to set for at least two days. When ready form a crescent of the candied fruit and anjelica on top of the cake and decorate with the silver balls.
The next recipe is a 'twist' on the classic Christmas pudding that I call the 'Roman Christmas Pudding'. It's a traditional rich Christmas pudding but made with ingredients that the Romans would have had to hand. It also uses the classic Roman combination of fish sauce and pepper in desserts. This has been so successful a recipe that I have to make it for the family every year now! www.resale-rights-profits.com www.resale-rights-explained.com
Tips To Help You Throw The Best Christmas Party
by Mike Selvon
The smell of warm apple-cinnamon cider permeates the air, mingling with fresh pine as you traverse from the kitchen to the living room with your tray of hors d'oeuvres, including cheeses, fruits and breads. The soft sounds of Frank Sinatra, the laughter of children and the dull roar of a snowplow fill the background.
The soft glow of the Christmas lights emanate from the tree, illuminating the smiles of your family patriarchs and matriarchs. Is anything more glorious than a well-planned Christmas party?
As much as you'd like to think the laborious toilet scrubbing, the time-consuming tree decorating and the scrutinizing of invitations will be everyone's focus, let's face it, the heart of any party is the food. With the melange of details, you're likely to feel overwhelmed already, so you may want to consider making your party a potluck affair, where everyone brings a dish and you supply some of the basics.
Another no-fuss option is to just spend the extra money on a caterer to ensure the most anticipated part of your Xmas party goes off without a hitch. Try to aim for more appetizers or grab-and-go foods to minimize the amount of dishes, mess and seating arrangement hassles. Freshly baked bed, Brie and smoked Gouda cheese, bread dip, fruit trays, nuts and chocolates are all must-have hors d'oeuvres. For any main courses, be sure you stick to tested-tried-and-true recipes; now is not the time to experiment!
Don't forget the festive Christmas party drinks! The big bowl of holiday punch is always an easy answer, but there are so many other wintry libations to serve. For instance, you can make eggnog that will get grandma run over by adding some rum, brandy, whiskey or bourbon to the cream, eggs, sugar and nutmeg concoction. Or for a boozy take on apple cider, why not throw a little rum, butterscotch schnapps, apple pucker or cinnamon schnapps in the mix? There are many festive wines to choose from as well.
Red wine glogg is a fancy hot Swedish wine drink with aquavit or brandy. Generally, well-liked wines at Christmas parties include Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Sauvignons for reds, Pinot Grigios and Rieslings for whites, or a Zinfandel Blush. Other mixers should be available too: cola, tonic water, ginger ale, tomato juice, and coffee and tea. Be sure your guests know what to expect for the drink situation when they receive their invites so they know if they need to bring anything.
Be sure to be a good host at your Christmas party. Keep an eye out for people who've gone rotten on the nog and be sure you've got a collapsible cot or air mattress for them to crash at your pad for the night. You'll want to have some pancake mix or eggs on tap for the next morning in that case too.
Though it may seem like a lot of work, few things are more rewarding than throwing the party that everyone's oohing and aahing over for the next year. There's no better way to spread the holiday cheer this Christmas season than to be the party maestro yourself!
The smell of warm apple-cinnamon cider permeates the air, mingling with fresh pine as you traverse from the kitchen to the living room with your tray of hors d'oeuvres, including cheeses, fruits and breads. The soft sounds of Frank Sinatra, the laughter of children and the dull roar of a snowplow fill the background.
The soft glow of the Christmas lights emanate from the tree, illuminating the smiles of your family patriarchs and matriarchs. Is anything more glorious than a well-planned Christmas party?
As much as you'd like to think the laborious toilet scrubbing, the time-consuming tree decorating and the scrutinizing of invitations will be everyone's focus, let's face it, the heart of any party is the food. With the melange of details, you're likely to feel overwhelmed already, so you may want to consider making your party a potluck affair, where everyone brings a dish and you supply some of the basics.
Another no-fuss option is to just spend the extra money on a caterer to ensure the most anticipated part of your Xmas party goes off without a hitch. Try to aim for more appetizers or grab-and-go foods to minimize the amount of dishes, mess and seating arrangement hassles. Freshly baked bed, Brie and smoked Gouda cheese, bread dip, fruit trays, nuts and chocolates are all must-have hors d'oeuvres. For any main courses, be sure you stick to tested-tried-and-true recipes; now is not the time to experiment!
Don't forget the festive Christmas party drinks! The big bowl of holiday punch is always an easy answer, but there are so many other wintry libations to serve. For instance, you can make eggnog that will get grandma run over by adding some rum, brandy, whiskey or bourbon to the cream, eggs, sugar and nutmeg concoction. Or for a boozy take on apple cider, why not throw a little rum, butterscotch schnapps, apple pucker or cinnamon schnapps in the mix? There are many festive wines to choose from as well.
Red wine glogg is a fancy hot Swedish wine drink with aquavit or brandy. Generally, well-liked wines at Christmas parties include Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Sauvignons for reds, Pinot Grigios and Rieslings for whites, or a Zinfandel Blush. Other mixers should be available too: cola, tonic water, ginger ale, tomato juice, and coffee and tea. Be sure your guests know what to expect for the drink situation when they receive their invites so they know if they need to bring anything.
Be sure to be a good host at your Christmas party. Keep an eye out for people who've gone rotten on the nog and be sure you've got a collapsible cot or air mattress for them to crash at your pad for the night. You'll want to have some pancake mix or eggs on tap for the next morning in that case too.
Though it may seem like a lot of work, few things are more rewarding than throwing the party that everyone's oohing and aahing over for the next year. There's no better way to spread the holiday cheer this Christmas season than to be the party maestro yourself!
Christmas Desserts: Make Then With Splenda!
by mike cole
Before we begin "dishing" out some Christmas dessert recipes, let us talk about Splenda.
What is Splenda? Splenda is a sugar substitute. It gained popularity in 1998 when the United States Food and Drug Administration approved it for use in commercially prepared baking products. Sixty other countries have followed the initiative of the American FDA.
Rose Reisman, who wrote Secrets for Permanent Weight Loss (Whitecap Books, 2005) describes Splenda as a better choice sweetener. It contains sucralose which is the only sweetener made from sugar and the only sweetener that is not associated with health problems. It is not digested as a carbohydrate, so diabetics need not worry about experiencing a surge of insulin levels. People who have used Splenda say that one advantage it has over other sweeteners is that it retains its sweet taste even when heated.
Christmas Desserts Using Splenda
You may come across recipes that don't say Splenda; instead they will say "sucralose." They're one and the same. Splenda is available in most stores and come in tiny, yellow packets.
Recipe # 1: On a cold Christmas Eve morning, what better way to wake up sleepy heads with the aromatic smell of Pear Muffins coming straight from the oven?
Pear Muffins
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes Servings: yields 12 muffins Ingredients: Canola oil 2 cups self-rising flour 2 tsp baking powder ¾ cup sucralose 2/3 cup skim or low fat milk 2 eggs 2 ripe pears Procedure: Peel and mash the pears and set aside.
Prepare your muffin pan by greasing them with canola oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine self-rising flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the sucralose. In a separate bowl, blend together milk, oil and eggs. Combine this mixture with the flour mixture. Add the mashed pears. Blend all ingredients well. Spoon the batter into 12 individual muffin holes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
These muffins can be stored at room temperature and eaten the next day, but they are best eaten the same day!
Recipe # 2: Who doesn't love New York-style Cheesecake? It is such a popular dessert that food stores and supermarkets now sell it frozen, but why spoil the spirit of Christmas by serving frozen food? Make this recipe and turn it into a labor of love. The children, grandchildren, cousins and uncles will love you for this New York-style cheesecake made from scratch!
New York-Style Cheesecake
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes Servings: 12 individual servings (recipe is not for a whole cheese cake) Ingredients: 1-3/4 cups Ricotta cheese 3 oz light or low-fat cream cheese ½ cup sour cream 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp lemon zest 2/3 cup Splenda 3 tsbp lemon juice (preferably fresh) 3 tbsp all purpose flour
For garnish: your favorite berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries) and icing sugar.
Procedure: Line your muffin pan with muffin paper cups. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Soften the cream cheese and combine with the ricotta cheese in a food processor. Add the sour cream, egg, vanilla, lemon juice (and zest), flour and Splenda. Make sure mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour into individual muffin holes.
Put the muffin tin in a larger pan containing hot water. The hot water must come up to 1/3 or halfway up the sides of the muffin tray. Put in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, take out the muffin tray from the larger tray. Set aside and let cool. Refrigerate for an hour or two. Top with garnish before serving. You can use the berries as they are, or you can mash them so they cover the top and glide on the side.
Recipe # 3: Spent the whole day in the mall for Boxing Day specials and forgot about dessert tonight? Here is a recipe for a chocolate cake. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your cupboard so no need to dash out again.
Simple & Quick Chocolate Cake
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups flour 2/3 cup sucralose Pinch of salt 1 tsp baking soda 3 tbsp hot chocolate powder mix (any hot chocolate mix will do) 1 tbsp vinegar 8 tbsp canola oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup water (or 1 cup skim milk, if you prefer)
Procedure:
Sift the flour, baking soda, sucralose, salt and hot chocolate powder together. Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Blend well. Pour into an 8 inch round baking pan. Bake at 350 degree F for 30 minutes. Let cool and serve with your favorite topping.
Note: Instead of icing, you can use English devonshire cream. Spoon a few tablespoons into the dessert platter, enough for a slice of cake to sit on. Also, if you have left over slivered almonds or crushed walnuts, you can throw them into the batter.
Before we begin "dishing" out some Christmas dessert recipes, let us talk about Splenda.
What is Splenda? Splenda is a sugar substitute. It gained popularity in 1998 when the United States Food and Drug Administration approved it for use in commercially prepared baking products. Sixty other countries have followed the initiative of the American FDA.
Rose Reisman, who wrote Secrets for Permanent Weight Loss (Whitecap Books, 2005) describes Splenda as a better choice sweetener. It contains sucralose which is the only sweetener made from sugar and the only sweetener that is not associated with health problems. It is not digested as a carbohydrate, so diabetics need not worry about experiencing a surge of insulin levels. People who have used Splenda say that one advantage it has over other sweeteners is that it retains its sweet taste even when heated.
Christmas Desserts Using Splenda
You may come across recipes that don't say Splenda; instead they will say "sucralose." They're one and the same. Splenda is available in most stores and come in tiny, yellow packets.
Recipe # 1: On a cold Christmas Eve morning, what better way to wake up sleepy heads with the aromatic smell of Pear Muffins coming straight from the oven?
Pear Muffins
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes Servings: yields 12 muffins Ingredients: Canola oil 2 cups self-rising flour 2 tsp baking powder ¾ cup sucralose 2/3 cup skim or low fat milk 2 eggs 2 ripe pears Procedure: Peel and mash the pears and set aside.
Prepare your muffin pan by greasing them with canola oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine self-rising flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the sucralose. In a separate bowl, blend together milk, oil and eggs. Combine this mixture with the flour mixture. Add the mashed pears. Blend all ingredients well. Spoon the batter into 12 individual muffin holes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
These muffins can be stored at room temperature and eaten the next day, but they are best eaten the same day!
Recipe # 2: Who doesn't love New York-style Cheesecake? It is such a popular dessert that food stores and supermarkets now sell it frozen, but why spoil the spirit of Christmas by serving frozen food? Make this recipe and turn it into a labor of love. The children, grandchildren, cousins and uncles will love you for this New York-style cheesecake made from scratch!
New York-Style Cheesecake
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes Servings: 12 individual servings (recipe is not for a whole cheese cake) Ingredients: 1-3/4 cups Ricotta cheese 3 oz light or low-fat cream cheese ½ cup sour cream 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp lemon zest 2/3 cup Splenda 3 tsbp lemon juice (preferably fresh) 3 tbsp all purpose flour
For garnish: your favorite berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries) and icing sugar.
Procedure: Line your muffin pan with muffin paper cups. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Soften the cream cheese and combine with the ricotta cheese in a food processor. Add the sour cream, egg, vanilla, lemon juice (and zest), flour and Splenda. Make sure mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour into individual muffin holes.
Put the muffin tin in a larger pan containing hot water. The hot water must come up to 1/3 or halfway up the sides of the muffin tray. Put in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, take out the muffin tray from the larger tray. Set aside and let cool. Refrigerate for an hour or two. Top with garnish before serving. You can use the berries as they are, or you can mash them so they cover the top and glide on the side.
Recipe # 3: Spent the whole day in the mall for Boxing Day specials and forgot about dessert tonight? Here is a recipe for a chocolate cake. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your cupboard so no need to dash out again.
Simple & Quick Chocolate Cake
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups flour 2/3 cup sucralose Pinch of salt 1 tsp baking soda 3 tbsp hot chocolate powder mix (any hot chocolate mix will do) 1 tbsp vinegar 8 tbsp canola oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup water (or 1 cup skim milk, if you prefer)
Procedure:
Sift the flour, baking soda, sucralose, salt and hot chocolate powder together. Add the rest of the wet ingredients. Blend well. Pour into an 8 inch round baking pan. Bake at 350 degree F for 30 minutes. Let cool and serve with your favorite topping.
Note: Instead of icing, you can use English devonshire cream. Spoon a few tablespoons into the dessert platter, enough for a slice of cake to sit on. Also, if you have left over slivered almonds or crushed walnuts, you can throw them into the batter.
What is traditional Christmas cooking
by MK SERVE
What is traditional Christmas cooking? Well, that depends on you and your family. Tradition is something you make up as you go along. A traditional Christmas is what is traditional in your home. It may be a recipe handed down from your great grandmother or it may be something you thought of in a desperate hurry last Christmas Eve. Anything can become a tradition. What makes something traditional depends on how we feel about it.
That said, once something becomes traditional then you change it at your peril. If your children expect to come home to stir the Christmas pudding and put in the family favors then you had better not change it. For more details www.cooking-chinese-style.com .They may be away at college or carving out a big career for themselves in the city but they will still expect Christmas to be the Christmas they remember. Christmas cooking is a big part, maybe the biggest part, of the way we remember Christmas.
Every part of Christmas is accompanied by food of one sort or another. The tastes and smells of that food fixes the memory of Christmas in our minds. That smell of cinnamon or hot sugar. If we catch a hint of it anywhere at anytime we are transported instantly back in time to a Christmas kitchen of our childhood. That is the power of traditional Christmas cooking.
I remember how when my mother-in-law was alive and would come to us for Christmas dinner, I had to cook a big traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Turkey seemed a very dry meat to me so I looked through one of my cookery books and found a recipe that involved glazing the turkey with apricot jam for the last 15 minutes of cooking. As a "proper" cook I was appalled, but it seemed to work, so every year I poured a pot of apricot jam over my turkey and, I have to confess, it was delicious.
When my mother-in-law died I saw the opportunity to change our family's traditional Christmas cooking routine. At last my culinary skills would find true expression in a Christmas dinner that would be original and exciting. No more apricot jam for me. I would amaze family and friends with my creations. For more details www.atkins-diets-recipes.com But no matter what I tried in subsequent years nothing was quite as good as the old turkey recipe with its apricot jam. It had become part of our family's traditional Christmas cooking. So I gave in and everyone was much happier, even me.
However good a cook you are and whatever new recipes you may attempt in the rest of the year Christmas is a time to come back to traditional Christmas cooking whatever that might be for you and your family. There is a profound wisdom in that which cooks too easily forget. When we cook we are engaging in one of the great acts of social ritual. We are not just cooking for ourselves we are cooking for other people. Our Christmas dinner table expresses not just our skill but our human relationships. Traditional Christmas cooking encapsulates all those relationships, gathered over the years, with people still living and people long since dead that go into making us what we are. At Christmas ghosts sit down at out tables. Traditional Christmas cooking makes sure they are happy ones.
www.chef-123.com
www.150-venison-recipes.com
What is traditional Christmas cooking? Well, that depends on you and your family. Tradition is something you make up as you go along. A traditional Christmas is what is traditional in your home. It may be a recipe handed down from your great grandmother or it may be something you thought of in a desperate hurry last Christmas Eve. Anything can become a tradition. What makes something traditional depends on how we feel about it.
That said, once something becomes traditional then you change it at your peril. If your children expect to come home to stir the Christmas pudding and put in the family favors then you had better not change it. For more details www.cooking-chinese-style.com .They may be away at college or carving out a big career for themselves in the city but they will still expect Christmas to be the Christmas they remember. Christmas cooking is a big part, maybe the biggest part, of the way we remember Christmas.
Every part of Christmas is accompanied by food of one sort or another. The tastes and smells of that food fixes the memory of Christmas in our minds. That smell of cinnamon or hot sugar. If we catch a hint of it anywhere at anytime we are transported instantly back in time to a Christmas kitchen of our childhood. That is the power of traditional Christmas cooking.
I remember how when my mother-in-law was alive and would come to us for Christmas dinner, I had to cook a big traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Turkey seemed a very dry meat to me so I looked through one of my cookery books and found a recipe that involved glazing the turkey with apricot jam for the last 15 minutes of cooking. As a "proper" cook I was appalled, but it seemed to work, so every year I poured a pot of apricot jam over my turkey and, I have to confess, it was delicious.
When my mother-in-law died I saw the opportunity to change our family's traditional Christmas cooking routine. At last my culinary skills would find true expression in a Christmas dinner that would be original and exciting. No more apricot jam for me. I would amaze family and friends with my creations. For more details www.atkins-diets-recipes.com But no matter what I tried in subsequent years nothing was quite as good as the old turkey recipe with its apricot jam. It had become part of our family's traditional Christmas cooking. So I gave in and everyone was much happier, even me.
However good a cook you are and whatever new recipes you may attempt in the rest of the year Christmas is a time to come back to traditional Christmas cooking whatever that might be for you and your family. There is a profound wisdom in that which cooks too easily forget. When we cook we are engaging in one of the great acts of social ritual. We are not just cooking for ourselves we are cooking for other people. Our Christmas dinner table expresses not just our skill but our human relationships. Traditional Christmas cooking encapsulates all those relationships, gathered over the years, with people still living and people long since dead that go into making us what we are. At Christmas ghosts sit down at out tables. Traditional Christmas cooking makes sure they are happy ones.
www.chef-123.com
www.150-venison-recipes.com
Cooking turkey meat for your Christmas meal Cooking Recipe
by Davi Sharma1
This turkey recipe uses brine techniques to bring forth turkey meat which is incredibly moist. Cooking this turkey meat for your Christmas meal will make you a hit both your friends and family. Home cooking has never never more exciting! For more details www.thanks-giving-recipes.com.In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in a salt solution (the brine) before cooking.
Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating. For more details www.300-chicken-recipe.com.Christmas Turkey Cooking RecipeJuicy Turkey Breast
Serves 8
For the brine:
16 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups coarse salt
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon pickling spices
For the turkey:
1 fresh breast, 9-11 pounds, deboned
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1. Combine the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sugar and salt dissolve. Cool to room temperature.
2. Rinse the turkey breast, discarding excess fat. Place in a deep bowl or pot, turkey breast-side down. Pour the brine over the turkey breast and refrigerate. loosely covered, overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350*F. Remove the turkey breast from the brine 30 minutes before roasting. Line a shallow roasting pan with long pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
4. Place turkey breast in the pan. Brush with 4 tablespoons of melted butter; season with pepper. gather foil loosely on top and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Open the foil and bake for 2 1/4 hours more, basting every 30 minutes with broth and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, until the turkey breast is golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165*F and the juices run clear.
5. Transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board; let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Reserve pan juices for gravy.
Calories: 240;
Carbohydrates: 1g;
Protein: 33g;
Fat: 10g;
Cholesterol: 90mg;
The water, pickling spices, and salt combine to make brining a great technique for wonderfully moist turkey meat. Be sure to register on our web site to receive free weekly home cooking recipes, great home cooking articles, home cooking tips, and cooking recipes from the world over.
This turkey recipe uses brine techniques to bring forth turkey meat which is incredibly moist. Cooking this turkey meat for your Christmas meal will make you a hit both your friends and family. Home cooking has never never more exciting! For more details www.thanks-giving-recipes.com.In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in a salt solution (the brine) before cooking.
Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating. For more details www.300-chicken-recipe.com.Christmas Turkey Cooking RecipeJuicy Turkey Breast
Serves 8
For the brine:
16 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups coarse salt
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon pickling spices
For the turkey:
1 fresh breast, 9-11 pounds, deboned
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1. Combine the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sugar and salt dissolve. Cool to room temperature.
2. Rinse the turkey breast, discarding excess fat. Place in a deep bowl or pot, turkey breast-side down. Pour the brine over the turkey breast and refrigerate. loosely covered, overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350*F. Remove the turkey breast from the brine 30 minutes before roasting. Line a shallow roasting pan with long pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
4. Place turkey breast in the pan. Brush with 4 tablespoons of melted butter; season with pepper. gather foil loosely on top and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Open the foil and bake for 2 1/4 hours more, basting every 30 minutes with broth and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, until the turkey breast is golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165*F and the juices run clear.
5. Transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board; let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Reserve pan juices for gravy.
Calories: 240;
Carbohydrates: 1g;
Protein: 33g;
Fat: 10g;
Cholesterol: 90mg;
The water, pickling spices, and salt combine to make brining a great technique for wonderfully moist turkey meat. Be sure to register on our web site to receive free weekly home cooking recipes, great home cooking articles, home cooking tips, and cooking recipes from the world over.
Drink Recipe Ideas for a Special Christmas
by Fran Welmenshire
One of the highlights of a Christmas party is the drinks you serve. So to make your Christmas party a more memorable one, you could serve new drinks using drink recipes instead of serving the usual drinks. If you don't actually have any recipes for your drinks, you can use the internet to find some.
Wassail is a great drink that is made using apple cider and some spices. It has to be mixed together and then heated. And if you want an added kick to the drink, you could include some brandy in it. It not only tastes better, but also gives a great aroma.
Spice up your American eggnog
The Gluhwein is another interesting drink that tastes and smells like Wassail. It is hot mulled wine that tastes and smells great. Another Christmas drink worth mentioning is the Café Mexican that is a drink recipe from Mexico.
This is not only a cup of coffee to drink after dinner; it is a combination of spices with a dollop of whipped cream. You can serve it like this, or if you want something alcoholic with it, you could add some Kahlua coffee liqueur to it.
The American eggnog is another famous recipe of yesteryear that everyone is familiar with. However, if you want to make it special, all you have to do is to add a little brandy or triple sec to it and it adds a little vigor to it. With this drink, you are sure to get all warmed up at Christmas, ensuring you enjoy the season much better.
These are only some of the many Christmas drink recipes you can try out for a special Christmas. A few deeper and more extensive searches on the internet will provide you with lots of other recipes to try out and enthrall your guests with.
One of the highlights of a Christmas party is the drinks you serve. So to make your Christmas party a more memorable one, you could serve new drinks using drink recipes instead of serving the usual drinks. If you don't actually have any recipes for your drinks, you can use the internet to find some.
Wassail is a great drink that is made using apple cider and some spices. It has to be mixed together and then heated. And if you want an added kick to the drink, you could include some brandy in it. It not only tastes better, but also gives a great aroma.
Spice up your American eggnog
The Gluhwein is another interesting drink that tastes and smells like Wassail. It is hot mulled wine that tastes and smells great. Another Christmas drink worth mentioning is the Café Mexican that is a drink recipe from Mexico.
This is not only a cup of coffee to drink after dinner; it is a combination of spices with a dollop of whipped cream. You can serve it like this, or if you want something alcoholic with it, you could add some Kahlua coffee liqueur to it.
The American eggnog is another famous recipe of yesteryear that everyone is familiar with. However, if you want to make it special, all you have to do is to add a little brandy or triple sec to it and it adds a little vigor to it. With this drink, you are sure to get all warmed up at Christmas, ensuring you enjoy the season much better.
These are only some of the many Christmas drink recipes you can try out for a special Christmas. A few deeper and more extensive searches on the internet will provide you with lots of other recipes to try out and enthrall your guests with.
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