Corn Meal & Sausage stuffing

Ah! There is nothing that adds the finishing touch to a Christmas turkey or goose like tasty stuffing!

Ingredients:

  • 225 grams or 1 / 2 of a pound of sweet Italian sausage, crumbled,
  • 4 tablespoons of butter,
  • one medium onion, chopped, one stock of celery, chopped,
  • 3 cups of roughly crumbled corn bread,
  • 2 cups of cubed toasted crustless bread,
  • 1 egg, a third of a cup of parsley, chopped,
  • 2 teaspoons of dried sage, one half of a teaspoon of dried tine,
  • broth which is optional, salt and pepper
In a frying pan, saute the sausage until it is cooked and browned. Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat. Melt the butter in the same pan. Add the onion and celery, and saute with the sausage until softened. In a large bowl, combine the sausage mixture with the breads. Mix in an egg, the parsley, sage and tine, then blend well. Add a little broth if the stuffing seems too dry. Salt and pepper to taste. Fill, but do not pack the bird with the stuffing.

Guernsey Biscuits

How about trying this festive recipe, which makes some 30 cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 1 & 1 / 2 cups of whole wheat flour,
  • 1 / 2 of a cup of white flour,
  • 1 tablespoon of wheat germ,
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder,
  • 1 / 2 of a cup of packed brown sugar,
  • 1 / 2 of a cup of sweet butter,
  • 3 tablespoons of uncooked oatmeal,
  • 1 / 3 of a cup of buttermilk
  • plus red hearts and green icing (optional)
Preheat the oven to 190 Celsius or 375 Fahrenheit. Combine the flours and wheat germ with the baking powder and sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, or combine in a food processor. Stir in the oatmeal and then the buttermilk. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 / 3 of a centimeter or 1 / 4 of an inch on a floured surface. Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter, then prick them all over with a fork. Bake them on a greased cookie sheet for about 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. When they are cool, decorate them with the red hearts and icing if you like.

Pumpkin Bread

Deserts featuring pumpkin have long been Christmas time, as well as Halloween favourites. You'll need:

  • 3 cups  sugar,
  • 1 cup vegetable  oil
  • 4 beaten eggs
  • 1- 455 gram or 16 ounce can of pumpkin
  • 3 and 1/2 cups sifted flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons  salt, 
  • 1 teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon  nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon of allspice 
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/2  teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2/3 cup water


Cream the sugar and oil, add the eggs and pumpkin, and mix well. 

Sift together the flower, the baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Add to the pumpkin mixture alternately with the water. Mix well after each addition. 

Pour into two well greased  and flowered 23 by 13 centimeter, 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.

Bake at 175 Celsius, 350 Fahrenheit, for 1 1/2 hours until the loaves test done. Let stand for ten minutes, then remove from pans to cool.

Starry Biscuits

Santa will see stars when you leave him these wonderful starry biscuits and jam with a glass of milk out on Christmas Eve. This recipe makes 10 biscuits.

Ingredients: flour, 1 can refrigerator baking powder biscuits (10 biscuits per can), jam or jelly

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: star cookie cutter

Preheat oven to temperature called for on biscuit package. Lay out a large piece of waxed paper. Dust waxed paper lightly with flour. Separate biscuits and place on waxed paper. Dip cookie cutter in flour, and cut biscuits into star shapes. (If cookie cutter is slightly larger than biscuits, gently press the dough with the palm of your hand to make biscuits larger). Arrange biscuits on a baking sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each biscuit to make a hollow. Use a teaspoon to fill hollows with jam. Bake according to directions on biscuit package.

Scottish Shortbread

This is sweet biscuit type recipe. Scottish Shortbread is famous in many parts of the world and although it is traditionally eaten at Christmas and Hogmanay, it is enjoyed the year round.

Ingredients:

  • 115 grams or 4 ounces of flour
  • 57 grams or 2 ounces of rice flour or ground rice
  • 115 grams or 4 ounces of caster sugar
  • 115 grams or 4 ounces of butter
  • some extra caster sugar for sprinkling.


Directions:
Sift the flour and rice flour or ground rice together. Add the sugar and rub in the butter. Lightly knead the dough on a floured board until smooth. Press the dough into a floured mould or into a greased and lined baking tin. Prick the dough with a fork and bake at 190 Celsius or 375 Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes or until it is beginning to turn brown. Remove from the oven and cut the shortbread into fingers but leave it in the tin or mould to cool. Sprinkle with caster sugar to serve.
 
 

     Shortbread Recipes

Ah, shortbread! For many, no Christmas season's baking efforts would be right without at least one variety of this old-time standard.

     Recipe 1

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of salted butter (no substitutes)
  • 1 cup of fruit sugar
  • 1 cup of rice flour
  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour


Directions:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in rice flour until well blended. Add all-purpose flour. Remove the dough from bowl. Knead it for 5 minutes. Roll the dough out and place in a greased and floured 23 by 33 centimeter, 9 by 13 inch pan. Prick the top with a fork. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cut into bars and allow to cool in the pan. This recipe makes 2 dozen.

Recipe 2

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter (8 ounces)
2 & 1-half cups of flour (8 ounces)
1-half of a cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon almond essence

Directions:
Cream the butter until soft. Add sugar gradually; add almond essence and then stir in sifted flour. Knead with hands until dough is well blended. Divide into halves and press into two buttered baking trays. The dough should be 1 & 1-quarter centimeters or 1-half of an inch in thickness. Score with a knife into finger-sized portions for easy cutting later. Bake in oven at 175 to 205 Celsius or 350 to 400 Fahrenheit, for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Don't over-bake! Cut while warm, then place on racks to cool.

Recipe 3

Equipment:
a medium mixing bowl
Vegetable pan spray
35 by 50 centimeter or 14 by 20 inch Aluminum Cookie Sheet
bell, holly Christmas tree and candy-cane Cookie Stamps

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of butter
  • 2-thirds of a cup of confectioners sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • 1-eighth of a teaspoon of salt
  • 2 & 1-quarter cups of flour


Directions:
Preheat oven to 175 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit. In a medium mixing bowl cream butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until dough is smooth. If the dough feels sticky add additional 1-quarter cup flour as needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Roll into 3 centimeter or 1 & 1-quarter inch balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Spray cookie stamp with vegetable pan spray. Dip the stamp in flour; shake off excess (repeat flour as needed). Gently but firmly press dough with desired cookie stamps. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on sheet, cool completely on wire rack. This recipe makes 2 or 3 dozen.