2 1/2 c Flour, all-purpose

2 c Sugar, icing

2 t Baking powder

3/4 c Walnuts or pecans, chopped fine

2/3 c Raisins

4 oz Orange peel, chopped fine

1/2 t Salt

1 c Butter

1 T Lemon peel, grated

1 t Vanilla

3 T Vodka or brandy

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs with sugar using an electric mixer for 5 minutes at high speed. Mix chopped nuts, raisins and orange peel with 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix remaining flour with baking powder and salt. Cream together the butter, lemon peel and vanilla extract until fluffy. Beat in vodka, then add egg mixture gradually, beating constantly. Add the flour mixture and beat for 5 minutes. Fold fruit-nut mixture into the batter. Turn into a greased and floured 9x5x3-inch pan or a 1 1/2 quart ring mold. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for ten minutes, then turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to mellow for a couple of days. NOTES: * Christmas Bread — This recipe could be used as part of a 12-course meal known in Polish as Wigilia, or on its own. Wigilia is eaten after sundown on Christmas Eve. : Difficulty: easy. : Time: 1/2 hour preparation, 1 1/2 hours cooking and cooling, 2 days aging. : Precision: Approximate measurement OK. : Original recipe passed down through the generations and translated from Polish into English (with a few mods) by Edward Chrzanowski

1 tb Cloves

1 tb Nutmeg

3/4 c Applesauce

2 tb White glue

Ribbon

In medium bowl, combine cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add applesauce and glue; stir to combine. Work mixture with hands 2 to 3 minutes or until dough is smooth and ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Divide into 4 portions. On floured surface, roll each portion to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut dough with floured cookie cutters of desired shapes. Using straw or toothpick, make a small hole in the top of the ornament. Place cutouts on wire racks and allow to dry at room temperature for several days or dry them in a dehydrator. Thread ribbon through hole in ornament. DO NOT EAT. Makes about 32 (2 inch) ornaments. **p.s – you can decorate these ornaments with royal icing for an even neater effect.

1 tb Water

ASSORTED RAW VEGETABLES
Sugar snap peas, red and Yellow cherry tomatoes, Baby carrots, baby squash, Cauliflower and broccli Floretts.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a cookie sheet, at least 17″x 14″, with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Tear off a 30″x 18″ sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold in 1/2 to 18″x 15″. Roll diagonally to form a hollow cone, about 18″ long with a diameter of 5″ at the widest end (Cornucopia opening). Fasten end with clear tape. Stuff cone with crumpled regular foil until form is rigid. Bend tail of cone up then down at end. Spray outside of cone with non-stick cooking spray. Place on cookie sheet.

3. Open and unroll first can of breadstick dough on work surface. Seperate breadsticks. Begin by wraping one breadstick around tip of cone. Brush end of next breadstick with Glaze and press to attach to end of first breadstick. Continue spiral-wrapping cone, slightly overlapping dough until there are 3 breadsticks left.

4. Pinch one end of the 3 breadsticks together, then braid. Brush bread around opening of Cornucopia with Glaze. Gently press on braid. Brush entire Cornucopia with Glaze.

5. Bake 45 minutes in preheated oven or until bread is a rich brown. (If parts start to darken too much, cover them with poeces of foil.)

6. Remove from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet on a wire rack. Carefully remove foil when cool. (If freezing, leave foil in bread for support. Remove when thawed.)

7. Fill Cornucopia with the assorted raw vegetables directly on table and let them spill out of opening

NOTE– To prevent this center-piece from absorbing atmospheric moisture, the baked Cornucopia cone can be sprayed with shellac or clear enamel. If treated in this manner, the Cornucopia will be inedible but can be preserved and re-used.

3 Each Oranges — unpeeled,seedless

1 Each Crushed Pineapple — 14oz

3/4 Cup Dried Apricots — 175 ml

1 Package Certo — 57 g

5 Cups Sugar

In saucepan, combine cranberries, finely chopped oranges, undrained pineapple, crushing some of the cranberries with potato masher; cook over medium heat for 15 min. Stir in finely chopped apricots and pectin crystals; bring to full rolling boil over high heat. Stir in sugar.

Bring to full rolling boil over high heat; boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir and skim off foam. Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Makes 8 cups.

2 tablespoons Water

5 medium Apples

Wooden sticks

Miniature marshmallows

Candy corn

Melt caramels with water in 1 1/2 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring until sauce is smooth. Wash and dry apples; insert stick into stem end of each apple. Dip into hot caramel sauce; turn until coated. Scrape off sauce from bottom of apples. Place on greased waxed paper. Create eyes and mouth with miniature marshmallow halves. Create nose with candy corn. Make hat from construction paper, leaving opening for wooden stick.

1 Jar applesauce

Drain the moisture from the applesauce for 10 or 15 minutes (or longer if necessary) by putting it in a colander or strainer which you’ve lined with a coffee filter (or something similar). Pour the whole container of cinammon into a bowl and add just a little applesauce at a time; stir; keep adding but check carefully each time; until you have a VERY STIFF dough. Roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper until it’s around a quarter inch thick, then cut it with cookie cutters. Make holes in the dough cutouts with drinking straws. Put the cookies in a very low oven (only about 175-200 degrees F) for several hours; watch carefully so they don’t burn (if they start to, lower oven). Or you can air-dry them for several days, turning them over carefully each day. When COMPLETELY DRY, put ribbons thru the holes and hang on the tree.

Flexible headband

Ribbon Bells

Fiberfill

Straight pins

White thread

Needle

Scissors

Fabric paints

Cut each glove into 2 sections, making a straight cut through the palm between the middle & ring finger. Start with 3 fingered sections. Turn inside out. Stitch the cut edges together. Turn right side out. Stuff fingers with fiberfill, making sure they are packed tight & leaving a short section at the cuff unstuffed. Wrap cuff tightly around headband. Pin in place to the stuffed part of the glove. Using double thread, stitch the cuff to the glove, pulling thread tightly so antlers stand up. Repeat with other glove. Paint. Make bows from ribbons & stitch onto base of antlers. Stitch a few bells in center of bows.

2 Bay Leaves

1/4 c Whole Cloves

1/2 Lemon — Cut In 2 Pieces

1/2 Orange — Cut In 2 Pieces

1 qt Water

Combine all ingredients in a kettle or saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for as long as desired. Check water level frequently and add more as needed. Mixture may be stored in refrigerator and re-used.

1 Vanilla bean OR 1 tb extract

12 Egg yolks

2 c Sugar

1 c Dark rum

2 c Bourbon

1 c Cognac or other brandy

8 Egg whites

3 tb Sugar

1 qt Cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

FOR BASE: In a heavy medium-sized saucepan, barely boil the milk with the vanilla bean, which has beens split lengthwise, scraped with the back edge of a knife and added to the milk–seeds, pod, and all (if using vanilla extract, you’ll add it after eggnog base has cooked). Meanwhile, place a large fine-mesh strainer over a bowl set in a large bowl of ice. Beat the yolks and sugar together in the top of a double boiler, by hand or with electric beaters, until thick and smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in the hot vanilla milk. Cook in the double boiler set over simmering water, stirring constantly all around the bottom and corners with a rubber or wooden spatula. In time, foam will subside. The eggnog base is done when it coats a wooden spoon without bare spots, 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately pour through strainer, stirring to cool. When cool to the touch, slowly whisk in all liquors (if using vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean, add this now, too). Store eggnog base in refrigerator overnight or up to three days, to ripen.

TO COMPLETE EGGNOG: At serving, remove vanilla bean and pour eggnog base into a large punch bowl. Beat egg whites with 3 tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks; fold into eggnog mixture. Beat cream to stiff peaks and fold it in, too. Let some lumps of the cream and egg whites float on surface. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve immediately, using a ladle.

Source: “Gooey Desserts” by Elaine Corn

4 Cups Coriander-Whole — (Spice Section) 9-1/4 oz

2 Cups Allspice — (Jamaican) Whole 6-1/2 oz

2 Cups Cellulose Fiber Fixative 8 oz

2 Cups Cinnamon Chips – Small cut 6-1/2 oz

2 Cups Cloves – Whole 6-1/2 oz

1 Cup Calamus Root 2-1/2 oz

1 Cup Rosemary – Whole — (Spice Section) 1-3/4 oz

OIL: Christmas or Evergreen or Bayberry

Blend all.