Treat your friends to a taste of your baking skills this holiday season with a recipe that yields delicious cookies and lasting friendships. Host a cookie exchange party. These festive swaps offer a time-saving way to share an assortment of baked-from-scratch treats.
Just invite eight to 12 friends and ask them to bring six dozen of [...]

Holiday entertaining without some scrumptious baked goods would be like Santa sans beard. Is it any wonder that government studies show the average American packs on about two pounds – and some as much as seven – over the winter?
It makes sense to try to lighten your holiday meals and many Americans are doing just [...]

At holiday time, butter isn’t just something you spread on your bread. Just a few ingredients can turn butter into a versatile sauce, perfect for drizzling over vegetables and turkey. Flavored butters are ideal for spreading on freshly baked bread and melting over mashed potatoes.
The following recipes are easy to make and feature popular seasonal [...]

(ARA) – The holiday baking frenzy is in full swing. Get out your measuring cups and a mixing bowl — with a few helpful tips and these fool-proof recipes, your baking endeavors are sure to be a delicious success.
Award-winning pastry chef Mindy Segal, owner of HotChocolate restaurant in Chicago, shares her favorite holiday recipe for [...]

TOPPING:
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup Fancy Molasses
1/4 cup sugar
6 slices pineapple
6 maraschino cherries
CAKE BATTER:
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Fancy Molasses
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. each ginger and cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup sour milk
Place butter in a 9″ square pan or casserole dish, melt, [...]

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Fancy Molasses
1 cup cold, strong coffee
3 eggs, well-beaten
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. each, cinnamon, mace, salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
Mix in order given. Bake in coffee ring pan at 375°F for 45-50 minutes. Cover with coffee-flavoured icing.
Credit: www.newscanada.com

What’s your must-have kitchen staple? Every good cook has one. Ming Tsai, chef/owner of the Blue Ginger restaurant inWellesley, MA, and host of the U.S. public television show “Simply Ming”, says one of his favourite kitchen staples is canola oil.”Canola oil is extremely versatile,” he says. “Its light texture, neutral taste and high heat tolerance [...]

Vegan Fusion World Cuisine is now available worldwide in a soft cover edition.
Kauai, HI (PRWEB) December 13, 2007 — ”Vegan Fusion World Cuisine,” winner of 9 international awards including “Best Vegetarian Cookbook in the USA,” is now available worldwide in a soft cover edition.
More than a cookbook, ”Vegan Fusion World Cuisine” is a transcendent, gorgeously [...]

(ARA) – Many holiday gatherings are planned ahead of time, but some pop up at the last minute and still require preparation. For these, every host needs to know a few tasty appetizers you can throw together in less than 20 minutes.
“Every now and then, party preparations go awry or you make last-minute cocktail invitations [...]

(ARA) – The holiday season is a special time for family and friends to gather, and home-baked desserts have always had a place at the table. According to a Baker’s Joy Homemade Holiday survey, more than 75 percent of Americans are planning to bake more this year compared to years past.
But before you break out [...]

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup Fancy Molasses
3 squares bitter chocolate
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sifted enriched flour
3/4 cup sour milk
Cream shortening, add sugar gradually. Add baking soda, salt and vanilla. Mix in molasses and melted chocolate. Beat in eggs. Blend in flour alternately with sour milk. Bake at [...]

(NC)-Create a simple, mouth-watering chutney with all the healthy goodness of wild blueberries for your holiday table. Use in place of your favourite relish – it’s ideal with roast turkey, duck, goose, pork, venison or broiled meats such as chicken and beef – as an accompaniment to a festive Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or as [...]

Enjoying the warmth of the kitchen and the aromas of holiday cooking are some of the most cherished holiday moments of the season. Before receiving guests and family at your holiday dinner table, pull out your recipe books and add the following holiday baking tips and an easy chocolate truffle recipe to your repertoire. You’ll [...]

(NC)-Beautiful presentation, easy to do! What more are you looking for when coming up with a menu to serve guests? Pair this with a glass of red wine for the perfect French bistro meal!
Ingredients:
14 oz (400 g) trimmed Canadian beef skirt steak
3/4 cup (175 mL) Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
2 large sweet onions (Vidalia)
sliced thin
2 [...]

As the holiday shopping season gears up this year, wouldn’t it be great if you could find meaningful gifts that show you care not only about the recipient, but about the environment and your neighbors around the world?
You can, if you purchase a Fair Trade Certified product. What does that mean? It means that in [...]