HOLIDAY RECIPES

Gingerbread People Cookies
From Cooking Light

 

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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons dried currants
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour and next 7 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a bowl, and set aside. Combine granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer 5 minutes. Add molasses and egg white; beat well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until well-blended. Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Working with 1 half of dough at a time (keep remaining half chilled until ready to use), roll the dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a heavily floured surface; cut with a 2 1/2-inch boy or girl cookie cutter. Place gingerbread cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Arrange currants on cookies as buttons. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl. Spoon into a decorating bag or a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag with a tiny hole snipped in 1 corner of bag, and decorate as desired.

Yield:  4 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

CALORIES 59 (15% from fat); FAT 1g (satfat 0.2g, monofat 0.4g, polyfat 0.3g); PROTEIN 0.7g; CARBOHYDRATE 11.9g; FIBER 0.2g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; IRON 0.5mg; SODIUM 38mg; CALCIUM 13mg;

crab salad: mix 3/4 cup mayonnaise (you may use low fat), 1 1/4 tablespoons curry powder and 1/2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese until well blended.  Fold in 1/2 pound of cooked crab meat (you may substitute surimi or imitation crab) that has been crumbled into small pieces, 3 medium stalks of celery diced, 3 stalks of green onions chopped, and salt and pepper to taste.


"Tell me what you eat, and Iwill tell you what you are."  -Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste

chocolate chip cheese log

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Graham crackers

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers. Yields one cheese ball (about 2 cups). 

ZESTY CHEESE BALL

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 oz cream cheese
• 1 jar shredded, dried beef
• 1/3 cup zesty Italian salad dressing
• chopped pecans
• crackers

PREPARATION: Mix all, chill, shape and cover with pecans. Serve with Townhouse crackers. .