The Christmas Cookbook

Most families have a certain set of holiday recipes in their Christmas cookbook that have been used for years. Most of my own favorite memories of the holiday season center around my Mother's holiday cookbook, and the fun we had making these special foods together every year.

Mom always did most of the cooking and baking while I was growing up. Now that I have a house of my own, well.... Let's just say that I bake better than I cook. So, I have more than one Christmas cookbook here at home! And, that's the reason for this section. If I can be successful using these recipes - anybody can!

Most of the holiday recipes included in my Christmas cookbook section are very easy to make. All of them are sure to get rave reviews! Many of them are from my own personal Christmas cookbook (actually, Mom's - thanks Mom!!).

If you are looking for dishes specific to certain countries, please visit our Christmas Traditions section. As the Christmas traditions pages are added, they will have links to specific recipe pages in the Christmas cookbook.

In the Cooking Tips section of the Christmas cookbook, you'll find useful information on making your dishes turn out perfect every time you make them!

• How to keep hard-boiled eggs from having a green line around the yolks
• Have all your dishes ready at the same time
• How to save time and money at the grocery store
• Making dishes ahead and storing for later
• Making kids feel welcome with special touches
• Turkey ('nough said!)
• Unmolding gelatins, cakes, etc
• Garnishing hints to add a special touch to every dish
• How much food to prepare for a party of 50? 100? Its here!
• Buffet or sit-down - or a combination of both - how to figure it out
• Gourmet on a budget
• And much much more!

I use these ideas on a daily basis, and believe it or not - they actually help me to have fun with my cooking!

Because most of the recipes listed in my Christmas cookbook use American measurements, I will include a page on measuring equivalents. But, this page will be a little different from most found in other cookbooks.

By their nature, holiday recipes are more prone to increasing than others. I've included tons of information to make cooking for several dozen people just as easy as it is to cook for a family of four in the Christmas cookbook.

Custom Search

Most general cookbooks have a section on preparing meat. You'll find some scrumptious main courses here that are unusual, yet easy to make as well as being crowd pleasers.

And... don't limit yourself to just Christmas, either!! If these recipes will hold their own during the holidays, they'll be great any time!

There is a special page for fish dishes, because fish is so versatile. Whether it's crab-cakes for lunch or salmon for dinner, we've got some great dishes to share.

Holiday recipes for side dishes (as Emeril would say,) will "kick it up a notch!" You don't have to break the bank to make excellent and memorable holiday vegetable dishes.

Fruits are covered separately, but be sure to give it a look through. Even though fruit is usually considered dessert fair, you might be surprised! There is a whole new world of delicious fruit recipes to try this Christmas!

Of course, we have the usual selection of sauces (think cranberry etc) as well. Everything from salad dressings, to sauces, savory glazes and dips are covered here.

There are a couple unique recipes in this Christmas Cookbook, too.

In another section you’ll also find my favorite condiment recipes for pickles, relishes, flavored oils and flavored vinegars, which make incredible gifts!

Doing a Christmas brunch? The Christmas cookbook is the place to check out! There are egg and cheese recipes galore - each with their own special holiday touches.

And...

What is a meal without bread?

Whether you want to bake a loaf for completely home-made sandwiches, rolls for dinner or quick-breads you'll find lots of easy and tasty recipes for just about any kind of bread you need. Some of my absolute favorites are listed here - with complete instructions.

If you don't have time to bake great bread from scratch, there are a few spruce-ups and short-cuts here as well. And, for those who want to doctor up store-bought dough, we've got some ideas for that as well!

There is also a page just for special beverages just for the holidays. There are teas, coffees and punches (both with and without alcohol). I've included a cocktail or two, as well as some special recipes for other drinks you're sure to find both delicious and exciting.

They say you cook best what you most love to eat. Well, for me that is anything sweet - especially if it contains some form of chocolate! Because of the number of recipes I've collected for these holiday delectables, there will be an entire Christmas Sweets cookbook devoted to nothing but holiday sweets!

Every kind of sugary, sweet treat you can imagine has its own page. There are candies galore, cakes (frosting recipes are included here), pies, tarts - everything!

In the Sweets section you will also find dozens of great Christmas cookie recipes - each to their own section. There are brittles, chocolates, fudges, hard candies - just about everything you can think of.

Coffee cakes and other goodies of that nature are also listed here.

Be sure to check back often... As I try new recipes, I will keep adding to this section, too!

The single most precious thing next to health that we have is our time. During the holidays, this resource is always at a premium. But, we still need to eat every day!

Our Christmas cookbook would not be complete without some every-day dishes designed to make the most of your time throughout the season!

With these simple, nutritious holiday recipes, your family will have the very best fuel to keep those Christmas fires burning bright and strong. Many can be made ahead and frozen, too!

I will have a few sample menus, and a lot of ideas on creating your own here, as well.

I've also included some sample party menus that will save tons of time and money on your holiday entertaining. This year, make yourself a promise to enjoy your Christmas party, and not to spend all of your time in the kitchen!

Menus are great for an organized Christmas - they simplify not only cooking and shopping, but all the planning! No more nightly anxiety over what to make for dinner - you can prepare menus for the day, the week or even a month at a time.

All the shopping is done at once, so everything is handy. Some items are purchased in bulk, saving a ton of cash. If you plan it right, you can even do most of the cooking at one time, and simply reheat when mealtime comes around!

For those who would like to give the gift of food, there will be a couple of Christmas cookbook pages for you, too!

If there are a lot of people on your list who love great food, but they don't have a lot of time in their schedules, jar mixes make great gifts, and with a few special touches can be as beautiful as they are thoughtful.

Everyone on my list gets some sort of food as one of their Christmas presents.With a little creative packaging, my food-based Christmas gift baskets are always a hit! I'll share some of my special Christmas cookbook recipes with you on these pages.

Jellies are easy to make, but require some time and some space. Jelly is clear and translucent, which means that after the fruit is cooked the first time, it must be drained to get out all the bits and pulp. Jams are even easier, and they are faster, too. (Besides that, I LIKE jams better, *wink!*)