123111 Spinach Dip New Year's Punch and Red Apple Martini

The countdown is under way to ring in the new year. He are some suggestions for dips and cocktails to make the celebration festive.

Here are 15 dips that are easy to make including Spinach Dip, Easy Apple Dip and Vegetable Dip: 15_easy_dips

Here are 10 cocktails to cheer in the new year with including New Year's Punch, Passionate Mimosa and Red Apple Martini: 10_tasty_cocktails

122311 Breakfast Pizza Apple Surprise Rolls and Holiday Egg Nog

If you still need some last minute suggestions for your Christmas spread I have received more to pass along.

parentsconnect offers up several appetizer suggestions like Hot Cheese Puffs, Hummus and Peppers Flatbread Pizza Squares and Spinach Black Bean Empanadas under finger-foods and other offerings like Cheesy Onion Twists, Chicken Dippers and Shrimp and Cheese Quesadilla under party-food-recipes

Here are ten more classic appetizers such as a Cheese Ball, Deviled Bacon Eggs and Rice Balls: 10_classic_christmas_appetizers

iVillage has 50 holiday brunch recipes such as Country Potatoes and Sausages, Baked Huevos Rancheros Cups and Mushroom and Potato Frittata: easy-brunch-recipes

Whether for breakfast or brunch ten more options include Scrambled Egg Casserole, Breakfast Pizza and Easy Apple Butter Pancakes: 10_christmas_breakfast_recipes

Recipe.com has several more Christmas brunch options including Nut Bread, Festive Holiday Brioches and Apple Surprise Rolls: popular

Here are several options to make your Christmas dinner extra special including Ultimate Holiday Pot Roast,  Bacon and Sweet Potatoes and Candy Cane Ring Cake: your_extra_special_christmas_dinner

Cap off the festivities with some Holiday Egg Nog: holiday_egg_nog

122011 Slow Cooked Veal Brisket Broccoli Knishes and Latkes

Here are a same recipe choices for Hanukkah.

Start with a holiday staple like Hanukkah Latkes: hanukkah_latkes

Martha Stewart offers 16 different latke recipes: 16 latke-recipes

iVillage has a delicious recipe for Slow-Cooked Veal Brisket: slow-cooked-veal-brisket

This site offers 18 recipes including Cece's Kugel, Tzimmes and Broccoli Knishes: 18_recipes

121811 Coke Ham Butternut Squash Pilaf and Eggnog Cheesecake

Only a week until the holiday festivities. Here are some suggestions to help make it a hit.

Here are 121 holiday recipes ranging from Spinach Artichoke Dip, Beef Noodle Bake, Coke Ham and Jingle Balls: 121_holiday_recipes

The folks at iVillage have 116 holiday recipes. They have 26 main dishes including Roast Beef Tenderloin with Red Currant Jus, Beef Wellington, Peach Glazed Ham and Baked Cornish Hens with Lemon and Paprika: holiday-main-dishes The suggest 55 different side dishes including Bacon-Braised Green Beans, Sausage and Apple Dressing, Butternut Squash Pilaf and Cauliflower Gratin: side-dishes To finish off the meal they have 35 choices including Apple Streusel Bread Pudding with Hot Rum Sauce, Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Pie, Apple-Ginger Crisp and Quick Sticky Toffee and Banana Pudding: dessert-recipes

Recipe.com suggests Stout-Glazed Ham as an option: stout-glazed-ham

Looking for a festive holiday themed dessert try Eggnog Cheesecake: eggnog-cheesecake


Here are some holiday ideas from Hershey's kitchens: /holiday-ideas

121411 Peppermint Pattie Cookies Peppermint Brittle and Christmas Ornament Cupcakes

The holiday season is here and there are still so many goodies to make.

Here you will find the top 20 Christmas cookie recipes at Allrecipes.com. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Molasses Sugar Cookies, Ginger Shortbread Wedges and others: top 20

The folks at Hershey's have a recipe for Double Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cookies they claim is the secret recipe of Mrs. Claus: Peppermint Pattie Cookies

Or give Peppermint Meringues a try: Peppermint-Meringues

A holiday variation on peanut brittle is a festive Peppermint Brittle: Peppermint-Brittle

Better Homes & Gardens has 30 different holiday cakes and cupcakes. Choices include Christmas Ornament Cupcakes, Mocha Buche de Noel and Bittersweet Cheesecake Torte: holiday-cakes

120611 Pecan Snowballs Sugar Cookies and Magic Cookie Bars

Tis the season for holiday baking and Recipe.com has a whopping 582 Christmas cookie recipes to choose from. Among the top 25 you'll find Jolly Santa Cookies, Patchwork Mitten Cookies, Santa's Spicy Gingersnaps, Candy Cane Cookies and Pecan Snowballs: all 582 cookies


You can find many of the Traditional Christmas Cookie Recipes offered by Martha Stewart as she offers 42 Christmas classics plus some variations on some of the recipes. You'll find Simple Sugar Cookies, Glazed Spritz Cookies, Brandied-Fruit Tartlets, Thumbprints and Ball cookies, Checkerboard Cookies, Gingerbread Kids and others: 42 plus cookies


Here is my all time favorite Christmas treat and here are two variations on how to make it:
Magic Bar 1
Magic Bar 2

120211 Holiday Baking Christmas Blondies Cornflake Wreaths and Jam Filled Butter Cookies

Better Homes and Gardens has 37 cookie recipes like Lemon-Pecan Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Palmiers and Christmas Blondies: BHG 37 recipes

ivillage offers 50 cookie recipes such as Frosted Ornament Cookies, Fudge Topped Toffee Cookies and Cornflake Wreaths: 50 cookies

Check out this recipe for Jam Filled Butter Cookies: butter cookies

112611 Thanksgiving Leftovers

The fridge still over flowing with Thanksgiving leftovers? Here are some suggestions to help.

iVillage offers 36 recipes such as Turkey a la King, Turkey Rice Salad and Thanksgiving Tacos: 36 recipes

Here are 10 suggestions to use leftover turkey such as Gobbler Sandwich, Terrific Turkey Salad and Country Turkey Casserole: 10 turkey ideas

Rachael Ray has a nice Sweet Potato Topped Shepherd's Pie: sp pie

Or check out the Deen Brother's Perfect Turkey Sandwich: sandwich

This one's called Dad's Leftover Turkey Pot Pie: pot pie

Or maybe a nice pasts dish like Turkey Piccata Pasta: pasta

112011 Smoked Turkey Praline Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Here is another mega list of Thanksgiving options. 140 recipes with choices including Smoked Turkey, Five Ingredient Stuffing and Southern Pecan Pie. 140 recipes

Here are the top 24 sweet potato casserole recipes available at recipe.com including Rum-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Praline Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potato-Apple Bake: 24 sweet potato

For dessert another option might be Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins: pumpkin muffins

111811 Deep Fried Turkey Green Bean Bundles and Pecan Pie

Here are 65 Thanksgiving recipes from celebrity chefs. You'll find Deep-Fried Turkey, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and Southern Cornbread Stuff and so much more: 65 recipes

Check out the top 20 Thanksgiving side dishes from allrecipes.com You can set your table with Green Bean Bundles, Gourmet Sweet Potato Souffle, Holiday Cranberry Chutney and more: top 20

If you want pie for dessert you'll find 10 to choose from including Pecan Pie, Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie and Autumn Harvest Pie: 10 pies

111711 Honey Roast Turkey Holiday Yams and French Silk Pie

Better  Homes and Gardens offers 16 recipes to set your Thanksgiving meal with. Check out the Porcini-Chestnut Stuffing, Honey Roast Turkey, Potato-Apple Gratin, Pumpkin-Bean Soup and more: 16 recipes

How many ways can you make sweet potatoes? Here are eight options including Holiday Yams, Best Candied Yams Every Time and Yams and Apples: 8 yams

The folks at parentsconnect suggest a Super Easy French Silk Pie for dessert: pie

111611 Sunday Chicken Fillets of Sole Saute and Pound Cake

Although Turkey Day is fast approaching there are so many other meat options for variety.

You can give Sunday Chicken a try any day of the week: chicken

With Rolled Flank Steak Florentine you'll know where the beef is: beef

You can almost hear the voice over calling Creamy Pork Chops the other white meat: pork

A sea breeze isn't necessary to give Fillets of Sole Saute a try: seafood

Here's a nice Broccoli Cheddar Soup from parentsconnect: soup

For a salad that's easy and healthy give this Cabbage Salad a try: salad

Satisfy that sweet tooth and dig into Pound Cake with Vanilla Sauce: dessert

111511 Turkey Chops and Pumpkin Pie

In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme since the holiday is fast approaching I'm offering up links to recipes that should help make the holiday a feast for the eyes and tummy.

For another spin on the turkey dinner try Brown Sugar-Rubbed Turkey Breast: turkey breast

Rachael Ray offers a Deviled Pork Chops with Apples and Squash recipe that could suit Thanksgiving dinner. For the rest of the week check out her Tilapia Baked in Couscous, Teriyaki Pork and Mango Stir Fry, Tomato Vegetable Pasta Stoup and Spicy Hot Pot with Noodles:  5 recipes

Maybe you want to include a soup option. Here's Autumn Pumpkin Soup: soup

Here are 16 sides options that all feature Campbell's products. They include Ultra Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Orange Cranberry Sauce and Turkey Broccoli Alfredo: 16 sides

Here are 15 dessert recipes including Famous Pumpkin Pie, Spiced Pear Bread and Peanut Butter Temptations: 15 holiday recipes

Day One Getting Started

The purpose of this blog is threefold: provide links to delicious recipes, clean out my email and provide experiences from trying some of the recipes.


The first two are a result of the numerous emails I have collected over the years with various recipes. Like many of you I have clicked on offers on sites over the years to have recipes emailed to me. I created a folder and kept stock piling them as they came day after day. My initial intention was to eventually print them off for my wife Lisa so she could have a new library to pull recipes from. Time has passed and that hasn't happened.  Earlier this year I started a baseball blog which I enjoy so I figured I would start this blog to share the recipes. Everyone would benefit from the recipes and it would clear out my email since I can delete them once I post them. They claim the internet is permanent so what a great way to store these recipes. I plan on transferring the contents of five emails a day so at that rate it could take about a year. Of course the emails still keep coming so maybe I'll never get caught up!!


Once we get going Lisa has agreed to take one recipe every other week to make and will comment on the experience. She'll give her input on the ease of following the recipe and how it turns out. Of course I'll get to sample the end result too so I'll offer some feedback in a follow up post on what I thought. Hopefully it goes so well that it will become a weekly segment. 


To get things started off with a bang here's a link to 120 recipes for a Thanksgiving feast!! You can start off with appetizers such as pumpkin dip, squash meatballs and party deviled eggs. You can choose from numerous elegant entrees including baked honey ham, apple-cinnamon glazed turkey and holiday prime rib. There are numerous casseroles like pork and pineapple casserole, turkey and stuffing casserole and southern sweet potato casserole. To adorn the table there are several sides to choose from including sweet potato fries with sage, herb rice delight and mashed potatoes with corn. For chose that leave room for desert you can offer cherry squares, cinnamon apple crumb pie or pumpkin cupcakes.


Check out all 120 recipes!! 120 Thanksgiving recipes


Here's another dessert offered by Nick Jr called Ruby's Oatmeal Double Apple Crisp Pie: Ruby's pie


Here's a nice side called a Juicy Carrot Salad: carrot salad


Here are five recipes offered by Rachael Ray: Haystacks, Green Bean Spaghetti Carbonara, Honey Mustard Chicken, Pork and Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry and Basil-Infused Pasta. 5 recipes


And for a taste of the South try Pecan-Crusted Okra: okra recipe