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