Holiday Treats Are Best Shared

As the temperature continues to drop, the Holiday Season begins in earnest. Whether celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or the Winter Solstice, food tends to be a central part of these celebrations. Warm, flavorful treats add to the enjoyment of the Holiday Season. Friends, neighbors and family gather to break bread and eagerly eye the dessert tables, searching for their favorite holiday treats.

Winter desserts and goodies are full of comforting and filling ingredients, butter, fruits, nuts and custards. They also contain warming spices like ginger, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Their scents and textures offer a rich experience to the senses and reflect the abundance of the Season. Favorite recipes fill stomachs and gatherings with wonderful tastes and memories. They also make fantastic gifts.

Creating holiday desserts and treats does not have to be complicated or excessively time consuming. Tasty pies can be put together simply and easily for a holiday meal or to be given as gifts. Ready bake aluminum pie pans with plastic covers and pre-made pie crusts are available at most grocery stores.They make carrying and gift giving a snap. Prepare the pie according to your favorite recipe. Cover it with the lid, then tie a decorative ribbon around it, add a gift tag and voila, the perfect present.

Simply Sweet Potato (Pumpkin) Pie

Ingredients

1 16 ounce can pumpkin filling or (3 medium sweet potatoes baked until soft)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1 Prepared Pastry crust from your grocer's refrigerator

Equipment: a
9 inch pie pan, a blender and a spatula

1. Remove the pie crust from the packaging and allow to come to room temperature. Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees.
2. Place the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and dash of nutmeg in the blender. Pulse the blender until just combined. Chunk the butter and pumpkin or sweet potato, add to the blender, then blend ingredients by pulsing on mix. The filling is ready when it reaches a smooth creamy consistency.
3. Set the filling aside and press the pie crust into the pie pan pinching the edges along the top of the pie pan.
4. Pulse the blender a few more times to remix any ingredients which may have settled to the bottom of the blending container. Then, pour the filling into the pie crust using the spatula to remove all of the contents from the blending container and smooth the top of the filling. Make it pretty.
5. Place the pie in the center of the oven rack and bake for approximately one hour. The pie is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you notice that the edges of the crust are darkening more quickly than you'd like. Cover the edges with foil to prevent burning.

Most people, like candy, but not that many of us possess the skill to make it. There is no shame in repackaging holiday favorites like mints, fudges, and candied popcorn in decorative and reusable containers. Simply fill them with the desired treat, tie a decorative ribbon around the container and tag them for giving. Tupperware, decorative mason jars and tins make perfect containers for this type of giving. The best part is that when the gift is gone, the containers remain to hold sugar, coffee, tea, spare change, etc.

Warm holiday beverages compliment a tasty meal or winter treat. Tea, coffee, and hot cocoa warm our hearts and hands as we carol or gather at the local ice skating rink. It's easy to prepare hot beverages for friends and family. Hot apple cider is a hit with people of all ages, and it's healthy. A handful of spices, a gallon of cider or apple juice and a pot are all that's required to make this tasty, good for you treat. The spices, used in this recipe, can also be placed in a decorative container, then labeled with a gift tag with the recipe and instructions written on it.

Simple Spiced Apple Cider

Ingredients

1 gallon Apple Cider or Apple Juice
1/2 teaspoon of whole cloves
1 Teaspoon dried orange peel
1 Stick of cinnamon

Equipment: a muslin tea bag or cheese cloth, a pot or crock-pot

Combine the spices and place in a muslin teabag, or make a spice bag using a square of cheese cloth. You can also place the whole spices directly in the pot , and strain the cider before serving. Heat the cider or juice just until you see heat vapors begin to rise from its surface. Then add the spices. Cover the pot, and heat on low for about 1 hour. The cider or juice needs to remain just below the simmer point. Remove the spices and serve.

Try your hand at making these treats for yourself, then gift some to others. Make it a family and friends project to create gifts using these recipes or some of your personal favorites; think of all the time you'll save with the extra help.