Christmas Cranberry Cobbler

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. chopped nuts
1 can peach pie filling
1 can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce
Vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry cake mix and spices in bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Set aside. Combine pie filling and cranberry sauce in ungreased 13x9 inch pan. Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit. Bake 45 or 50 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or Cool Whip.
If you can't find peach pie filling, apple or cherry will do.

Italian Christmas Wine Cookies

3 c. Mazola oil
1 1/2 c. red wine
1 1/2 c. white wine
Pinch of cinnamon

Boil above together for 1 minute. Sift 8 cups of flour into large bowl. Add: 1 tbsp. honey 3 tsp. salt 2 beaten eggs Mix well, slowly add the hot mixture; knead until very stiff; if dough is still too soft and sticky, add more flour. Pinch off golf ball size pieces of dough and roll over a grooved board or ravioli board. Fry in deep hot oil. After all the dough is cooked, dip in hot honey, adding a little water to honey as each batch is cooked. Add more honey as needed.

Polish Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 7 ounces ground almonds
• 2 to 3 drops almond oil or 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• Pinch cinnamon

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites until they are stiff. Gradually add half the sugar while continuing to whip. The meringue should be so stiff, you can cut it with a knife.
   
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate large bowl, mix together the ground almonds with the rest of the sugar, almond oil and cinnamon. Stir in a dollop of meringue mixture to lighten the nut mixture. Then, gently fold in the remaining meringue mixture, trying not to deflate the volume.
   
3. Using a scoop, drop equal portions of cookie batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake about 15 minutes or until cookie bottoms are lightly brown and the tops are crackly. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Polish Kolaczki (Cookies)

 

My mom used to make us these may years ago, I finally found the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
• 12 ounces (3 sticks) butter, softened
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (14-ounce) cans fillings of choice (apricot, prune, raspberry, etc.)
• Confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add flour 1 cup at a time and mix well. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
   
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough 1/4-inch on a surface that has been dusted with equal parts confectioners' and granulated sugars (not flour). Cut into 2-inch squares. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon filling on center of each square. Overlap opposite corners of dough to the center over filling.
   
3. Bake for 15 minutes or when corners start to brown. Cool and dust with confectioners’ sugar. These tend to become soggy if held for several days, so store them tightly covered (or freeze) without the confectioners' sugar. Dust with confectioners' sugar just prior to service.

Jello Shots

Well, this is a new one for me, we tried it and we really liked it. So I think I will leave a few out for Santa on Christmas Eve!! after all he is going to need a few for the long night...

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 4 envelopes Knox Unflavored Gelatin
• 8 ounces Bailey's Irish Cream, chilled
• 4 ounces Butterscotch Liqueur, chilled
• 2 ounces Cointreau Liqueur, chilled
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Whipped cream
• Sugar decorations or colored sugar

 

Method
Boil the 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin until completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Stir the Irish Cream, Butterscotch, Cointreau and cold water into the hot gelatin. Pour contents into shot glasses with enough room to add whipped cream later. Refrigerate until firm. Spoon or pipe whipped cream on top and decorate with sugar decorations or colored sugar.

 

Notes:

 

Number of Servings: About 10