RECIPE SWAP: EVERYONE HAS HOLIDAY FAVORITES

Merry Christmas! What a wonderful opportunity I have to be able to send Christmas greetings to all of you and save on the postage. No, seriously, I do wish each of you a very merry Christmas. This is such a very special time of year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is my wish to you that you slow down and take time to truly enjoy the Christmas season and ponder in your heart the reason for the season.

Christmas is such a special time of celebrating with food at the many gatherings we are involved in over the holiday season. I know each of you must have favorite appetizers, entrees and desserts that you look forward to eating and preparing. Joan Haring shares a cranberry salad recipe with us that is a holiday favorite. Joan has used this recipe since 1960, and it is a keeper. She and I had the opportunity to share wonderful conversation over this salad last Friday evening. It is very good, and I know it will add a festive flare to your holiday meal.

Christmas Cranberry Salad

1/2 pound fresh cranberries

1 cup diced celery

2 oranges

3 apples

2 cups sugar

2 boxes cherry gelatin

2 cups boiling water

Grind cranberries, unpeeled apples and oranges. Add celery and sugar. Mix well, let stand. Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Chill until partially set. Add cranberry mixture and chill.

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My mother-in-law, Barbara McClanahan, makes delicious shortbread among her many other specialties. Of course, she presses it into a beautiful mold so each piece is perfect and shaped exactly the same. If you do not have a shortbread mold, you can press it into a pie plate. Use real butter in your shortbread, too. You won't want to skimp on the flavor.

Coconut Shortbread

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar, unsifted

1/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour, unsifted

Cream the butter until it is light. Cream in the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Stir in the coconut and the flour. Knead the dough on an unfloured board until nice and smooth. Spray the shortbread pan or pie plate very lightly with a non-stick cooking spray. Firmly press the dough into the shortbread pan or pie plate. Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake the shortbread at 325 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the shortbread cool in its pan for about 10 minutes before you loosen the edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a wooden cutting board. If the shortbread does not come right out of the pan, tap one edge of the pan. Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm.

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Fran Rediger of Cape Girardeau answers a request for poppyseed cake. This recipe is tasty, easy and a favorite of hers that she uses often.

Easy Poppyseed Cake

1 box lemon cake mix

1 package instant lemon pudding

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/4 cup poppy seeds

Mix ingredients together and beat for 4 minutes. Place batter in 3 greased 3-x-7-inch loaf pans and bake 40 to 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

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Last week we had a request for Porcupine Meatballs. It really made me remember back several years ago when this dish was so popular as an appetizer dish at parties and even as an entree. Hazel Manuel's recipe is very easy but not lacking in flavor.

Porcupines

1 pound ground round steak or lean ground beef

1/2 cup uncooked rice

1 teaspoon minced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 to 2 cups tomato puree, soup or solid pack tomatoes

Mix meat, rice and seasonings. Shape into balls. Put into baking dish. Cover with tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 80 minutes.

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We also recently had a request for dipped candies made with cream-type fillings. Mary Schwieger of Olmsted, Ill., shares two of favorites with us.

Cherry Chocolates

2 boxes powdered sugar

2 sticks oleo

1 jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup coconut

Mix all ingredients well and roll into balls. Chill. In a double boiler melt 1 cake Parawax and 3 bags chocolate chips. Dip chilled balls of candy into chocolate.

Candy Balls

2 pounds powdered sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pint pecans, chopped

1/2 cup butter

2 cans coconut

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate pieces

3 ounces paraffin

Mix sugar, milk, vanilla, pecans, butter and coconut until well blended. Chill mixture. Roll into small balls and chill until hard. Melt chocolate and paraffin in double boiler. Roll chilled balls in chocolate mixture and place on waxed paper to dry and cool.

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As I close Recipe Swap this week, I can't stop thinking about the excitement and the innocence of children on Christmas. I have so many fond memories of my Christmases growing up with my wonderful parents and family. Now my children are getting to enjoy these same experiences with their grandparents and great-grandparents. We certainly have so much to thankful.

May God richly bless each and every one of you as you establish traditions and create memories within your family. Merry Christmas!