By Jomay Steen
It’s already beginning; I’m getting fatter by the minute.
My diet is nearly a month old with tentatively good results when these supernatural forces of yuletide traditions begin to invade my e-mail and voice message machines. Already I have been invited to two Christmas teas, a book club sit-down feast and a cookie exchange for card club.
Each event contains a mouthwatering selection of foods and desserts all topped off with delectable coffee and real cream. Who can resist? This year it will have to be me. If you have some hints about that, I would love to hear what they are!
I have included some rich recipes that might retire those popcorn balls and peanut butter cookies for your holiday home, office or school party.

Peppermint Candy Spritz

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 to 5 drops green food color, if desired
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Drizzle
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup coarsely crushed starlight mint candies

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all cookie ingredients except flour in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low: add flour. Beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. If dough is too soft to form cookies, cover, refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour).
Place dough in cookie press; form desired shapes 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. Combine powdered sugar and enough milk for desired drizzling consistency in small bowl; mix well. Drizzle over cooled cookies; sprinkle with crushed mint candies.
4 dozen cookies

Chunky Caramel Popcorn
12 cups popped popcorn
1 (9.75-ounce) can (2 cups) whole cashews
1 (5-ounce) bag (1-1/2 cups) pecan halves
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda

Drizzle
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1-1/2 teaspoons shortening
1/2 cup white baking chips
Heat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn, cashews and pecans in large roasting pan. Combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil (7 to 8 minutes). Continue boiling 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. (Mixture will be foamy.)
Pour butter mixture over popcorn mixture in pan; stir well. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven; place onto waxed paper or parchment paper. Cool completely. (DO NOT BREAK INTO PIECES)
Place chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon shortening into resealable plastic food bag. Microwave on High (100 percent power) for 30 to 45 seconds; knead bag. Continue microwaving at 15 second intervals, kneading until smooth. Cut tiny corner from bag; drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn mixture. Repeat with white baking chips and remaining 1/2 teaspoon shortening, microwaving on Medium-High (70 percent power). Drizzle over popcorn mixture. Tip: Chocolate and white baking chips can be melted separately with shortening in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Drizzle over popcorn mixture with fork or spoon.
Let stand until chocolate is set (3 to 4 hours). Break popcorn mixture into pieces.
Store in container with tight-fitting lid or resealable plastic food bag.
38 (1/2 cup) servings
 

By Lynn Taylor Rick

When I was little, our neighbors used to make something called turkey birds with their leftover turkey. I adapted the recipe over the years. I don’t remember exactly how they made them, but here’s how I make them for my husband and daughters. They are usually a big hit.

Chop up left over turkey into little pieces. Mix the turkey with cream cheese and anything else that sounds good. I usually add celery, sometimes some onions and occasionally some green olives.

Flatten individual Crescent rolls (just a bit) on a baking sheet. Put a spoonful of the turkey mixture into each Crescent roll and wrap it to look like a little turkey. Bake it according to the Crescent roll instructions.

Eat the turkey birds covered in gravy with cranberries on the side.     

By Deanna Darr

Cookies without milk? It’s almost unthinkable. Yet a story in the Journal’s Food section on Wednesday suggests exactly that - snickerdoodles with cream soda, shortbread with sparkling wine, molasses cookies with hot spice apple cider and lace cookies with a late-harvest riesling.

What’s the world coming to? As the holidays gear up, it’s prime cookie time.  If not with milk, how does one wash down a cookie? What are your favorite cookie-beverage combinations?

By Tanya Manus

Our online readers have been reminiscing a lot about the good old days - when you’d buy Halloween candy and then you’d actually get trick-or-treaters at your house who you could give it to. These days, you can buy the candy, but it’s hard to predict whether any little princesses and goblins will show up.
That was my dilemma last year. It was a rare Halloween when I was actually home, instead of having to work. I bought candy. As is customary in the complex where I lived, I taped a little drawing on my apartment door signaling that I wanted trick-or-treaters.
And I waited.
I think four kids showed up. The last two were preteen girls so unenthusiastic that they couldn’t even bother to say “trick or treat” when I answered my door. And after they left, I was left with a pile of unclaimed candy.
I guess I could have just pawned it off on my co-workers, but I wanted to do something more creative than that. So I started searching to find out how to reuse the miniature Butterfinger candy bars I had bought.
Much to my delight, I found out that another cook had paved the way with a delicious recipe for Butterfinger Cookies. Consider them peanut butter cookies with attitude.
This year, only two trick-or-treaters arrived, so there are a few miniature milk chocolate Hershey bars leftover at my house. To use these up, I think the infamous Neiman Marcus Cookies fill the bill.
Oh yes, and then there’s that jack o’lantern. Don’t waste him. Bake him, then scoop out the cooked pumpkin and use it in wonderful soft, chewy pumpkin cookies.
Bake a batch of any of these cookies and freeze them, and you’ll have turned Halloween leftovers into homemade treats ready for the Christmas cookie exchanges and holiday parties that are fast approaching.

Butterfinger Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg whites
1-1/4 cups chunky peanut butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), chopped (or figure out how many miniature Butterfinger equal five regular-sized candy bars)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add egg whites; beat well. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in candy bars. Shape into 1-1/2-inch balls and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Neiman Marcus Cookies
5 cups blended oatmeal**
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 (8 oz.) Hershey Bar, grated (or the equivalent number of miniature bars, grated)
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

** Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder.
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, grated Hershey bars and nuts. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

Pumpkin Raisin Cookies
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
1 cup raisins

FROSTING:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in the raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.
For frosting, melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in the sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Frost cooled cookies.