Cathy's Holiday Goodies For those of you that are hungry and want a little more than cookies and candy, here are a few things I cooked up for you.  I hope you enjoy them.

Cathy's Cranberry Sauce this is a favorite of my family, and so easy to make, no excuse to ever open another can of of Cranberry Sauce 1 bag of fresh cranberries 1 cup of sugar 1 cup of orange juice (fresh or frozen) chopped nuts (I use walnuts) In a large saucepan, bring the orange juice and sugar to a boil.  Add the berries, and let simmer until they begin to pop. Remove from heat and smash the berries with a potato masher.  Add aproximately 1 handful of nuts.  Refrigerate. Just before serving, I put the sauce in a pretty dish and garnish with orange slices and sprigs of parsley. I usually try to buy several extra bags of cranberries during the holiday season for use throughout the year (they freeze very well).  I have added coconut and pineapple to serve with teriaki chicken!

Sweet Potatoes with Orange Sauce 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup white sugar 1 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 pinch salt 1 cup orange juice 3 Tbsp. melted butter sweet potatoes Boil sweet potatoes in skins until tender, then skin, slice, and place in a casserole dish. Mix sugars and cornstarch in saucepan and stir.  Stir in orange juice and butter.  Cook until thickened over medium heat. Pour sauce over sweet potatoes.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes until hot

Eggnog Bread Pudding Use sour dough bread or french bread, cut up into tiny cubes, and place in 9x13 casserole dish.  Pour eggnog over the bread, add nuts, or raisins. Place in a pan of hot water and bake at 350 degrees F. until knife comes out clean. (or use any bread pudding recipe and just substitute the eggnog for the milk and eggs)

Banana-Cranberry Holiday Bread 4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) 1 12-ounce bag cranberries (about 3 cups) 2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 large orange 1 medium-size lemon 2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 5 medium-size bananas) 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 3 large egg whites 1 large egg 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups whole-wheat flour 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt In 12-inch skillet over medium heat, melt margarine until hot, add cranberries, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon and cook about 10 minutes or until cranberries pop (stir mixture frequently). Remove skillet from heat. Grate peel from orange and lemon.  Squeeze juice from orange (about 1/3 cup) and lemon (about 2 Tbsp.).  In large bowl, stir together orange and lemon peels and juice, mashed banana, brown sugar, sugar, egg whites, and egg. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9" by 5" loaf pans. In medium bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to egg mixture, stirring to blend. Stir in cranberry mixture just until mixed. Spoon batter into loaf pans. Bake loaves 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool.

Breakfast Casserole (this is good for Christmas morning but you need to make it the night before) 3 cups bread, cubed 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. salt 3 eggs, beaten 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning 1/4 tsp. paprika 3 cup chopped turkey or chicken Combine 1/2 bread cubes with eggs in large bowl. Combine remaining cubes with milk, stir into egg mixture.  Add soup and mix thoroughly.  Add remaining ingredients, stir until well mixed. Pour into casserole, brush with melted butter, refrigerate. The next morning bake at 350 degrees F. for 45-50 minutes. 8 servings

Yule Crunchies 1 envelope onion soup mix 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 12 slices white bread, crusts removed Preheat oven to 350 degrees Blend butter with onion soup and spread mixture on each slice Cut each slice into four strips Place bread slices on a baking sheet Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

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