Christmas Meal

At Christmas dinner, anything goes. Be sure to add sugar and spice this holiday season to make everything nice. Everyone will be pleasantly surprised with these delicious Christmas recipes.

Christmas Wreath Appetizer

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages crescent rolls
• 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 broccoli ( 1 small crown chopped into small florets)
• 3 stalks celery ( chopped)
• 1 sweet red pepper ( cut into various shapes)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Remove the crescent roll dough from its packaging BUT DON'T UNROLL IT.
3. Cut each tube into eight slices and arrange the slices in a circle on ungreased baking sheet (about 11 inches in diameter -- you can make your circle on an pizza pan).
4. Bake dough wreath for 15-20 minutes or until the dough turns a lovely golden color. Cool for 5 minutes or so before gently removing wreath to a serving platter. Then, cool it completely.
5. In small bowl, beat the sour cream, cream cheese together until smooth. Mix in dill, Italian seasoning and garlic. Refrigerate until ready to spread on wreath.
6. Cut red pepper into festive shapes (circles, stars, etc.) You can make a bow out of the rounded bottom and strips of the pepper (see the photo for example).
7. When ready to assemble, spread the cheese mixture over the baked wreath.
8. Sprinkle with chopped celery.
9. Arrange broccoli florets, celery leaves and red pepper pieces around the wreath to decorate.
10. Attach red pepper bow and serve.

Always Perfect Roast Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 (10 -24 lb) whole turkey ( thawed or fresh)
• 1 -2 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt, to taste
• fresh coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Important info: Be sure that your oven is clean as this is cooked at a constant very high heat and it's nice not to have a smoking oven!. Bring the bird to room temp before roasting as it will cook more evenly and quicker.
2. Preheat over to 475 degrees for 30 minutes.
3. Remove and discard truss that holds turkey legs together. Pull or trim off and discard any excess fat in neck or body cavity. Remove giblets and neck (use for gravy or in stuffing if desired).
4. Rinse turkey inside and out with warm water and pat dry with paper towels.
5. Place a roasting rack in a 13 x 16 x 3-inch roasting pan (set rack sides so the bird is a minimum of 2 inches from pan bottom).
6. Rub turkey skin generously all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set bird breast-side-up on rack. Pull wings away from body, then firmly twist them to push the wing tips under the bird (I find this easier to do before placing the bird onto the rack).
7. Using aluminum foil, form caps over the tips of the end of each drumstick. If any parts of the turkey extend beyond pan rim, fashion a foil collar underneath to make sure drippings flow back into pan. Do not tie legs together (stuff if desired, in which case you will close body cavity. These days I always cook the stuffing separately).
8. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer near the center of the breast through thickest part until the tip touches bone, which is most accurate spot to check doneness.

Directions

9. When oven temperature is reached set pan on the lowest rack in a 475° oven. Roast, checking as directed during cooking, until thermometer reaches 160° (my built in oven probe says NOT to touch bone, maybe it's a difference in thermometer types?). Halfway through roasting time, rotate pan in oven to assure even cooking and browning. If areas on turkey breast start to get browner than you like, lay a piece of foil over the dark areas.
10. Remove pan from oven, set in a warm spot, and loosely cover pan with foil to keep it warm. Rearrange oven racks to accommodate potatoes and dressing. Decrease oven temperature to 400º. Let turkey rest 30 to 60 minutes. The resting period will allow the internal temperature to reach 165°, the USDA safe cooking temperature for poultry.
11. Drain juices from body cavity (often plentiful in unstuffed birds) into roasting pan. Transfer turkey to a platter or rimmed cutting board. Set aside juices for gravy.
12. Cut off turkey legs at thigh joint. If joint is red or pink, return legs to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes (at 400°) or heat in a microwave oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Carve the rest of the turkey. Carving juices may be clear to pink or rosy, this is fine as long as the thermometer temp is where it should be.

S'more Christmas Cream Cake

CAKE

• 4 ounces sweet dark chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 extra-large eggs

CREME FILLING

• 3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
• 6 ounces sweet dark chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup marshmallow creme
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup graham cracker, coarsely chopped

FLUFFY CREAM FROSTING

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups marshmallow creme ( or fluff)
• 2 -3 cups coconut, shredded

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a Bundt pan with baking spray. Set it upside down on paper towel.
2. Combine the melted chocolate and remaining cake ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until well mixed, 3 to 4 minutes. Place about 2/3 of batter in prepared Bundt pan. Set remainder aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and melted chocolate; stir in marshmallow creme, pecans, and graham crackers. Spoon filling over center of batter in pan without letting it touch the sides. Spoon the reserved batter over the filling.
4. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until cake tests done. Cool upright in pan for 20 minutes; turn carefully onto a cooling rack, and let it cool completely.
5. To make frosting, measure confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla, and 2 cups marshmallow crème in a bowl. Stir until smooth. Stir in remaining marshmallow crème until smooth.
6. Spread some frosting into the indentations of Bundt cake. Sprinkle frosted sections with coconut. Spread the remaining frosting over a round serving platter and sprinkle with shredded coconut. Place cake in center of platter. Decorate cake with red and green candies if desired. Serve in slices with a dollop of the coconut frosting from the serving plate under the cake.