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I had this amazing fudge last Christmas at a get-together. It was so good I came home and Googled the recipe and went right out and bought the ingredients. I gave a little of it away before it was devoured by my family. Taste of Home "made over" this recipe that tastes like an orange Creamsicle ice cream bar. DREAMSICLE FUDGE Prep: 30 min. + chillin g 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar   2/3 cup evaporated milk   1/2 cup butter, cubed   1 package (10 to 12 ounces) white baking chips   1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme   3 teaspoons orange extract   12 drops yellow food coloring   9 drops red food coloring Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil and coat with cooking spray; se t a side. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; s tir in chips and marshmall...

At the risk of rushing past Thanksgiving to get right to Christmas goodies, I'm posting a gingerbread recipe. I got this from McCormick in a press kit back when I was a newspaper food editor. It comes out moist, scrumptious and flavorful. As the press materials say, "Chocolate pudding, mini chocolate chips, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice transform basic chocolate cake mix into an extraordinary flavor sensation." TRIPLE CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD  1 package (18 1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix  1 package (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding mix  4 eggs  1 tablespoon McCormick® Ginger, Ground  1 teaspoon McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground  1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Allspice, Ground  1/2 cup sour cream  1/2 cup vegetable oil  1/2 cup molasses  1/2 cup water  1 cup miniature chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, s...

I wrote this story in December 2002 for The Dominion Post. Chocolate-covered cherries are not only a Christmastime treat. They are perfect to give at Valentine's Day. And they are not hard to make at all. BY CYNTHIA McCLOUD The Dominion Post Crafting a holiday confection -- juicy cherries wrapped in sweet, creamy fondant and swathed with semisweet chocolate -- isn't as complicated as it tastes. Sue Carpenter of Morgantown easily makes chocolate-covered cherries from a recipe she found in McCall's magazine in 1987. "It said 'easy candy' and they are real simple to make," Carpenter said as she wrapped a thin layer of white fondant around a maraschino cherry at the dining room table in her South Park home. As a member of the Morgantown Service League, Carpenter makes the cherries as refreshments for the group's annual holiday open house at the Old Stone House Gift Shop. She said she would like to sell them at Valentine's Day to b...

This is a staple on my Christmas cookie tray, but occasionally I make them at other times of the year. They are easy to put together and don't take long to bake. Plus they are a favorite at potlucks. My friend ate 4 during the coffee hour after worship this past Sunday! NUTTY DATE SQUARES 1/4 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 2/3 cups Bisquick 1 cup chopped dates 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans) Powdered sugar (optional -- I don't use this because I don't like the sugar falling on my clothing) Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter, sugar and egg thoroughly. Stir in Bisquick, dates and nuts. Spread in a greased and floured 9-by-9-inch pan or baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Roll in powdered sugar, if desired.

Our first holiday season in our new house, in 1999, I hosted Christmas Eve. My husband's family came over after the church service for hors d'oeuvres and desserts. I had planned extensively, but I was inexperienced. I can't remember the menu, just the toast points topped with cilantro mayonnaise and shrimp. I t needed to be assembled as soon as I got home from church before serving. I guess I took a little too long getting it out because David's grandma murmured "Next time I'm invited here, I'm bringing a peanut butter sand wich!" That was my first experience cooking with cilantro. I don't like cilantro. I won't tell you what I think cilantro tastes like because it's unappetizing, and you'll wo nder how I know what that tastes like . I can think of t hree t hings I will eat cilantro in : fresh-made salsa , the hummus on Pan era Bread's Mediterranean Veggie sandwich and this Potato and Shrimp Stew I just discovered.  Knowing t...

I've done quite a bit of online shopping the past 5 days and I noticed several "junky" kitschy kitchen appliances that folks don't need. What caught my eye about the S'mores maker is the word "old-fashioned". Um, to make s'mores the old-fashioned way you need a stick and a campfire -- I don't see that here. I assume this next product is popular with people who always want the corner brownie. Does the manufacturer of the cupcake maker also sell a muffin machine? I don't know about a muffin maker, but there IS a cake pop maker! Cake pops are a trendy novelty treat right now. If you're doing it the "hard" way, without a special machine like the one above -- as I've read about it, never having done it -- you bake a cake and crumble it. You mix the crumbs with frosting and roll them in balls. You plunge a lollipop stick into them and freeze them, then you dip them in chocolate and sprinkles or other decorations. Moving on ... How...

One way to put a special touch on a holiday table is to mold the butter. I used my collectible Pampered Chef stoneware cookie molds that were just taking up room in my cupboard to make molded butter for Thanksgiving dinner. We set six tables at the community feast and each table got it's own heart-shaped butter. The technique is simple. 1. Place your stoneware mold in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. 2. At the same time, set out a stick of butter to soften for 20-30 minutes. 3. Remove the mold from the freezer and unwrap the butter. 4. Using the heel of your hand or the back of a metal spoon, smoosh the butter into the mold evenly. 5. Refrigerate the mold with the butter until the butter is firm. 6. Run a knife's thin blade around the outside of the butter, then use the tip of the knife to carefully pry up the butter in corner. Turn it out onto a plate. I wrapped my butter hearts individually to protect them from odors. I packed them in a plastic lidded container to store and tr...

The cover of the Betty Crocker Christmas cookies supermarket aisle cookbook is disturbing. Why is he winking? And am I the only one who reads it as "bite me" instead of "bake me" on first glance?

On Christmas morning at my house, I want some easy but special nibbles to enjoy while we open presents. This is probably the most relaxed I'll be all day. As soon as we clean up wrapping paper, we change out of our PJs and start packing the car to go to my mom's house across the county for lunch. Not only do I take presents, I find myself taking more and more of the meal -- either dishes I've made ahead or the ingredients, recipes and kitchen equipment to prepare them. This year I'll be doing everything at her house. But that's another post. I make these easy rolls to treat myself and others throughout the year. They are just different fillings for crescent roll dough. CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BRUNCH ROLLS 3 tubes of crescent rolls dough (If it's the traditional triangle cut, you'll have to push the perforations together. For this recipe, try to get the new variation where the dough is in strips or one big sheet.) Jar of Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread (look f...

If you need something to fill in your Christmas Eve dinner party buffet or if you were asked ot attend a holiday potluck at the last minute, try these elegant and supremely easy little wonders. Buy some whole pitted dates, some goat cheese and some walnuts. I'm assuming you have powdered sugar and orange juice on hand. Split one side of the whole date. Grab a little piece of goat cheese and stuff it in the date. Plop a walnut half or piece (depending on the size of the date) on top. Drizzle the whole batch with some icing you whip up by mixing a little orange juice into some powdered sugar.

Well, I don't cheat at all cookies, but close readers will see my Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich cookies from an early post start with a boxed cake mix. And this Christmas cookie, rugelach, which I have never attempted to make from scratch, starts with a storebought pie crust. I saw it on the Rachael Ray TV show and had to try it. If I ever make it again, I'll try different jams for the filling or use Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread instead of fooling with the melted butter and cocoa. This isn't bad tasting but it's not spectacular either. But it's a good way to get a little visual variety on your cookie tray, which is what I was going for. For Rachael Ray's recipe and a video demonstration, click here .

I almost added the word "easy" to the headline on this post. The recipe for Christmas Spice Butter is easy. Admittedly, the other technique -- for making dinner rolls shaped like doves -- requires some time and an eye for detail. If you like the sweet, spicy butter at Texas Roadhouse, this is a good knock-off. It is great on rolls and sweet potatoes. CHRISTMAS SPICE BUTTER 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon sugar Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and well-combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 cup. Shaping the doves is the hardest part of making the rolls because you're using thawed frozen rolls. It's no harder than rolling the bread dough into a rope and tying a knot. You'll need clean kitchen shears to snip the tail into feathers. Whole cloves are the eyes and sl...

On Friday I interviewed an artist, Morgantown metalsmith Amy Johns, at her shop in the historic Seneca Center. She shares The Little Studio with business partner and fellow crafter Carolyn Schuessler and the glass factory's original freight elevator that dates to 1902. Amy and Carolyn had set up Christmas cookies, punch and hot wassail for a holiday open house. At their urging, I grabbed a cup while they helped a customer. Then, without much urging, Carolyn shared her recipe. I made it for the church youth group Christmas party at my house tonight. A few of the teens tried it with no complaints and the oldest youth adviser, probably in his 70s, went back for more than one glass. I just had a little myself with a nip of brandy in it ... but only after all the guests have gone home. Wassail 1 gallon apple cider 1 large can frozen orange juice concentrate 1 large can pineapple juice 8 short cinnamon sticks or 4 long ones 27 whole cloves Mix all ingredients in a large stockpot. Simmer ...

Held the first Christmas cookie exchange with the church ladies' group Wednesday night. Only three people showed besides me. Heavy fog and prior commitments kept people away. I hope it will catch on in subsequent years. Here are three recipes (one woman didn't bring hers to copy.) REESE BALLS 1 1/2 cups graham crackers 1 1/3 cups crunchy peanut butter 1 box confectioners' sugar 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips 2/3 block food-grade paraffin (Gulf Wax brand) Note: Paraffin is no longer receommended for consumption. You can add a small amount of Crisco to the chocolate to make it shiny Crush graham crackers until fine. Add peanut butter, sugar and melted butter. Roll mixture into balls. Melt paraffin wax with chocolate chips. Dip balls with toothpick into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper until dry. Should make approximately 5 dozen depending on the size of the balls. HARVEST COOKIES 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ba...

When I was a kid, my mom would get me to eat my Cream of Wheat by making a face in it with m&ms. Now I do that with Bella. She calls it "funny face" cereal. Here is what my family looks like as m&ms. (Sizes are not to scale -- Bella's tall and getting taller but she has yet to pass me up. Maybe in kindergarten.) A more recent family food tradition is making this cinnamon candy-coated popcorn for Valentine's Day. It's also yummy at Christmas, but I usually don't make it for all the other traditional holiday goodies. CINNAMON POPCORN 32 cups plain popped popcorn (If you're using an air popper, this is 1 1/4 cups unpopped kernels.) 1 cup margarine or butter 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 9-ounce package Red Hot candies Grease with shortening or cooking spray three 13-by-9-inch pans. Put the popped popcorn in the pans. Melt margarine, syrup and candy together; bring to a boil (the candies will sort of clump at first, but they do eventually dissolve.) Bo...