For something a little different from the baked goods often gifted at this time of year, consider trying an easy-to-make spiced drink mix. The mix contains brown sugar and a bunch of wintry spices (which you can adapt to what's on hand). Stir a tablespoon or so of the mix into a cup of tea, cider, cocoa, etc., to make it more festive and warm. I packaged the mix in 1-cup mason jars. Cut a square piece of fabric or paper that's about two inches larger in length and width than the jar top. Screw the lid on, place fabric over top, and secure with ribbon or twine. Add a gift label with …

Leftovers from all the get-togethers this week? Here's a few ideas for using up leftover ham, roast beef, and other holiday foods. Ham: Quiche Lorraine: A classic recipe, and with good reason. Eggs Benedict: Another classic breakfast food. Ham and Cheese Bread : Bread flecked with ham and cheese that's hearty enough for breakfast. Croque-monsieurs: A croque-monsieur is a hot, grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Spread some mustard and butter on your favorite sliced bread, add ham and Swiss cheese, then place under the broiler until cheese begins to melt and bread begins turning golden brown. Mix…

Have you ever heard of hot chocolate on a stick? It's basically a fudge-like block that you stir into hot milk to create a sweet, cocoa, hot chocolate without the powdered mix. (And, of course, the fudge tastes great on its own, too.) The recipe comes originally from King Arthur Flour and can be adapted to make mint hot chocolate (replace some or all semisweet chips with mint chocolate chips), dark chocolate (replace some or all of the semisweet chips with dark chocolate chips, or use more unsweetened baking chocolate), or white hot chocolate (replace half or more of the semisweet chips with …

Between the meat eaters, the vegetarians, the calorie-counters and the kids, it can be hard to please everyone at a barbecue. Here are a few recipes that are fairly low-calorie, but still taste great, so you can ditch the veggie tray and enjoy the party. Grilled Onion Blossom This is an easy recipe with little prep that basically involves slow-roasting the onion on the grill. The onion will come out super-soft, making it a great, guilt-free and filling side dish for fewer than 100 calories. Instead of cheese and steak sauce, try a beef bouillon cube and a pat of butter, or get creative. Per …

Biscotti is very easy to make and keeps for at least a week, and often much longer. This recipe is made with almonds, almond extract for a bit more almond flavor, and lemon extract for zing (but feel free to adjust the flavorings to your own tastes). Pair a batch of homemade biscotti with a coffee mug and homemade hot chocolate mix for a fun and yummy holiday gift. Lemon-Almond Biscotti (Adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1999)Makes about 3 dozen 3 1/4 c. flour 1 tbs. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1.5 c. sugar 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla…

Peppermint bark and chocolate bark are favorite treats for many at this time of year. Making "bark" is simple, quick, and something that can easily be personalized for the tastes of each person on your list. Essentially, bark consists of chocolate chips or discs that are melted, then spread thin on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. To the melted chocolate, you add whatever mix-ins you want—crushed candy canes, nuts, pretzels, cookie pieces, cranberries— and then freeze the chocolate until hard, at which point it is broken into chunks or cut into pieces. Since chocolate bark is easy to make…

Today's recipe is a four-ingredient recipe adapted from Alton Brown for peanut butter fudge. This one-bowl recipe is quick and easy to whip up and can be made well in advance and frozen until ready for gift-giving or serving. Easy Peanut Butter Fudge (From Alton Brown) 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 1 cup peanut butter 2 tsp. vanilla 1 lb. powdered sugar (which equals 3 3/4 c.) Microwave butter and peanut butter in large bowl for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes, or until completely melted (you can also do this on the stovetop if you prefer). Add vanilla and powdered sugar to…