"Glazed Fruitcake Squares" from Pillsbury: Best Cookies Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, 199). The bars smell strongly of brandy, but do not really taste of it. Used really brandy in the bars and glaze, but the recipe allows for the substitution of orange juice and brandy extract if that's your thing. The bars seemed a little dry the first day, but this may be because I used King Arthur Flour's "Favorite Fruit Blend" (apricots, raisins, pineapple, dates, and cranberries) rather than the moister, stickier, green and red fruitcake fruits sold in those little plastic buckets. "Peppermint Snowballs" are from Betty Crocker's Best Christmas Cookbook (Hungry Minds, 1999). They are very light and very minty with just a hint of crunch from the crushed peppermints. My husband loves them and I will definitely be making them again -- although I may modify the instructions somewhat. It is very hard to roll hot fragile cookies straight from the oven in powdered sugar without experiencing breakage. Next time, I will put the cookies on a wire rack and sift confectionery sugar over them (the sugar is there to form a sticky layer for the crushed candies to stick to). Recipe makes 48 cookies -- I made 36 with breakage. "Holiday Eggnog Sugar Cookies" are from a mix by King Arthur Flour and came in my November Baking Club box. They are supposed to be "a rich custard-flavored cookie, with a hint of nutmeg," but taste more like a ginger-y sugar cookie. Not bad, but not eggnog. I followed the instructions for hand-shaped cookies and rolled them in leftover green & red sugar. Recipe makes 36 cookies -- I made 41. "Chocolate Crinkles" are also from Betty Crocker's Best Christmas Cookbook (Hungry Minds, 1999). I made these for the first time last year and my husband loved them so much they are now a Christmas necessity. I love how easy they are to make and that the dough needs to be refrigerated for three hours (giving me plenty of time to de-cookie the kitchen, have a cup of tea, and generally not feel my life has been taken over by cookie making). The recipe makes 72 cookies -- I made 70. Cookie plate is from my husband's Blackpool gran, Winnie. Now, there's a woman who knows how to bake.

Betty Crocker's Pasta and Bean Skillet 1 cup salsa (I used salsa I made this summer) 2/3 cup uncooked pasta 3/4 cup water 2 teaspoons chili powder 2 cups red kidney beans, drained, rinsed 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1. Heat all ingredients except cheese to boiling in 10-inch nonstick skillet; reduce heat. 2. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese.