An oldie but a goodie

Most of today's recipes are from one of my favorite sources: Southern Living magazine. These recipes are from 1998 but still remain some of my favorites for the Christmas season. The pecan pie cake is a lot of work but definitely worth it. Enjoy a warm slice of it with the hot cider nog for a different twist on an old favorite.

Hot Cider Nog

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup milk

1 cup apple cider

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup bourbon (optional)

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

Cinnamon sticks for garnish

Whisk together first eight ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture thickens and coats a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in bourbon, if desired. Top each serving with whipped cream. Garnish, if desired. Yield 5 1/2 cups.

Pecan Pie Cake

3 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted and divided

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1 recipe pecan pie filling

1 recipe pastry garnish (optional)

Sprinkle 2 cups pecans evenly into 3 generously buttered 9-inch round cake pans; shake to coat bottoms and sides of pans. Beat 1/2 cup butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and baking soda to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in remaining cup of finely chopped pecans. Beat egg whites at medium speed until stiff peaks form; fold one-third of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites. Do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until done. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Invert layers onto wax paper-lined wire racks. Brush tops and sides of layers with corn syrup, and cool completely. Spread half of pecan pie filling on one layer, pecan side up. Place second layer, pecan side up, on filling; spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining layer, pecan side up. Arrange pastry garnish on and around cake, if desired. Yields one three-layer cake.

Cranberry Streusel Pie

This pie is not only delicious, it is pretty to serve, especially for Christmas.

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under and crimp. Stir together cranberries and next four ingredients and spoon into pie crust. Whisk together egg and remaining ingredients and pour over cranberry mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes. Yields one 9-inch pie.

Red Velvet Peppermint Cake

Who doesn't like peppermint near the holidays? This recipe uses peppermint extract, but crushing up hard candy peppermints into the icing makes for a real burst of flavor.

1 (18.25-ounce) package white cake mix

3 egg whites

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 (9-ounce) package yellow cake mix or 1 3/4 cups yellow cake mix

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Peppermint cream cheese frosting

Beat first 4 ingredients according to cake mix package directions. Beat yellow cake mix and next six ingredients according to package directions. Spoon red batter alternately with white batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Swirl batter gently with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks. Spread peppermint cream cheese frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. (Cake may be chilled up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month.) Garnish, if desired. Serve within 2 hours. If cake is frozen, thaw completely before garnishing to prevent crushed candy from running. Do not refrigerate after garnishing. Yields one 3-layer cake.

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 (2-pound) package powdered sugar

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at low speed until smooth. Add peppermint extract, beating until mixture is blended. Yields about 5 cups. Need something quicker? Add peppermint extract to three 16-ounce containers of cream cheese frosting.

One of my favorite cookbooks for Christmas is "The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas." It is the history of the Christmas season, traditions and recipes for the east of Christmas. I love the book. It goes through every significant member of the Nativity setting, one by one with history, pictures then recipes. I have selected one to include here today.

Babes Wrapped in Swaddling Clothes

The dough:

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

2 egg yolks, reserve the whites for the meringue filling below

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Confectioners' sugar

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until grainy. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, egg yolks and the lemon juice. Blend the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture. Knead together to form a smooth dough. Place the dough on plastic wrap and pat it into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

The filling:

2 egg whites, reserved from making the dough

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped fine

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually whip in the sugar to form a meringue. Whip until the meringue holds soft peaks. Fold in the remaining ingredients.

Dust a rolling pin and the counter with flour. Roll the chilled dough out into a thin (1/8-inch maximum) rectangle on the floured counter. Trim the edges so the rectangle measures 24 by 15 inches. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares and dust with confectioners' sugar. Place a rounded teaspoon of the filling in the center of each dough square. With a tiny bit of water, dampen two opposite corners. Fold the two opposite corners over each other and press the center together lightly. Place the cookies on a nonstick baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Yields 4 1/2 dozen.

I hope these little babes wrapped in swaddling clothes add some joy to your holiday. Have a wonderful week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff: