Ingredients:

3 cups (12-oz) cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can (8 3/4-oz) crushed pineapple, drained (reserve liquid)
Pastry for a 9" two crust pie
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (15 1/4-oz) pear halves, drained and cut into halves

Directions:

Cook cranberries, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the pineapple and 1/4 cup of the reserved pineapple syrup, stirring constant until cranberries are tender (5 - 10 minutes on medium heat).  Cool.  Prepare pastry as directed except flute bottom crust.  Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and stir into cranberry/pineapple mixture.  Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.  Gently press pear slices spoke-fashion into cranberry mixture.

Heat oven to 400 (F) degrees.  After rolling pastry for top crust, cut into tree and star/snowflake shapes using cookie cutter.  Place these shapes on ungreased cookie sheet, dust with sugar & cinnamon and bake for 7 to 10 minutes until lightly browned.  Cool.  Bake the pie for about 40 minutes in the 400 (F) oven.  When slightly cooled, place Christmas tree/snowflake cutouts on pie.  Cool completely before serving.

​Serve with whipped cream for vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy.

During theses busy and often cold days of December, it is always nice to have an easy supper/lunch recipe at hand.  This is one of those recipes.

​Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef (I recommend 1 pound sweet Italian sausage and 1 pound lean ground beef)
1 large onion, chopped (about one cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (28-oz) whole tomatoes
1 can (15-0z) kidney beans, undrained
1 can (12-oz) vacuum packed whole-kernel corn (drained)
2 stalks of celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
2 cups shredded cabbage (about 1/4 head)
2 small zucchini, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni  (rigatoni would be an excellent substitute and increase quantity to 2 cups)
3 cups beef stock
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Directions:
Cook and stir meat(s), onion, garlic in Dutch oven until beef is light brown; drain if necessary.  Stir in remaining ingredients (except macaroni/pasta) breaking up tomatoes with fork.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.  Stirring occasionally,  Add macaroni/pasta, cover and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy.

​Makes about 12 servings.

During the holidays my mother always baked a mincemeat pie or two.  I loved her mincemeat pies in all of their citrusy fruity goodness.  So, when I found this recipe in a Betty Crocker cookbook titled "Christmas Cookbook", I decided to try it.  It came out not bad at all...actually it is quite good.  It's not the same as my mother's recipe but considering it is made with pre-made mincemeat, you will enjoy it.

Caveat here...I think most people think of mincemeat pie the same way they think of fruit cake...they either love it or hate it.

Recipe:

Heat oven to 425 degrees (F).  Prepare pasty for 9-inch two-crust pie.  Mix one jaro (28-ounces) prepared mincemeat and 1 and 1/2 cups diced and pared tart apples; pour into pastry-lined pie plate.  Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute; sprinkle lightly with house cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Bake until crust is golden brown...about 40 to 45 minutes.  You might want to consider covering the edge with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning...I did not need to to do that.

Enjoy.