It is the most wonderful time of the year—Christmas. I especially love Christmas as it brings warm feelings of kindred spirit. My fondest memory of Christmas was when my sister, cousins, and I would stay at my fourth aunt's house on Christmas Eve. My aunt and uncle would take us to the Rotary Club's Christmas party to see Santa. All of us little ones would have a ball dancing, eating, and playing Christmas games. I was all but four years-old but somehow that memory seems to linger with me. On Christmas day, we would gather at my aunt's house to celebrate Christmas with her family. Her husband, Uncle Conrad, is Portuguese. His dad would make wonderful Portuguese and local dishes to celebrate the day. Even at that age, food was my obsession (I was chubby to say the least). The food and merriment of Christmas brings happy fuzzy feelings for me.

Even though there are only the three of us in our immediate family here in Fayetteville, I tend to get a little carried away by the spirit of Christmas. I love to put up decorations and make a whole bunch of goodies to give away and savor some of them ourselves. It gives me great joy and pleasure to make goodies as gifts, and my husband's nightmare as he has to deal with my obsession. As years go by, I still love making goodies from my kitchen as gifts; however, I have cut down on labor intensive recipes and stick to quick and easy ones.

As gift giving becomes more expensive each year, why not try making your own gifts. Yes it may take a little more time; however, the rewards are greater. If plan well, you can make a whole bunch of homemade goodies from your own kitchen in just one day for many people in addition to saving quite a big sum of money. Moreover, homemade goods are much better received as it comes from the heart. Homemade goodies need not only be limited to cookies. I am sure you have heard of dry cake mix in a jar along with cookie mix. You can also create your own herb olive oil or vinegar. Coffee liquor and other beverage mixes are also popular. You can create a theme gift basket of baking goods along with baking sheet pan, cookie molds, a batch of homemade cookie along with a jar of dry cookie mix, and of course don't forget to include the recipe. Same can be said about pasta, breakfast, coffee, variety of oils and vinegar themed gifts. Let your creative side flow and surprise yourself and the receiver of the gifts.

Before taking on these tasks, make a list of people you would like to give your homemade goodies. Next figure out what they would like before creating. Also take into consideration that some of the homemade items need to be made a few weeks in advance to cure or mellow such as the oils, vinegars, and liquors. Craft stores carry a variety of baskets, tins, and boxes that you can use as beautiful containers. Not all the items have to be home made. You can purchase some pre-made items and add your own little touches to it. The recipient of your gifts will not only be impress that you made it yourself but it shows that you care enough to take the time to make it. For more ideas on homemade goodies, check out these websites:  http://www.budget101.com/christmas.htm; http://baking.about.com/od/giftideas/tp/bakedgoods.htm;http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/11/13/a-do-it-yourself-christmas-34-great-gifts-you-can-make-yourself;    Here are a few homemade edible gift recipes from me that you can do on your own.

Coffee Liqueur

2 ounces instant espresso coffee powder

3 ½ cups white sugar

2 cups boiling water

1 pint vodka

1 whole vanilla bean

Method

Mix coffee and sugar. Add boiling water and stir until dissolved. Cool. Add Vodka and pour into two 26 ounce empty bottles. Split vanilla into 4 pieces and add to bottles. Close bottles tightly and keep in a cook dark place for a *month.

* If not quite a month until ready, let recipient know when they can start tasting

Makes 16 servings.

Rum Balls

Recipe taken from Emeril Lagasse

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup dark rum
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts

Method

Into a large bowl, sift together 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar, the cocoa powder and allspice. Stir in the rum and corn syrup. Stir in the vanilla wafers and walnuts, and mix well. Place in the refrigerator to firm up slightly, about 30 minutes. (The mixture may appear crumbly and dry; this is O.K.). Place the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl or dish.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out portions of the chocolate mixture and press into 1-inch balls. Using your hands, roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar, coating evenly. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, placing waxed paper between the layers to prevent sticking.

Christmas Decoration on a Budget.  My husband Steve usually gets nervous this time of year as I tend to get carried away with Christmas decorations. However, like everyone else, I am a little more budget conscious this year. I took a survey of what we have currently and recycled as much as possible by switching things around. I had some garlands that used to adorn the outside pillars in my old house. This year I used those garlands to decorate the banister in my new home. You too can do the same with your current Christmas decorations by switching them around in different areas of your home. Old baubles can be used to fill up a clear glass vase as table decoration. Garlands need not hang over doors and banisters only. They can be used as accent to other tabletop decorations. I am no decorator by a long shot, and am in awe at people who can turn something that looks like junk into something beautiful. By using your imagination, you will be surprise what you can do with your current decorations by adding new life and a new look to your home. For those of you who are stylishly challenge like myself, these few websites may give you a few creative decorating ideas that may come in handy: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Decorate-for-Christmas; http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/category/christmas-decorating; http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/category/christmas-decorating.

Hosting a Christmas Open House. I guess the theme for this year is "budget conscious." Everyone is feeling the pinch of the green. Nevertheless, it is still possible to throw a party on a budget, have some fun and holiday cheer. Instead of having huge plates of food and endless amount of alcohol, why not serve food in smaller portions. Small plates are the trend currently. What I mean by small plates is having small bite size samples of food instead of large pieces and quantity of food. This way guests get to sample everything in smaller portions but will still get their fill. Moreover, there will be less waste with food left on plates that are thrown away. You can also throw a wine tasting party with each guest bringing a bottle of their favorite wine to sample. This will definitely cut down on the cost of providing alcohol. Homemade punch is also making a come back. Instead of serving several different kinds of beverages, why not make one punch, an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version, as your main beverage and set out a variety of bottled waters, flavored and unflavored, for your guests. Depending on the size of your party, always have at least two meat dishes, a couple fillers such as rice or pasta salad, a vegetarian dish and sweet and savory snacks such as nuts, marinated olives, and cheeses. Below are a couple of quick and easy dishes that are great for any parties.

Cherry Tomato Hors d'ouevre

12 cherry tomatoes

6 tablespoon whipping cream

1 tablespoon chives

1 slice smoked salmon or ham

Method

Place the tomatoes on flat work surface. Cut off ½-inch off the top with a sharp knife and reserve. Using a small teaspoon, scoop out some of the seeds from the tomatoes. Whip the cream until firm; season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped salmon or ham to the cream along with the chopped chives. Fill the tomato cavities with ½-teaspoon of cream mixture and replace the cut top back on the tomato.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE ROLLS

Fast and delicious

1/4 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten

Purchased marinara sauce, heated

Method

Lightly grease large baking sheet. Combine breadcrumbs and milk in small bowl. Let stand until milk is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to processor. Add sausages, onion, 1 egg, garlic and oregano. Using on/off turns, process until blended. Season with salt and pepper.

Unfold pastry sheet on floured work surface. Roll out to 12x10-inch rectangle. Cut pastry crosswise into three 10x4-inch strips. Brush each strip with beaten egg. Spoon 1/3 of sausage mixture in narrow strip lengthwise down center of each pastry strip. Fold long sides in, covering filling and overlapping slightly in center; press seam to seal. Arrange rolls seam side down on prepared sheet. Cover and chill until rolls are firm, at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Cut each roll crosswise into 8 pieces. Separate pieces on baking sheet. Brush with some of remaining beaten egg. Bake until rolls are puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with marinara sauce.

Makes 24 rolls

Kitchen Tips. The key to flaky pie crust is to have everything chilled especially the butter and/or the shortening. Make sure the butter and shortening used are cut into small pieces. In addition use ice water and not just cold water to bind the mixture. Once the dough has been mixed, let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator or freeze the dough for a couple of days until ready to use.

To keep asparagus for several days, cut an inch off the bottom and stand them upright in a container. Fill the container with about an inch of cold water and cover the asparagus with a bag. Place the container in the refrigerator.

As the year comes to an end, I hope I have inspired you with my newsletters to try something new and different each time. I also hope I have given you ideas on how to improvise and learn a thing or two regarding the origins of ingredients and how to use them. My purpose for writing a newsletter is to motivate you to go back into your kitchen and discover your hidden talents or revive your passion for cooking again. Until the next year, I wish you joy and happiness from my kitchen to yours.