Christmas is such a wonderful time of year!  I know things get busy and hectic but if you take a minute to breath and really think about what Christmas means to you, then everything you need to do doesn’t seem quite so impossible.  I suggest taking the time to plan your holiday meal and enjoy cooking with friends and family while carols play in the background.  That would be something to look forward too. 

Another suggestion: North Carolina grows some of the most beautiful poinsettias and Christmas greenery I have ever seen.  They make wonderful gifts. Or if you have family visiting from out of town, you could give them a NC gift basket to take home.  Fill it with jams, jellies, honey, fruit and plants grown and produced right here in NC.  You could even throw in a loaf of sweet potato tea bread.

The following recipes for a North Carolina breakfast are easy and delicious.  We also have the link to last year’s traditional recipes for lunch or dinner. They all use what’s grown and produced right here in our wonderful state. 

On behalf of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, we want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

• 3 cups sugar
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
  
• 3 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  
• 2 cups sweet potatoes (mashed)
  
• 2/3 cup water
  
• 4 eggs beaten
  
• 1 cup raisins (coat with flour)
  
• 1 cup chopped nuts (coat with flour)
  
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
  

Cream sugar and oil. Add eggs, sweet potatoes and water. Gradually add flour and spices. Mix in raisins and nuts. Spray 2 large loaf pans with cooking spray and coat with flour.
Pour in mixture. Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 9X13 inch baking dish.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk.  Add cooked sausage, cheese, red pepper, green onions, onion powder and garlic powder.   Add bread cubes, stirring to moisten bread.  Pour into baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until set.  Serve warm.

• 2 cups water
  
• ½ cup quick-cooking grits, uncooked
  
• 3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 1 cup reduced-fat milk
  
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
  

 Bring water to a boil; stir in grits. Return to boil, reduce heat to low and cook 6 minutes, stirring often, until grits are a thick consistency. Add cheese, stirring until melted. Combine eggs, milk, thyme, garlic powder and half of crumbled bacon; stir well. Gradually stir about ¼ of hot grits into egg mixture; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. Pour into lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish. Top with remaining half of bacon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To serve: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Yield: 8 servings

Carrot Muffins

These muffins are wonderful for breakfast or as a treat left for Santa!  I love these because they taste like a carrot cake but you get your own individual one.

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or can use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1-½ cups shredded carrots (about 3-4 large)
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 1/3-cup buttermilk or milk
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup (2 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease muffin tins for 12 muffins or use cupcake papers.  Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a whisk.  In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and sugar.  Add carrots, raisins, buttermilk and 1/3 cup melted butter.  Mix well.  Stir in flour mixture until dry ingredients are moistened.  Spoon the batter into greased or paper-lined muffin cups.  Bake for 16 or 18 minutes, or until golden brown.  While cooling, blend softened cream cheese and 1 tablespoon butter.  Blend in powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract.  Drizzle glaze over muffins or dip tops of warm muffins into glaze.

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  
• 1 Tablespoon honey
  
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  

Mix together until well blended.  Slice your tomato and add salt and pepper.  Crumble bacon on top.  Then drizzle the glaze over the tomato.

• 2 parts apple juice
  
• 2 parts ginger ale
  
• 1 part cranberry light
  

Mix together and garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt, optional
• 1 quart milk*, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large saucepan, beat together eggs, sugar, and salt, if desired. Stir in 2 cups of the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a thin film and reaches at least 160 degrees F., which takes about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 2 cups of milk and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, several hours or overnight. Just before serving, pour into a bowl or pitcher. Garnish or add stir-ins, if desired. Serve immediately. For faster preparation, heat milk until very warm before stirring milk into eggs and sugar.

Garnishes and Stir-ins: Choose 1 or several: chocolate curls, maraschino cherries, cinnamon sticks, orange slices, extracts or flavorings, peppermint sticks or candy cane, flavored brandy or liqueur, plain brandy, rum or whiskey, fruit juice or nectar, sherbet or ice cream, ground nutmeg, or whipping cream, whipped.

*Milk can be low fat, whole, or use part half-&-half. The richer the mike, the richer the eggnog.

• 1 well-trimmed center-cut-beef tenderloin roast (2 to 3 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

Holiday Rice:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¾ cup each chopped onion and red bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 package (9 ounces) frozen French-style green beans, defrosted
• 3 cups hot cooked rice
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine seasoning ingredients; press onto roast beef. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is centered in thickest part of beef, not resting in fat. Do not add water or cover. Roast in 425 degrees F oven 35 to 40 minutes for medium rare; 45 to 50 minutes for medium doneness.

Remove roast when meat thermometer registers 135 degrees F for medium rare; 150 degrees for medium. Tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes. Temperature will continue to rise about 10 degrees F to 145 degrees for medium rare; 160 degrees F for medium.

Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Add beans; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in rice and almonds; heat through. Carve roast; season with salt. Serve with rice.

• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
  
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
  
• 2 cups baked sweet potatoes, pureed
  
• 3 cups cake flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  
• 1 cup shelled and chopped NC pecans
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare bundt cake pan by spraying with non stick spray and dusting with flour.

In stand mixer, cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated into butter. Add eggs one at a time until each egg is completely mixed into butter and sugar mixture. Add pureed sweet potatoes to butter, sugar, and egg mixture. Mixture will look curdled, but it is fine. Add vanilla extract and orange juice and continue to mix.

On a piece of wax paper, sift together all dry ingredients except NC pecans. Add dry mixture to wet mixture a little at a time until it is completely incorporated. Fold chopped NC pecans into batter being careful not to over mix.

Pour prepared batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Bake for 1 hour until done. If knife inserted into cake comes out clean, the cake is done. Let cake cool on rack. Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with pecan halves before serving.

• 1 pound backfin crabmeat
  
• 1 tablespoon milk
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
  
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  
• 2 tablespoons grated onion
  
• 1 teaspoon horseradish
  
• Paprika
  

Remove any shell or cartilage from crabmeat.

Mix cream cheese, milk, onion, lemon juice, horseradish, and pepper in medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Place in 8-inch pie dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with assorted crackers.

• 3 medium apples
• ¼ cup orange juice or fresh lemon juice
• 6 medium cooked sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in ¼ to ½-inch slices
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  

Peel and slice apples into a bowl; add juice. Butter a 1 ½ to 2-quart casserole dish; alternate sliced sweet potatoes and apples until dish is full. Mix the sugar, butter, and nutmeg together. Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over the apples and sweet potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until browned. Serves 4 to 6.