Final Yard Sale Purchase (of the Season!) ~ Gooseberry Patch Christmas

The Best of Gooseberry: Old-Fashioned Christmas Favorites, published in 1997. Not just a cookbook, in addition to recipes, this volume offers handmade gifts/crafts plus decorating tips and hints. Purchased from a neighbor's yard sale!

Deck the Halls starts us off with hints and tips for tree decorating, including instructions for making a popcorn & cranberry garland (which can fed to the birds after the tree has come down), advice on decorating with poinsettias, directions for crafting paper snowflakes or making potpourri, plus personalizing ornaments to use in lieu of place-cards.

A few of the crafty projects in Handmade with Love are comprised of homemade greeting cards, soap stars (using a cookie cutter), fabric gift bags, scented bath salts and potpourri sachets, while the recipes range from apricot nut bread, peanut brittle or caramels to orange cranberry marmalade, spiced pecans, truffles and thyme. lemon peel & black pepper vinegar.  The third chapter ~ Heartwarming Memories consists of reader submitted Christmas memories and traditions (both old and new).

The recipes start flowing in Festive Food, beginning with starters ~ clam or corn chowder, hot pecan dip, ham & Swiss rolls, cherry muffins, crab puffs, jalapeno corn bread and an artichoke rice salad, followed by hearty fare composed of a busy day casserole, meatloaf, cranberry orange glazed Cornish hens, vegetable chili, crab meat bisque, roast in sherry and waffles. A few of the delectable sweets are an apple crisp, lemon snowdrops, stained glass cookies, shortbread, chocolate mint cookies, lace roll-ups, lemon chess bars, fruitcake, a brownie trifle, cheesecake, fudge and an almond glazed sour cream cake.

The last chapter is filled with Menus for various holiday soirees, beginning with a Night Before Christmas dinner featuring baked artichokes, prime rib roast, a lentil &  mushroom loaf, candied oranges, wassail and a walnut torte, while the dishes in a Christmas Breakfast or Brunch explore sunrise punch, casseroles, French toast, honey spiked ham, applesauce muffins and sticky buns.

Some of the selections in the Christmas Banquet menu are mushroom logs, roast turkey, mulled cranberry cider, an onion & apple casserole and a blackberry cobbler, with Holiday Open House offering caraway bread sticks, cheese coins, sweet & sour meatballs, wine marinated beef brisket, brandied peaches and espresso chocolate chip drops.