The Holidays are a time for sweet memories, a time when home bakers pull out their “go to” cookie recipes to make, decorate and display on holiday platters for family and friends to enjoy. This year, take your cookies and creativity to the next level.
“I love the holidays because you can really have a lot of fun with desserts, especially cookies,” exclaims baking expert Dede Fuson. “Use cookies as place cards at dinner, ornaments for your tree or toppers for an iced cupcake. Beautifully decorated cookies always shine no matter how you use them!”

Try adding your own creative touches to sugar cookies for a new twist on a holiday tradition. Decorative Sugar Cookies combine the cozy flavors of butter, sugar and vanilla. Decorate these cookies with Shiny Sugar Cookie Frosting, a slightly thinner frosting that produces a shiny glaze effect. The always popular Butter Cream Frosting is also a classic topper because it spreads on thickly so decorations can be added with ease.

• Chill your dough until it is easy to handle before cutting into shapes.
• After baking, move your cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing them so your icing doesn’t melt.
• Add decorations – such as sparkling sugars, candy bits or colorful sprinkles – while the icing is still wet so decorations can set.

Decorative Sugar Cookies
4 1/2 cups White Lily® All Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup All-Vegetable Shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting or icing of choice

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and shortening in large mixing bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as possible with mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half. Spoon each half onto plastic wrap. Shape into disks and wrap tightly. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight until dough is easy to handle.
3. Heat oven to 375° F. Using one disk at a time, place dough on floured surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies with floured cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars, if desired.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are slightly golden. Remove immediately to cooling rack. Cool completely. Frost with Shiny Sugar Cookie Frosting, if desired.

Makes about 3 dozen 2-inch to 3-inch cut-out cookies.

Shiny Sugar Cookie Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond, lemon or vanilla extract
Food coloring

1. Combine powdered sugar and milk in small bowl. Stir until smooth. Stir in corn syrup and extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls. Stir in food coloring. Dip cookies or brush icing onto the tops.

Makes frosting for 3 dozen cookies.

As Christmas approaches, thoughts of family gatherings centered around tables filled with great traditional dishes typically come to mind. Utilizing a classic, old-fashioned recipe like Blackberry Jam Cake speaks to traditionalists, offering a slice of moist and tender goodness. Aromatic spices like cinnamon, cloves and allspice, combined with blackberry jam and toasted walnuts create a delicate, flavorful cake. Baking this cake in a fluted tube pan and drizzling the top with a scrumptious caramel icing guarantees a popular dessert with nothing but crumbs left.

Blackberry Jam Cake
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Butter Flavor Vegetable Shortening
3 large eggs
1 cup Seedless Blackberry Jam
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups White Lily® Self-Rising Flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts

Icing
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 10-inch fluted tube pan generously with no-stick cooking spray. Beat sugar and shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add blackberry jam and 1 cup buttermilk. Beat for 1 minute. Add flour, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Beat for an additional 2 minutes at medium speed. Fold in dates and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on cooling rack.
3. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in brown sugar. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup buttermilk and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Blend until smooth.
4. Place cake on serving plate. Spoon icing over top allowing it to run down the sides of the cake. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

16 servings

TIP: To toast walnuts, heat oven to 350º F. Place shelled walnuts in baking pan. Toast 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, stirring frequently. Or, cook in skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until nuts begin to brown 5 to 7 minutes, then stirring constantly until light golden brown. Or, place walnut halves in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir every 2 minutes until nuts begin to brown. Cool and chop.

©/® The J.M. Smucker Company

Crust
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
2 1/2 cups Martha White® All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter

Filling
1 1/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1/4 cup half-and-half, plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Topping
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Spray 13 x 9-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray. Combine flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl; mix well. Cut in 10 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture firmly in bottom and about 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.

2. While crust is baking, beat sugar and 6 tablespoons butter in medium bowl, with an electric mixer at medium high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin, half-and-half, vanilla and eggs until light and fluffy.

3. Pour filling into partially baked crust. Return to oven. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until filling is set. Combine pecans, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter. Mix well. Remove bars from oven, sprinkle with pecan topping. Bake 5 minutes. Cool on wire rack 1 hour or until completely cooled. Store in refrigerator.

18 servings

FILLING
1 tablespoon Crisco® Pure Olive Oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 (19 oz.) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (4.5 oz.) can mild green chilies, drained

CRUST
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1(6 oz.) pkg. Martha White® Cotton Country® Cornbread Mix
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream, salsa, chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil over medium heat in a 10 1/2 – inch Lodge® cast iron skillet. Add 1 cup onion, garlic, green pepper, cumin and chili powder; sauté about 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add remaining filling ingredients; simmer about 10 minutes.

2. Beat egg in medium bowl. Add milk, butter and cornbread mix; mix well. Stir in 1/4 cup onion and cheese. Pour over chicken chili in skillet.

3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown. Top with sour cream, salsa, and/or cilantro, if desired.

6 servings

As the weather cools down and children go back to school, store shelves are already lined with plentiful bags of tempting Halloween goodies.

According to the National Confectioners Association, ninety percent of parents admit to occasionally dipping into their children’s Halloween haul. Even the most well-intentioned adult can be swayed into buying sale-priced, bulk-sized bags of treats.

TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nonprofit weight-loss support organization, has solutions to help navigate the unofficial kickoff to the “holiday eating season” and prevent a dietary disaster.

HALLOWEEN MADE HEALTHIER

BAD -
• Popcorn balls – Sugar and corn syrup transform a previously high-fiber, low-calorie snack into calorie overload.
BETTER -
• A 100-calorie pack of kettle corn – This portion-controlled snack has a hint of sweet without regret.

BAD -
• Full-size candy bars – In general, the bigger the bar, the more calories it has.
BETTER -
• A few “miniatures” of your favorite bar – Munch on a mini version of your favorite treat, but be careful to dole out a specific portion in advance to avoid overdoing it. Just seven mini Milky Ways has about the same number of calories as a full-size bar – and “snack-size” versions are even higher in calories. Moderation is key.

BAD -
• Caramel apples – The average caramel apple has at least 300 calories, but, depending on the size of the apple, thickness of the caramel, and toppings like nuts or chocolates, it can be closer to 600 to 800 calories!
BETTER -
• Plain apple slices dipped into peanut butter or low-fat caramel sauce – Keep the apple’s health benefits while dipping into a satiating sweet or salty condiment.

OUTSMART TEMPTATION

• To help avoid overindulging, wait to buy candy for trick-or-treaters until a few days before Halloween. If it’s not in your house, you can’t eat it.
• Buy treats that aren’t so enticing. If chocolate is a food trigger, buy only gummy treats or small boxes of raisins to distribute to trick-or-treaters.
• Mix up the candy bowl with a variety of non-traditional but nutritious goodies like individual packs of raisins, pretzels, or trail mix; mini dark chocolate and nuts bars; and fiber-filled chocolate-covered raisins.
• Remove excess candy corn and other sweets immediately after trick-or-treat hours end. Give treats to a food pantry, homeless shelter, or, if needed, toss surplus candy in the garbage.

TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), the nonprofit weight-loss support and wellness education organization, was established more than 62 years ago to champion weight-loss support and success. TOPS has nearly 10,000 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To find a local chapter, view www.tops.org or call (800) 932-8677

October is National Cookie Month so we’ve celebrated by sharing the favorites of our columnists each week. This week, enjoy Erika Townsend’s favorite recipe for Walnut-Chocolate Cookies. Be sure and look for Erika’s insightful and funny columns in print each month on relationships and love.

Erika says: “I love chocolate chip cookies because they are a classic! It reminds me of being a kid and I love to eat the left over cookie dough in the bowl. Even though I have had my love affair with them for nearly 30 years, it is something that my daughter and I can indulge in together. There is nothing better than eating fresh-out-the-oven chocolate chip cookies; except sharing them with someone you love! (By the way, I got this recipe fromAbout.com.)”

Erika Townsend’s Favorite Walnut-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes

Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, soft
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just barely blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop 1/4-cup portions of cookie dough, about 3 inches apart, on un-greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then remove to cool on wire racks.

At this time of year, tailgaters are passionate about two things – football and food. The same can also be said for those who prefer to watch the game at home, too. Fire up the grill, throw on some burgers, brats or hot dogs and you already have the beginning of a great party. The game creates a festive atmosphere, so all you have to do is feed the fans.

Kick It Off
One fun part of a football party menu is the snacks. You can’t go wrong with chips and dips, cereal mix with nuts and cheeses and crackers, but sometimes it’s fun to add something a little different. A riff on a classic is the Open Face BBQ on Jalapeno Cornbread Sandwich. A thin pan of cornbread with corn, cheese and jalapenos is quick to make with a cornbread mix. Cut into squares and top with a dollop of barbecue mayo and a bit of your favorite barbecue sauce. Suit yourself and try a variety of different BBQ – pulled pork, beef, chicken, or brisket make delicious sandwiches.

Open Face Barbecue Sandwich on Jalapeno Cornbread
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 large egg
1 (8 oz.) can cream style corn
1/3 cup milk
1 (6 oz.) pkg. Martha White® Buttermilk Cornbread Mix
1 cup coarsely shredded cheddar cheese
2 to 4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno peppers

Barbecue Mayo
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
Prepared brisket, pulled pork, beef or chicken barbecue

1. Heat oven to 425° F. Coat 13x9x2-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. Beat egg in large bowl. Stir in corn, milk and cornbread mix until blended. Stir in cheese and peppers. Pour into prepared pan.

2. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.

3. Stir together mayonnaise and barbecue sauce in small bowl. Cut cornbread into 2-inch squares. Top each with a dollop of sauce and barbecue.
Makes 24 servings

GAME DAY SCHEDULE

SUN, OCT 24
San Francisco at Carolina
1 PM FOX Bank of America Stadium

St. Louis at Tampa Bay
1 PM FOX Raymond James Stadium

Buffalo at Baltimore
1 PM CBS M&T Bank Stadium

Cleveland at New Orleans
1 PM CBS Superdome

Pittsburgh at Miami
1 PM CBS Sun Life Stadium

Philadelphia at Tennessee
1 PM FOX LP Field

Jacksonville at Kansas City
1 PM CBS Arrowhead Stadium

Washington at Chicago
1 PM FOX Soldier Field

Cincinnati at Atlanta
1 PM CBS Georgia Dome

Arizona at Seattle
4:05 PM FOX Qwest Field

New England at San Diego
4:15 PM CBS Qualcomm Stadium

Oakland at Denver
4:15 PM CBS Invesco Field at Mile High

Minnesota at Green Bay
8:20 PM NBC Lambeau Field

MON, OCT 25
NY Giants at Dallas
8:30 PM ESPN Cowboys Stadium

Dough
1 1/3 cups Martha White® All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1/4 cup ice water

Filling
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 pounds fresh ripe firm peaches, pitted, peeled and
sliced 3/4–inch thick
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon cream or milk

1. Combine flour, salt and 1 tablespoon sugar in bowl of food processor. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until about the size of small peas. Drizzle water over mixture. Pulse 8 to 12 times or until dough forms small clumps. Turn out onto waxed paper. Shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month.)

2. Heat oven to 450° F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray. Roll dough into 12-inch circle on lightly floured surface. Place on prepared baking sheet. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Sprinkle over peaches.
Toss to coat.

3. Arrange peaches in center of dough to within 3-inches of edge. Fold dough over peaches making pleats and leaving about 5-inch opening of peaches. Pinch pleats and press down to seal. Brush dough with egg yolk mixture. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set pan on cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings
Tip: If juices leaked onto baking sheet during baking, loosen those areas while tart is warm. For easier clean-up, baking sheet may be covered with foil and sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

The crackle of fireworks and taste of delicious food brings excitement to Independence Day. As families fire up the grill in preparation for summer fun, a patriotic cake is the perfect All-American dessert to complement any party.

Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

Cake
- 3 1/2 cups White Lily® Enriched Bleached All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/4 cups Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening OR 1 1/4 sticks Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- 1 tablespoon blue food coloring

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 (13 oz.) jar marshmallow cream
- Garnish
- Fresh blueberries and strawberries, optional

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat three 8-inch round pans with no-stick cooking spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper, cut to fit. Coat paper with no-stick cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl.

Add buttermilk and shortening. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg whites, vanilla and almond extract. Beat an additional 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

Pour 1/3 (about 2 cups) of batter into prepared pan. Divide remaining batter into 2 medium bowls. Stir in food coloring to make one red and one blue batter. Pour batter into remaining pans. Tap pans on counter several times to remove air bubbles.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pan. Remove cake and cool completely on wire rack.

Beat butter in a large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fluffy. Beat in almond extract. Stir in marshmallow cream until well blended.

Place blue cake layer on cake plate and generously frost top. Stack white layer and generously frost top. Add red layer, frosting top and sides of entire cake. Garnish with fresh blueberries and strawberries, if desired.

Makes 12 servings

©/® The J.M. Smucker Company

She appears in the current Essence Magazine, in a four-page feature. She’s host of Food Network’s “Cooking for Real,” which just entered its seventh season, and Viva brand paper towels signed her to a national endorsement deal starring Sunny and her kitchen in a national campaign.

“I don’t know if hitting my stride is the right word,” she says. “I’m just really having a good time.”

Today Sunny is at ease being a major buzz. But it wasn’t always that way. In late 2005, she was a radio announcer in New York City with a small catering business. As frequent host to high-profile hip hop stars, she thought baked goods and home-cooked snacks would loosen up visitors and satisfy food cravings. Soon famous acts were requesting her exclusively – including one well-known New Orleans chef.

Bam! - “I get a message from the radio station saying Emeril’s people are looking for you,” Sunny remembers. “I was blown away. He’s like the godfather for my generation. I pride myself on being decent with words. All I could say was, ‘What? What?”

Not bad for a business that almost didn’t happen. She appeared on Emeril Live and was soon working with Food Network to develop her own show. While she hasn’t received culinary training, as the daughter of a career Army officer, she has enjoyed diverse experiences with food. Her parents were foodies before the term had been invented. “All of the moving we did before we went overseas, it was all about eating,” Sunny admits. “Then one day my dad came home with these tapes with the German flag on it and he wanted us to learn German. And it was mostly so we could order in restaurants!”

With the family stationed in Germany, Sunny visited Amsterdam, England, France and Italy and became fluent in German.

“So there were these unique moments as a child when I was opened to all of these flavors,” she says.

The Family Business - After high school graduation, she couldn’t wait to settle down, right? Not quite. Instead, she joined the Air Force.
“As soon as I could break free, I jumped right back in,” Sunny says. “I joined the family business.”

She worked as a broadcaster and set her sights on one day conquering a national market. But more importantly, she remembers, “Dude, the food was so good.”

After being honorably discharged in ‘97, Sunny worked in radio in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Detroit, Michigan. She moved to New York City in 2001 where she was a radio personality for HOT 97. It was there that she began her catering company Sunny’s Delicious Dishes – and a stellar food career that is still rising.

Settling Down – Sort Of - The wanderlust she developed as a child remains. Today, however, she says she has found home in New York and has limited her moves to different neighborhoods in Brooklyn. An avid gardener, she’s managed to continue that hobby in the city that never sleeps.

“I can’t wait to break ground in the garden. If you go down to the bottom of my blog, there’s a garden link. I love it. The best thing about spring is outdoor eating. Yesterday we took a walk out in my neighborhood. There’s a changing of the guard of food, from hot to cold. I love grilling and giving the stove a break.”

And she’s planning a cookbook. Although there’s no publishing date yet, she’s developing recipes. “I’m hungry! People who like music they’ll think about beautiful arias. I’ll sit and think about food.”

MORSELS

Sunny’s Specialty: I love to brine. I brine meat a lot, anything. I say like a gallon of water, half a cup of salt and half a cup of sugar. Soak your meat in it overnight – beef, pork, turkey. Oh my god, if you don’t brine your turkey for Thanksgiving you’re crazy.

Favorite Childhood Food: My mom’s mac and cheese and my grandma’s red velvet cake. And pudding, which is not pudding, it’s like blood sausage. And pork chops and fried chicken and greens. But the mac and cheese, that’s pretty much it. If I go home and there’s no mac and cheese, that’s a problem.

Guilty Pleasure: Okay, two things: One is no cooking at all. I like to eat a frozen Snickers bar from time to time. Then, I love nothing more than putting anything in a tortilla.