Submitted by Craig Chrisenson, adapted by Heather Irwin

The curry in this soup gives it a really nice twist. The bright, piquant flavors of the spices and ginger make a great contrast to the sweetness of the carrots. 

Adaptions: I always love orange with carrots. You could add a 1/4 cup of bottled orange juice or a few squeezes of fresh orange to brighten up the flavor even more. I cut back a bit on the brown sugar at the end, as my carrots were pretty sweet to start with.

If you don't have an immersion blender, don't worry. A regular blender works fine, but you'll want to let the soup cool a bit and work in batches. Don't get overzealous or you'll have a mess on your hands. Blend all the soup back together in a large bowl -- each batch may have slightly more carrots, etc. and you'll want to get a good consistent mix.

I 5 Cheesecake cookies
you need to eat these to keep you awake as you travel down or up I 5 freeway...
preheat oven to 335 degrees
1 stick softened butter
1 egg
1 pkg yellow or butter cake mix
mix together w/ mixer until in a ball, then put in 11x14 sprayed with Pam cake pan
then mix:
2 eggs, 1 pkg cream cheese softened, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla. Mix together and pour over "cake" mixture.
place in oven for 25 to 35 minutes...should be slightly brown on top...let cool, dust with powdered sugar, and cut into slices...
the best cheesecake/cake cookies ever :-)

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter at room temp.
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 squares unsweetened chocolate melted or 6 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Mis flour, baking powder and sale. In large bowl bet butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs until mixture is pale yellow, then vanilla and chocolate until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing just to blend. Refrigerate dough about 1 hour., (Try not to eat up the dough)

Heat oven 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Shape heaping teaspoonsful dough into 1-1/4 balls. Roll in confectioners' sugar. Place 1-1/2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake about 12 minutes until tops are puffed and crackled. Do NOT over bake. Cookies are soft when hot, but firm and chewy when cool.

Remove to rack to cool. Store tightly covered up to 3 weeks with waxed paper between layers. I like to put a walnut on the top, pressing down just slightly when just out of oven.
This makes about 60 cookies.,

EDITOR'S NOTE: These were relatively easy to make, especially since you can do the batter up to one day in advance. Adding pepper to a cookie recipe may sound strange, but the flavor is very understated -- it leaves a little tingle on the tongue and adds to the savoriness of these tasty treats. 

If you haven't made biscotti before, make sure you get the middle cooked through on the first bake. On my initial attempt, the center wasn't quite set and I had some messy (if still tasty) biscotti on my hands.

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I couldn't decide which was my favorite--the fruitcake biscotti are wonderful especially baked ahead of time; the Walnut pepper biscotti go really well with Zinfandel. I love biscotti and have many recipes in my file--but these are my favorite holiday cookies.

Walnut-Pepper Biscotti

Makes about 3 ½ dozen

1 ¾ cups all purpose unbleached flour
½ t baking soda
½ t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1 ½ t freshly ground pepper
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 t grated orange peel
1 ½ t vanilla extract
¼ t almond extract
1 ½ cups walnuts, lightly toasted & coarsely chopped

Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in pepper. Using electric mixer, cream butter in another bowl until light. Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in orange peel and vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in walnuts. Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 baking sheets. Divide dough in half and form loaves about 12-14 inches long and 2-2 ½ inches wide. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool and turn heat down to 325 degrees. Slice loaves in ½" to ¾" wide slices and place cut side down on baking sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes and turn slices. Bake for 5-7 minutes more or until golden. Cool completely and store in airtight containers.

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Fruitcake Biscotti

¼ cup diced glazed cherries (or substitute with dried cranberries)
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup dried apricots, snipped into small pieces before measuring
¼ cup currants

Combine fruit with Port in small bowl and set aside for 4 hours or overnight.

Cream shortening and sugar. Mix in vanilla, orange and almond extracts. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix flour and baking powder and gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in fruit and chopped pecans. Chill four hours or overnight (I recommend overnight.).

Divide dough in quarters and form into loaves approximately 14 inches long by 2 inches wide. Place two loaves on a lightly sprayed baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently flatten logs with a spatula or your palms. Dough is sticky so flour hands and worktop.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes until light golden brown; lower oven temperature to 325 degrees; cool loaves and then cut into 1/3 inch slices. Place cut side down and return to oven and bake 15 minutes longer or until lightly toasted--turn them over about halfway through.

Cool and store in airtight container. Makes about 8 dozen.

¼ cup blanched almonds
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 equal pats
½ cup confectioners sugar
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 recipe Chocolate-Almond Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Use the metal blade of the food processor to chop the almonds finely, 6-8 pulses. Reserve.
Process the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 20 seconds, stopping to scrape bowl. Add flour, salt, and almond extract and pulse 8-10 times until well mixed.
Roll a rounded half teaspoon of dough into a marble sized ball. Place about one and a half inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake the cookies in the center of the preheated oven until firm but not brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Spread about ½ teaspoon of the filling on the bottom of one cookie, place another cookie bottom side down on the filling and press lightly. Roll the chocolate edge of the cookie in the reserved chopper almonds. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Chocolate-Almond Filling

3 ounces semi-sweet good quality baking chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup confectioners sugar

Using the metal blade , process the chocolate for about 1 minute or until finely chopped.
Bring the butter and cream to a boil in sauce pan.
With motor running, pour the hot butter-cream mixture through the feed tube, process for 15 seconds or until the chocolate is smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, pulse 4-6 times to combine. Makes about 1 cup filling.

My family aren't big fudge eaters, so I never learned all the finer points of making real fudge -- the kind you need a candy thermometer, pastry brush and nerves of steel to make.

This version, found on the back of Kraft marshmallow creme bottles, is a classic. It's not a true fudge but tastes wonderfully creamy and is super easy to make. Um, except for dummies like me who don't read directions well and substitute sweetened condensed milk. Three times. And wonder why the heck it doesn't work.

There area few secrets to getting the best results.

1. Use a heavy-bottomed pan to avoid scorching the milk. If you have a saucepan that has a copper or thick stainless steel bottom, you'll end up a happier camper.

2. Use the best chocolate chips you can afford. If you really want to be fancy, you can use block chocolate and cut it up into morsel-sized pieces. I had good luck with Guittard chips. If you like it real sweet, use a combination of milk and semi-sweet.

3. Pay really close attention to the time. You don't have to use a candy thermometer, but if you cook it too long, it gets grainy.

4. Keep stirring. Burned milk isn't fun.

5. The original recipe calls for margarine. I won't let the stuff in my kitchen, but you can do what you like.

6. I'm not a nut fan when it comes to fudge, so I left them out. You could add pretty much anything that tastes good to you...some coffee flavoring, mint flavoring, little crushed up peppermint candies, hazelnuts, marshmallows..experiment and have fun.

Fantasy Fudge (adapted from the original Kraft recipe)

3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter (a stick and a half)
2/3 cup evaporated milk (don't use condensed milk, it won't work)
1 lb semi-sweet chocolate chips (about a bag and a quarter)
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream (one container)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (if you want, you can add other fun things)

1. Candy-making goes fast so have all of your ingredients measured out and ready to go. I even went so far as to put my chips in a microwave-safe container and gave them a little softening (about 25-30 seconds). Have a spatula ready to scoop out your marshmallow creme. I'm not kidding here. You'll thank me later.

2. Line a 13"x9"x2" pan with waxed paper or foil. I think foil gives it a weird taste.

3. Put your butter, sugar and milk in a thick-bottomed saucepan (about 3-quarts) over medium heat and bring to a roiling boil. Keep gently stirring everything to keep it from burning.

4. Once you've got a bubbling boil, set a timer for 4 minutes. Keep stirring. If you have a candy thermometer, watch for it to hit 234 degrees F. If you don't have the thermometer, four minutes is just about right.

5. Remove from heat and quickly stir in your chocolate and marshmallow cream. Keep stirring until it looks smooth and creamy. Once everything is incorporated, stir in the vanilla and your nuts (or other add-ins).

6. Pour into prepared pan. 

7. Cool to room temperature before slicing it up into small pieces. 

Cinnamon Walnut Crackles

makes 2 dozen cookies

2 cups walnut halves

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered Sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grind walnuts in a food processor until very finely ground.
Add egg, powdered sugar, nutmeg and vanilla.
Process until thoroughly blended.
Let mix stand for about 2 minutes. It will firm up some.
Using a tablespoon, place rounded balls of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until light golden brown.
Remove from oven and let stand on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Cookies will appear puffed, but will flatten upon standing.
Remove to cookie rack cool thoroughly.
Sprinkle tops of cookies with powdered sugar.

Peanut butter fudge:
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Butter
1 lb Powdered sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Microvave the butter and peanut butter together in a microwave-safe bowl for two minutes.
2. Stir
3. Microwave for two more minutes.
4. Add the vanilla and sugar and stir to combine.
5. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan and refrigerate

Chocolate fudge:
3 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Melt chocolate and sweetened condensed milk together in a double boiler until smooth.
2. Stir in the vanilla.
3. spread over the top of the cooled peanut butter fudge.

Both the peanut butter and chocolate portions of this recipe are great alone. Sometimes I substitute Almond, Orange, or Peppermint extract when making the chocolate to eat by itself. This recipe is also great for making with my kids!

Cream together shortening and brown sugar.

Stir in egg and molasses and mix well.

Fold in dry ingredients and stir.

Cover and chill till firm (1-2 hours).

Preheat oven to 350°.

Roll dough into small balls and roll in white sugar.

Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° for 9-10 minutes.

Leave on sheet one minute until set.

Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Cookies
1 c butter or margarine
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond ext. (optional)
2 1/2 c flour
1 t soda
1 t cream of tarter

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and extracts. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Cover, chill 2 hours. Roll dough and cut into shapes.. Bake 7-8 min. (or until light brown around the edges) at 375 degrees.

Frosting
1/2 c butter or margarine
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
food coloring if desired

Mix well and frost cookies.

Enjoy!