Midwest Living Holiday Cookbook 2005

In 1985, Cafe Latte in Saint Paul created the Turtle Cake that's still on the menu today. It's a moist, rich, three-layer wonder. The cake layers are dark chocolate frosted with rich fudge and caramel and topped with a generous garnish of giant pecans.Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake

We took a traditional holiday dessert ingredient -- gingerbread -- and turned it into a muffin. Crystallized ginger tops off these treats.Gingerbread-Sour Cream Muffins

Chocolate wrapped sweet-roll dough forms bite-size bubbles in this breakfast bread. We like it warm from the oven.Chocolate-Almond Bubble Wreath

The day before you serve this layered dip, prepare the tomato mixture, hummus and tapenade. Cover and refrigerate separately until you're ready to layer and serve the dip. To save time, use purchased hummus.Mediterranean Eight-Layered Dip

Cheer the holidays with bold Blue Blue Christmas Cocktail -- a combination of vodka or rum, white cranberry juice, blue curacao and lime juice. Or offer guests Cranberry-Raspberry Spritz, which includes a make-ahead syrup base (enough for 80 servings!) and either champagne, carbonated water or lemon-lime carbonated beverage.Blue Blue Christmas Cocktail/Cranberry-Raspberry SpritzCranberry-Raspberry Spritz

We like the creamy richness of this chunky main-dish soup from Antlers Restaurant at Breezy Point Resort in Breezy Point, Minnesota.Antlers Wild Rice Soup

A spiral of chicken stuffed with oozing cheese creates an impressive and irresistible main dish -- perfect for company. The recipe is from Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, Minnesota.Spinach-Stuffed Chicken

Cherry juice concentrate gives the beef a nice "char" when grilled. This recipe comes from the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa near Traverse City, Michigan.

This flan ranks among our best taste panel has ever tried. It takes some effort to prepare the make-ahead specialty from Chicago's National 27, but it's worth it. The restaurant uses coffee extract; we substituted strong coffee.Espresso Flans

A bright spot in the middle of the Michigan winter is Purim, the Jewish holiday that celebrates the triumph of Persian Jews over the wicked nobleman Haman. Purim brings hamantaschen, the traditional, three-cornered pastry pocket stiffed with sweet filing. It's one of the best of Jewish sweets. The recipe comes from Zingerman's in Anne Arbor.Hamantaschen

If you don't have a cookie press, you can form the dough for our cookies into 1-1/2-inch balls, then flatten them to 1/3- to 1/2-inch thickness on baking sheets with a fork, making a crosshatch design. Dip these elegant cookies in semisweet chocolate and crushed peppermint.Chocolate Cream Spritz Cookies

Choose your favorite dried fruit to pair with apples for this double-crust pie. Present the cooled pie on a bigger pie plate full of gumdrops for a festive look. Change the color of the gumdrops (or try a different candy) for different seasons!Christmas Apple Pie

These melt-in-your-mouth cookies come from the recipe file of Georgia Morehouse of Columbia, Missouri. Her family insists she bake at least one batch for New Year's Eve. Sprinkle them with colored sugar right before they bake to give them quick-and-easy sparkle.Bet You Can't Eat Just One Sugar Cookies

Cream-cheese pastries with a cranberry, coconut and brown-sugar filling are like miniature pies. Bake them for a gift from the kitchen or for a tree-trimming buffet.Cranberry-Coconut Tassies

Zingerman's Roadhouse restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has come up with a winning version of bread pudding. It's filled with dried cherries, white baking bar and vanilla bean.White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Hard Sauce

When we decided we needed a fudge for this holiday cookbook, we started a no-fail version and added tangerine peel, pistachios and white baking pieces. You'll love it.Creamy Rich Pistachio-Tangerine Fudge

"I first enjoyed this at a church circle meeting. Rosemary has since moved from Columbia, but I think of her every time I serve this," says Georgia Morehouse of Columbia, Missouri, who bakes it for New Year's Eve.Rosemary Ward's Apple Cake With Butter-Rum Sauce

Raspberries stud this creamy dessert from a Baxter, Minnesota, restaurant.Raspberry Creme Brulee

Freeze a base of ice cream, butter, sugar and spices, then combine with rum and boiling water when you're ready to serve our Hot Buttered Rum. You can freeze the base for up to three months -- almost long enough to last through a Midwest winter!Pear nectar, honey, an orange and spices flavor easy-to-make Spiced Pear Tea.Hot Buttered RumSpiced Pear Tea

For a pretty party presentation: Press thin slices of fruit (such as kiwi fruit, strawberries, oranges, seedless grapes and/or maraschino cherries) against the sides of 6- to 10-ounce rocks glasses. Cover and place in freezer. Check after 20 to 30 minutes and replace any fruit that has fallen off the sides of the glasses. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve add a little ice and your favorite clear carbonated beverage. If you want to add a little color, drizzle some grenadine over the top.

Our taste panel loved this comfort food from The Echo in Cincinnati. For a crispy crust, cook the potatoes at a higher temperature.Best Potato Pancakes

Costa Rican Hearts of Palm SaladMulled Cocoa-Espresso EggnogHot Crab Artichoke DipRoadhouse Mac and CheeseCafé Latte's Chicken Salsa ChiliGraeter's Peppermint-Fudge Ice Cream PieLittle O'sMini Shrimp Cakes With Horseradish Chile MayonnaiseRoquefort PolentaSweet Corn SalsaBarbecued Ribs With Cherry Chipotle SauceShort-Cut Hoppin' John