The staff at News 14 Carolina has collected recipes for a special Holiday Cookbook for News14.com. They include different ethnic foods, as well as some traditional favorites. Scroll down to find our favorite holiday foods.

Enjoy and happy holidays from News 14 Carolina!

ENTREES

Tofurkey

Ingredients:

5 16 ounce pkgs extra firm Tofu
2 tbs sesame oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 1/3 cups diced celery
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup dried sage
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cups prepared herb stuffing
2 tsp ground ginger (you can use minced in a jar- just don't include liquid in measurement)

Soy sauce mixture:

1/2 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbs miso paste
5 tbs oj or lemon juice
1 tsp honey mustard
1/2 tsp orange or lemon zest
3 additional sprigs fresh rosemary for baking (optional)

Procedure:

Line a medium-sized, round colander with cheesecloth or clean dish towel.
Place crumbled tofu in colander, lay another cheesecloth over top; place bowl underneath colander to catch water. Place a heavy weight, like a bowl with a canned good, on top of tofu. (heavy enough to get liquid out) Place colander with weight and bowl in refrigerator for two to three hours.

When that's ready, sauté onion, celery and mushrooms in skillet with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil until tender.

Add garlic, sage, thyme, ginger salt and pepper, rosemary and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Stir well and cook for five minutes. Add prepared stuffing and mix well. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400 and grease cookie sheet.

For soy sauce mixture: Combine 1/2 cup sesame oil, 1/4 cup soy sauce, the miso paste, orange or lemon juice, mustard and orange zest in small bowl. Mix well.

Remove weight from tofu. Hollow out tofu so that there is still a one inch layer coating colander. Brush the tofu with small amount of soy sauce mixture. Scoop stuffing mixture into center of tofu shell. Place leftover tofu on top of stuffing and press down firmly.

Turn stuffed tofu onto prepared cookie sheet, putting the flat side down.
Gently press on sides to keep oval shape. Brush tofurkey with half of soy sauce mixture. Place rosemary sprigs on top, cover with foil and bake for one hour.

Remove from oven and remove foil. Baste with remaining soy sauce, reserving four tablespoons. Return to oven and bake another 45-60 minutes.

Place tofurkey on platter, brush with remaining soy sauce and serve hot.

Italian Christmas Eve Seafood Fra Diavolo with Linguini

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bay scallops
3/4 lb large shrimp
12 littleneck clams
1 tbs. red pepper flakes
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
3 tbs olive oil
1 lb linguini
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Bring a large 1-gallon pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons of the salt to the pot and place the pasta in it. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and then transfer pasta to a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss to coat the pasta well, then set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large pot. Add garlic and brown. Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.

Add shrimp, clams and scallops to tomato sauce and simmer until all the clams open up.

Combine sauce and linguini to serve.

SIDES

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Cream of Mushroom or 98% fat free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. soy sauce
Dash pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French Fried Onions

Prep time: 10 min., Cook time: 30 min. Serves 6

Directions:

Mix soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, green beans, and 2/3 cup french fried onions in 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. or until hot

Sprinkle remaining onions. Bake 5 min.

Corn Souffle

Ingredients:

1 can yellow corn drained
1 can creamed corn
1 stick of butter
1 8 oz container of sour cream
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a small, square casserole dish. Place in oven for about an hour.

Chef's Notes: If you're taking this to a party, you may not want to cover it tightly because the condensation makes it a little gooey.

BT’s Sausage Dip

Ingredients:

3 packages Neeses Sausage (1 hot, 2 mild)
2 cans Rotel
4 packages lite cream cheese

Procedure:

Cook sausage, drain and rinse under hot water to remove all grease. Set aside.

Melt cream cheese in separate pot and and Rotel and sausage.

Mix everything together and allow to simmer, stirring frequently.

Serve warm with Scoops and enjoy!

Mom’s Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

4 boxes of frozen chopped spinach
1-2 onions based on size (2 small or 1 large)
3 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups of whole milk
1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 George Washingtons Brown Seasoning Packet
1/2  to 1 teaspoon onion salt
2 dashes black pepper

Procedure:

Place spinach in pot and heat to med-high. Add teaspoon of salt.  When it starts rolling lower heat to below medium.  Cook for about 30 min.

In second pot, melt butter and add CHOPPED onions.  Cook until soft but not brown.   Slowly add flour, continue to cook. 

Add half packet GW Brown seasoning, a few dashes of black pepper and some onion salt (to taste)

Continue cooking onions, slowly add all milk and continue cooking.  Should be a nice thick sauce when complete.

Drain spinach, make sure all water is out of spinach.  Slowly fold in the spinach into the sauce.

Aunt Barb's Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
6-7 Fresh cooked sweet potatoes
1 stick melted butter, 1 stick softened butter
2 eggs beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cups chopped pecans

Procedure:

Mix together with mixer 1/2 cup sugar, sweet potatoes, 1 stick melted butter and 2 eggs.

Place in shallow casserole dish approx. 9x13 or larger if potatoes are big

Hand mix together brown sugar, flour, 1 stick softened butter, vanilla and pecans.

Drop on top of sweet potato mixture in dime size spoonfuls covering the top (so it will melt uniformly over the top).

Bake 350 for approx. 35-45 minutes until topping is melted and set.

Genevieve Kramer's Holiday Salad

Ingredients:

2 3 oz. pkgs cherry Jello
3 cups water
2 cups raw cranberries
1 1/2 med. sized orange
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Procedure:

Prepare jello and let thicken slightly in refrigerator.
Grind together cranberries and oranges.
Add sugar to fruit mixture and stir until dissolved. Add celery and nuts.
Fold fruit and nut mixture into partially set jello.
Let stand in refrigerator until firm.

Sweet Potato Crunch

Ingredients:

Filling
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (6 medium size potatoes that have been peeled and boiled)
1 cup sugar
½ stick margarine
½ cup skim milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
(can use 2 whole eggs or egg beaters)

Topping
2 cups oatmeal
1 stick margarine
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup brown sugar

Mix filling ingredients together. Pour into greased casserole dish.

Melt margarine and mix topping ingredients together.

Place topping on top of potato filling mixture in casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minute or until brown on top.
Enjoy as side dish or dessert!

Ham Delights

Ingredients:

3 sticks of margarine
3 tbs mustard
1 small chopped onion
2 tsp worcheshire sauce
1 ½ tbs poppyseeds
Pre-baked rolls (Pepperidge Farms)
Swiss cheese
Baked ham (sandwich meat)

Procedure:

Soften margarine and put all ingredients in blender.

As mixture cools, it will get stiffer.

Spread on both sides of rolls and put piece of ham and cheese on each.

Wrap in aluminum foil.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes ( just long enough to heat through and melt cheese)

Chef's Tip: Slice the whole package of rolls open at one time and spread mixture with spatula on top and bottom. Then add cheese and ham. Then cut rolls into individual pieces. This is quicker than doing each roll individually.

Limpa Bread- Swedish Rye Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plus 4 tsp. water, divided
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup molasses, divided
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1.2 cup rye flour
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1.5 Tbsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. each fennel and caraway seeds, crushed
1/4 tsp. each whole fennel and caraway seeds

Procedure:

Heat 3/4 cup water, butter and 3 Tbsp. molasses in a small saucepan over low heat until temperature reaches 120 to 130 degrees. Stir in coffee. Combine 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, rye flour, yeast, sugar, orange peel, salt and crushed seeds in a large bowl. Stir heated water mix into flour mix with a rubber spatula to form a soft but sticky dough. Gradually add more all-purpose flour to form a rough dough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes or until soft dough forms, gradually adding remaining flour to prevent sticking, if necessary. Cover with inverted bowl let rest for 5 or so minutes. Continue kneading for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball; place in a large greased bowl. Turn dough over so that the top is greased. Loosely cover with lightly greased sheet of plastic wrap (yeah, good luck lightly greasing it, folks! I have a REALLY tough time). Let rise in a warm place about 75 minutes (til almost doubled in bulk).

Punch down the dough. Grease a 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan. Roll dough into a 12 x 7 inch rectangle. Starting with one short end, roll up tightly, jelly-roll style. Pinch seams and ends together to seal. Place seam side down in prepared loaf pan. Cover loosely; let rise in a warm place 1 hour or 'til doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir remaining 1 Tbsp. molasses and remaining 4 tsp. water in a small bowl. Set aside. Uncover loaf; make 3 diagonal slashes on top of dough using a sharp bread knife. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Brush top with molasses mixture and sprinkle with the whole seeds halfway through baking time. Brush again with molasses mix about 10 minutes before removing loaf from the oven. Cool in pan about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Serves 12.

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. sliced yellow squash
1 chopped onion
4 medium carrots sliced thinly
4 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
½ stick margarine
½ package Pepperidge Farm dressing

Procedure:

Simmer squash, onion and carrots until tender and drain thoroughly.

Mix in sour cream, cream of chicken soup, salt, pepper and sugar. Set aside.

Melt margarine and add Pepperidge Farm dressing and mix.

Add ½ of dressing mix to bottom of casserole dish then pour in squash mixture. Add the rest of dressing to top of casserole.

Bake for 30-35 minutes @ 350 degrees. Watch for browning.

DESSERTS

Cream Cheese Sugar Cake

Ingredients:

2 cans Crescent rolls
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon (enough to sprinkle on top of dough)

Procedure:

Spread 1 can of rolls in 9 x 11 baking pan. Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and softened cream cheese with mixer. Spread mixture over rolls. Place other can of rolls on top. Poke holes in dough with finger.

Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top. Drizzle butter on top of mixture. Sprinkle with more brown sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Julgrot- Swedish Christmas Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

2 qt. water
1 c. rice, uncooked
2 Tbsp. butter
5 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 whole blanched almond
cinnamon sugar

Procedure:

Note: Starts with uncooked rice.

Bring water to a boil. Add rice, simmer 2 min. Drain water. Add butter, milk into a double boiler, with salt, sugar, and rice. Cover.

Cook over simmering water about 2 hours, until milk is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in almond (whoever gets the almond gets a prize!). Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla and chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Buckeyes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbs shortening

Procedure

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar with hands to form a smooth stiff dough.

Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball. Place on prepared pan, and refrigerate.

Melt shortening and chocolate together in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.

Remove balls from refrigerator. Insert a wooden toothpick into a ball, and dip into melted chocolate. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down, and remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.

Pepparkakor- Swedish Ginger Cookies

Ingredients:

7 oz butter (14 Tbsp.)
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. syrup (golden cane sugar syrup)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
3 1/3 Tbsp. water
1 egg
3 1/3 - 3 3/4 c. flour

Procedure:

Melt with butter with sugar, syrup, and spices. Heat it up carefully until the butter has melted. Let it cool off.

Dissolve baking soda water and add it to the butter mixture. Add egg, flour. Wrap the dough in foil, refrigerate overnight.

On floured surface, roll out the dough very thin. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Bake on greased tray at 350° F 6 - 8 min. Keep under observation, they burn easily. Let the cookies cool off on the cookie tray.

Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tbs white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

Procedure

HINT: To give a real authentic look to your creation, before baking any Irish bread recipe use a knife to cut a cross in the top of the loaf. According to old Irish folklore, the cross will ward off the Devil.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut a big cross into the top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

This Irish bread recipe makes 1 (1 1/2 pound) loaf, 20 servings.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup nuts (optional)

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients together and pour in greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Bohemian Hoska- Christmas Bread

1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cup mixed candied fruit
1/2 cup shortening (butter or margarine)
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour

Procedure:

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Heat milk to almost scalding, add sugar and butter; cool to lukewarm. Mix remaining ingredients together and knead until smooth. Let rise until double (about 1 hour). Divide dough in half. Take one half and divide into thirds and roll and braid.

Put on baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Take the other half and divide in thirds, roll and braid. Place on top of the other half. Brush with melted butter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. After cooling spread with powdered sugar frosting. May garnish with red and green maraschino cherries.

Chef's Notes: If you find that your dough is too dry, that it's not sticking to your hands just a bit as you knead it, try adding a little of the juice from the maraschino cherries, add it little by little. It will change the flavor of the bread slightly and may add a bit of pink to it. If you prefer to keep the recipe closer to original, add slightly warm water instead.

Ms. Betty’s Rum Cake

Cake Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 sm. Box instant vanilla pudding (do not use cake mix with pudding)
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. rum (dark or light)
4 eggs
½ c. water
¾ - 1 c. pecan pieces

Sauce Ingredients:

¼ c. water
1 stick butter
¼ c. rum
1 c. sugar

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

Spray Bundt pan with Baker’s Joy or sprinkle flour in greased pan. Scatter pecans in Bundt pan and pour in batter.

Cook for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool only a few minutes (15 min) then pour sauce over cake.

Cranberry Ice

Ingredients:

4c. (1 quart) Cranberries
1 tsp. Gelatin
2-1/2c. Sugar
1 Lemon

Procedure:

Wash & cook cranberries in 3 cups water until tender and popped.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon gelatin in small amount of water.  Set aside.

Pour cranberries through sieve two times. Add sugar to hot mix.

Add gelatin and juice of 1 lemon.

Mix and freeze.

Chef's Tip: Serve in individual glass bowl.