‘Tis the season for holiday baking – it’s better with butter
(ARA) – When it comes to whipping up holiday treats, butter is definitely better. You’re gearing up for the season and will be spending lots of quality time with the herd. Spend time with your own family in the kitchen this holiday season and bake [...]

There’s no time like the holidays to indulge your sweet tooth. Most people tend to skip dessert on a regular day, but the holiday season is the time to spoil ourselves with those sweet treats that we’ve waited for all year.
This red tea panna cotta is a light and creamy dessert that’s sure to delight [...]

Dried apricots, cherries and raisins simmered in wine and combined with oatmeal bread and pecans.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 4 1/2 hours (approximately)
10 diced, oatmeal bread slices
1 cup 250 mL white wine
1 large Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup 125 mL chopped, dried apricots
1/2 cup 125 mL golden raisins
2 tbsp 30 mL butter
1 cup 250 mL chopped [...]

A great drink to serve your guests as they arrive over the holidays!
Serves – 6-8
1.89 L Irresistibles Cranberry juice blend (not cocktail)
6 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each of whole allspice and cloves
1 orange, washed and sliced thinly
Pour the juice into a medium non reactive pot (not metal). Add the spices, bring [...]

Pro chefs and casual cooks alike will soon create confections for the holiday season. The best-loved delicacies will have one of the world’s most popular flavors in common — vanilla, with its heady, aromatic taste combined with sweet, fruity and floral scents.
Americans consume about 1,200 tons of vanilla beans a year. Vanilla is exciting and [...]

This is the last time President Bush and the First Lady will be celebrating the holiday season in the White House, and HGTV will be there to show how they are celebrating the holiday season before exiting the premises so the new tenants can move in.
“White House Christmas 2008,” HGTV’s new TV special, premiers on [...]

Invite a snowman to the dinner table
The kids will squeal with delight when you surprise them with these edible creations.
Ice Cream Snowmen
4 medium scoops Breyers Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (or your favourite flavour)
8 small scoops Breyers Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (or your favourite flavour)
2 cups shredded or flaked coconut
mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 chocolate-dipped candy sticks
4 [...]

HGTV’s “Home For The Holidays” is a new one-hour holiday special premiering on Sunday, November 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.
Here’s what the show has in store for viewers:
· Monica Pedersen (from HGTV’s “Designed to Sell” series) has been building and decorating gingerbread houses with her mom since she was a little girl in Chicago [...]

For a great appetizer that can be prepared in advance and quickly cooked just before guests arrive, try making these delicious Ontario Veal Asparagus Bundles. Salty prosciutto, nutty Asiago cheese and succulent Homegrown Ontario veal scaloppini combine to make an appetizer wonderful for entertaining this holiday season. For more holiday recipe ideas, visit homegrownontario.ca.
Ontario Veal [...]

Hand off a hot beverage — to dinner guests, neighbors who drop by or kids during story time — and you instantly warm both tummies and hearts. Make sure you treat yourself too; wrapping your hands around a warm mug in the midst of a cold day can help you unwind!
Traditional favorites include hot cider, [...]