You can always tell when the schools are closed. :-(

Funny how people with hotmail accounts (and gmail accounts, for that matter)
are so critical. <G>  Happy Holidays!

Jill

Time to break out the Christmas Recipes, I'd say.  And here is one:

Shortbread:
Preheat oven to 300 F.

2 sticks butter (Don't skimp, use butter.)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy then gradually sift in
the flour. Chill dough, even ten minutes helps.

Roll out dough and cut into any shapes you wish. I roll  the dough out
fairly thick about 1/4 inch as the cookies are most delicious that way.
Sprinkle cookies with large grain sugar, or maybe colored holiday
sugar. Bake for about 10 minutes, cookies should be light brown around
the edges. Cool on wire racks.
Enjoy!

Melissa

[snipperoo]

Ya think? :)

I'm choosing to take it as a compliment that the adolescent referred
to our newsgroup as "gay". For one thing, some of us are, literally.
And if the word can be used as a generic insult, then perhaps it could
also be a generic compliment, depending on one's perspective?

Gay holidays to all. :)

Joyce

Merry Xmas Catnipped
I got one from the food network from you from one of my favorite chefs' Read
below

Sour Orange Glazed Duck with Herb Crepes
     Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Roast Duck:
1 Peking duckling (Long Island), about 5 pounds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested
1 lime, zested
1 small onion, halved
Sour Orange Glaze, recipe follows
Herb Crepes, recipe follows
Watercress, for garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
A day before roasting, remove the giblets and neck from the cavity of the
bird and discard. Trim the neck flap and excess fat from around the cavity.
Rinse and dry the bird well. Set the duck on a rack on a baking sheet, and
refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours.
Pierce the duck skin all over (including the back), every 1/2-inch, with a
skewer or small knife. Season the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with
strips or orange, lemon and lime zest and the onion. Set the duck on the
rack in a roasting pan, and pour a cup of water in the pan. Roast the bird
for 3 hours, removing the duck from the oven every hour to prick the skin
again. Remove the duck from the oven and carefully, pour off the excess fat
from the pan. (If desired reserve this fat for frying potatoes or wilting
greens). Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Return the duck to the
oven and roast until crisp and brown, about 30 minutes more. During the last
20 minutes of roasting, brush the duck with 1 cup of the orange glaze.
Let the duck rest for 20 minutes before carving. Brush the ducks skin with
glaze 4 to 5 times during the resting period. Carve the duck and transfer
pieces to warm serving platter. Serve the remaining glaze at the table to
drizzle over the duck, if desired.
Brush the surface of the crepe with some sour orange glaze. Place a few
slices of duck in the center of the crepe and top with a few sprigs of
watercress. Fold over and roll up and serve.

Sour Orange Glaze:
4 cups fresh orange juice
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh lime juice
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place the juice, garlic, fennel and peppercorns in a medium saucepan and
cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 2 cups. Strain the sauce into a
bowl and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, remove 3/4 cup and place
in bowl to serve with the crepes.

Herb Crepes:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

In blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place
the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Heat a small non-stick pan
over high heat. Add butter to coat. Pour 1-ounce of batter into the center
of the pan and swirl the spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook
for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so
they can cool. Continue until all the batter is gone.