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Greek Christmas Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks)

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk

2 cups blanched almonds, ground

About 1 cup red candied cherries, each cut in half

1. Heat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter with confectioners' sugar until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until light and creamy. At low speed, beat in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and egg yolk. Knead in almonds.
2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls (dough will be crumbly). Place balls 2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. Gently press a cherry half on top of each ball. Bake 15 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned.
3. With wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough and cherries. Makes about six-dozen cookies.

Enjoy a magical holiday season with more than 100 favorite recipes in the Good Housekeeping’s “A Very Merry Christmas Cookbook” (Hearst Books).

Shrimp Cocktail

The outfitting of shrimp boats with refrigeration in the early 20th century made it possible to transport fresh shrimp to more American cities. Shrimp cocktail served with spicy red shrimper's (cocktail) sauce remains an all-American favorite to this day. The original Rémoulade Sauce, based on mayonnaise and subtly spiced with mustard and horseradish, comes from France. When parsley is added it becomes Rémoulade Verte. For a Cajun rendition, forget the tarragon and Dijon and heat it up with some Creole mustard and cayenne.

1 lemon, thinly sliced

4 bay leaves

20 whole black peppercorns

10 whole allspice berries

2 teaspoons salt

24 extra-large shrimp (1 pound), shelled and deveined

*Red Cocktail Sauce and/or Rémoulade Verte

12 small romaine lettuce leaves

24 (7-inch) bamboo skewers

1. In 5-quart Dutch oven, combine 2 quarts water, lemon, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice berries and salt; heat to boiling. Cover and boil 15 minutes.
2. Add shrimp, cook just until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold running water to stop cooking. Cover and refrigerate shrimp up to 24 hours.
3. Prepare Red Cocktail Sauce and/or Rémoulade Verte.
4. Just before serving, place bowls of sauces in center of platter; arrange romaine leaves around bowls, leaf tips facing out. Thread each shrimp on a bamboo skewer and arrange skewers on romaine. Makes eight appetizer servings.
5. Each serving without sauce: About 51 calories, 1g total fat (0g saturated), 10g protein, 1g carbohydrate, 70mg cholesterol, 141mg sodium.

Red Cocktail Sauce

1 cup bottled cocktail sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons minced jalapeño chile

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

In small bowl, combine cocktail sauce, cilantro, jalapeño and lime juice until well-blended. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Makes about 1 cup.

• Each tablespoon: About 18 calories, 0g total fat (0g saturated), 0g protein, 4g carbohydrate, 0mg cholesterol, 191mg sodium.

Rémoulade Verte

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

3 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

1 anchovy fillet, finely chopped

1 teaspoon capers, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle, parsley, tarragon, chives, anchovy, capers and mustard; stir until well blended. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Makes about 2/3 cup.

• Each tablespoon: About 61 calories, 6g total fat (1g saturated), 0g protein, 0g carbohydrate, 6mg cholesterol, 143mg sodium.

You'll find this recipe and hundreds more in Good Housekeeping's "Great American Classics Cookbook" (Hearst Books).

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