Pumpkin pie is a traditional North American sweet dessert, eaten during the fall and early winter especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pumpkin is a symbol of harvest time and also featured at Halloween.

The pie consists of a pumpkin-based custard, ranging in color from orange to brown, baked in a single pie shell, rarely with a top crust. The pie is generally flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Ingredients: Pastry 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water Sugar Filling 2 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk Directions: 1. In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). 2. Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling. 3. Heat oven to 425ºF. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate. Cut scraps of rolled pastry with tiny leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Sprinkle cutouts with sugar; press on pastry edge. 4. In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in all remaining filling ingredients until well blended. 5. To prevent spilling, place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack. Pour filling into pie plate. Bake 15 minutes. 6. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake about 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled. Store in refrigerator.

Originally uploaded by zannnielim
Here's a home recipe for the Hungarian Honey Cakes.

Ingredients:
500 g flour
200 g lukewarm honey
2 eggs
200 g sugar (icing sugar)
1 coffee spoonful of baking soda
some piece of clove (cut into small pieces)
50 g margarin (or butter)

Ingredients for Decorations:
1 egg white
120-250 g sugar
Few drops of lemon juice

Steps:
Add Flour and mix all ingredients together (exclude the decoration ingredients)

Then add more 100-200 g flour.

Knead it until it becomes a dough.

Then put it in the fridge overnight. (It is best when you prepare it in the evening and let it 'rest' overnight.)


Rolling and shaping:
Sprinkle some flour on the rolling board, then roll the dough with the rolling-pin.

You must roll the dough as thin as a match-stick.

Then you can cut it into the shapes you like.

Remember, the shape will change a little in the baking, so do not use small designs or shapes.

Use the back part of the girdle (sheet), and transfer the cake there.

Then put it into a very hot oven.

Wait til the cake is golden brown.

When it is ready, remove from baking sheet with a flexible knife (you have to do this when the cake is warm.)

To decorate:
Whisk the egg-white until it becomes frothy.

Put in the other ingredients for the decoration, and mix it until it thickens.

The creative part:
Put the mixture into a small bag.

Then cut a small hole at the corner of the bag.

It must be very small, then the decoration mixture can be squeezed out slowly and thinly, use it to make any decorations, patterns or wordings on the cake.

Enjoy! or add some nuts to make it into a three dimensional cosy Honey Cake House like in this video:-

Classic Christmas Recipes from church and community fundraising cookbooks by Chris Carriveau and Ann Carriveau (Oct 28, 2013) - Kindle eBook

Eggnog, also known as egg nog, is a sweetened dairy-based beverage made with milk and/orcream, sugar and beaten eggs (which gives it a frothy texture), and flavoured with groundcinnamon and nutmeg. Various liquors added are: brandy, rum, whiskey, advocaat and/or liqueurs. Advocaat or advokat is a rich and creamy liqueur made from eggs, sugar and brandy.

Eggnog is a popular drink associated with winter celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. The following a great eggnog video recipe for the coming festive season! Enjoy :)

A not to be missed dish is the Christmas Ham. It is much of a tradition in many households. The meat 'score' in these diamond pattern makes it looked especially appetizing! Check out the video below of a Ginger Glazed Ham by Nigella Lawson.

I love these Hungarian Walnut Rolls and this time of the year it is a 'must-eat' :) Many people like the poppy seeds (Mákos Beigli). Here's a video of how it is made :)

Originally uploaded by Betty Crocker Recipes
In England, the evolution of the main course into turkey did not take place for years, or even centuries. At first, in Medieval England, the main course was either a peacock or a boar, the boar usually the mainstay.

During the late 17th century it then became common to serve Goose. And despite the arrival of turkey into Great Britain by the French Jesuits in the mid 18th century, Goose remained the predominate roast until the early 20th century when battery farming made Turkey financially viable for most people (it was quite common for Goose "Clubs" to be set allowing working class families to save up over the year towards a Goose before this).

The dessert of a British Christmas Dinner may often be Christmas Pudding. Trifle, Mince pies, Christmas Cake or a Yule Log are also popular. Enjoy the follow video recipe of the Christmas Turkey with Cranberry sauce by Nigella Lawson.

Originally uploaded by brizzle born and bred
Ingredients for a 4.5kg turkey:

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
450g good quality sausage meat
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped sage
25g fresh white breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg

How to prepare:

Mix all the ingredients together. Either use for stuffing a turkey, roll into balls or cook in a greased oven-proof dish until golden brown.

That's a type of fried vegetables at a Hungarian Christmas Fair in Budapest. Read more about the different foods at the fair here.