… the world’s tastiest gingerbread cookies, though not entirely structurally sound (made them too thick, nice and cakey, but a little too crumbly for the toddler).

Your favorite recipes of 2008 …

10 …Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

9 … Watermelon Gazpacho

8 … Creamy Apple Celery Soup

7 … Rainier Cherry Glazed Pork Chops

6 … Organic Spiced Cranberry Sauce

5 … Zesty Green Beans Almondine

4 … Zucchini Tagliatelle Alfredo

3 … Pork Chops with Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce

2 … Cranberry Baked Brie

and #1 …

Squash Blossoms Rellena de Oyamel
(Thank you, Chef Raffa!)

Want to swap favorite recipes? Look me up on StumbleUpon.

On the sixth day of Christmas…

This one is bittersweet as it is the final batch of cider from Distillery Lane Ciderworks, provided through our milk delivery service from October through December. It’s the only juice we regularly drink, and the toddler is quite infatuated with his “appy cidey.” This version is for the grown-ups only, though of course you can simply omit the rum for your little ones!

Recipe: Gingered Apple Cider

Ingredients:

• 1 quart fresh apple cider
• 1/2 cup ginger simple syrup (or a peeled chunk of fresh ginger)
• 2 clementines, zest and juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Rum

Instructions: Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and pour into mugs. Add rum if desired, and enjoy!

On the fifth day of Christmas…

… and ready for New Year’s Eve! Recipe over at Cheese & Champagne.

On the fourth day of Christmas…

Spice-crusted ham and maple-mustard sauce from Gourmet; Hoosier corn pudding (below).

Recipe: Hoosier Corn Pudding
This recipe comes from a former coworker’s grandmother from Indiana, hence the name. It is the ultimate fast comfort food side dish, but the Jiffy mix is its dirty little secret. We never buy canned corn (to my husband’s chagrin), so this is an extra special holiday treat.

Ingredients:

• 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 15-ounce can corn, drained
• 1 15-ounce can creamed corn, with liquid
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• pinch salt

Instructions: Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking dish. Mix together first 3 ingredients until well combined, then add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and bake for 1 hour, until puffy, fully set and golden on top. Enjoy!