Memorable holiday food.

Holiday foods are often loaded with sugar and fat with the intent to provide an extra tempting and delightful array during this special time of the year. Many more opportunities to overindulge accompany the parties, receptions, open houses, and family gatherings. At each of these, food becomes a statement of the hospitality of the host and hostess.

What can we do to minimize overeating when food is all around us more often and in greater amounts with greater variety during the holiday? We want to participate in the festivities, which include good food. We do not want to offend the hostess by refusing the delicious food. And we certainly do not want to consume way too many calories, since most of us are overnourished already.

Try some of these tips to enjoy the hospitality of family and friends healthfully this holiday season.

1. Choose small servings-half of your usual size serving, since the table probably includes twice the number of dishes usually offered.

2. Lay your fork down between bites; add to the conversation rather than chewing without ceasing.

3. Stand to eat at receptions or open houses; it is hard to juggle a knife, fork, cup, and plate and keep eating.

4. Use a small plate; servings look huge on a little plate.

5. Choose herb tea, diet soda, or (better yet) water to drink.

6. Store food gifts in opaque containers out of sight or freeze them to use later.

7. Encourage nonfood gift exchanges; give coupons for free baby-sitting, car washes, lawn mowings, snow shoveling, etc.

Try some of these recipes during the coming holiday season. A number of them are favorites at our house.

Holiday Entree

1 onion, diced 1 cup celery, diced 1 T. oil 1 cup water 1 t. McKay's Chicken-flavored Seasoning 1/2 cup margarine 1 8-oz. package stuffing mix 1 one-pound package sliced Worthington Chicken

Microwave onion and celery in oil for 1 minute or until tender. Make broth of boiling water, seasoning, and margarine. Combine vegetables, broth, and stuffing mix. Spoon stuffing mix onto slices of chicken. Place slices with stuffing vertically in a 9" x 9" casserole. Bake at 350 [degrees] F for 40 minutes. Serve with egg gravy. Servings. 16. Calories per serving (no gravy): 227 protein: 10.7 grams; fat: 10.7 grams; cholesterol: 0.0 milligrams.

Egg Gravy

1/3 cup flour 3 T. oil 2 t. McKay's Chicken-flavored Seasoning 1/4 t. hickory seasoning 1/2 cup onion, diced 1 egg 2 cups water

In hot, large skillet, lightly brown flour. Push flour to one side. Add oil and seasonings. Saute onions until clear. Push aside and scramble egg. Add water and stir in flour, onions, and eggs. Stir vigorously to avoid flour clumping. Serve hot over mashed potatoes and/or entree. Yield: 2 1/2 cups. Calories per 1/4-cup serving: 102; protein: 1.9 grams; fat: 7.7 grams; cholesterol: 35.5 milligrams.

Candied Yams

3 lbs. fresh yams, peeled and sliced 1/3 cup sugar or to taste 1/2 t. cardamom 1/2 t. coriander 1/4 cup margarine Pineapple slices or chunks for garnish (optional)

Arrange peeled and sliced yams in a 2-quart casserole. Mix sugar, cardamom, and coriander and sprinkle over yams. Drop slices of margarine over seasonings. Cover with foil and bake at 375 [degrees] F for one hour. May garnish with pineapple slices or chunks. Serves. 8. Calories per serving: 275; protein. 2.5 grams; fat: 5.9 grams; cholesterol: 0.0 milligrams; beta-carotene: 232.0 IU.

Creamed Onions

1 1/2 lbs. small white onions, peeled 2 quarts boiling water 2 t. salt 3 T. margarine 3 T. flour 1 1/2 cups milk 1/4 t. paprika (optional)

Cook the onions in the boiling salted water until tender in center (about 20 minutes). In the upper half of a double boiler, melt the margarine. Blend in the flour and remaining salt, and gradually add milk. Stir until smooth. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add the cooked, drained onions and paprika and place pan over hot water to keep hot. Serves: 8. Calories per serving: 88; protein: 2.76 grams; fat. 4.5 grams; cholesterol: .75 milligrams; fiber: .75 grams.

Cranberry Relish

1 lb. cranberries 1 medium apple 2 oranges 1 1/2 cups sugar Pinch of salt Cottage cheese (optional)

Wash and drain cranberries. Wash apple, oranges; quarter and remove seeds, but do not peel. Put cranberries and oranges through food grinder together. Add sugar and salt. Mix well and allow to stand in refrigerator overnight. Serve on cottage cheese or with entree. Yield: 1 quart. Calories per 2 tablespoons:9; fiber: .1 gram; vitamin C: 4.6 milligrams. (May be frozen in small quantities for future use.)

Christmas Tree Bread

1 package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 t. salt 1 large egg 3 1/2 cups flour (approximately) 3/4 cup cold margarine 1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 T. water Apricot glaze 1/4 cup currant jelly (approximately)

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, soften yeast in water (about 5 minutes). Add sugar, salt, whole egg, and 3/4 cup of the flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth; set aside. Put 2 1/2 cups flour in another large bowl and add margarine, cut in pieces. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in margarine until pieces are the size of peas. Pour in yeast mixture and stir until flour is evenly moistened. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours or as long as next day. Turn chilled dough out on a floured board and knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Return dough to bowl, cover, and let rest in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. On a lightly floured board, roll chilled dough to a 16-inch circle. Using a floured 2 3/4-inch star cutter or knife, cut out center. Set all pieces aside., cover with plastic wrap. Form dough trimmings into a smooth ball and roll into a rough triangle about 1/8-inch thick. (If dough is too elastic to roll out, cover and let rest about 20 minutes). Using a sharp knife and ruler, trim to make a triangle 15 inches tall and 13 inches across base. Place on a lightly greased 14" x 17" baking sheet. Fold top 2 inches of triangle under. Shape tree trunk from dough trimmings rolled 1/4-inch thick; press to back of triangle's base. Arrange six rounds, overlapping slightly, across base of trees. Use five to make second row, five for third row, four for fourth row, three for fifth row, and two for top row. Place star on top. Set any leftover dough on pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise slowly at room temperature until almost double, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush gently with egg yolk mixture. Bake in a 325 [degrees] F oven until deep golden brown (about 40 minutes). (If made ahead, let bread cool, then seal in foil and freeze up to two weeks. Reheat wrapped frozen bread at 350 [degrees] F until warm, about 30 minutes). Brush hot bread gently with apricot glaze (below); let cool 10 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon currant jelly into center of each round. Serve bread hot or warm, or cool on a rack, cover, and wrap airtight until next day. Yield: 2 pounds of bread or 32 one-ounce servings. Calories per ounce: 107; protein: 1.7 grams; fat: 4.7 grams; sodium: 103.0 milligrams.

Apricot Glaze: Press 1/3 cup apricot jam through a fine strainer into a 1- to 2-cup pan. Stir jam over low heat until bubbly.

Pumpkin Pie

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk 1/2 cup soft raisins 1/2 cup soft dates, chopped 2 t. vanilla 1 t. cardamom 1 t. coriander 1/4 t. salt 2 eggs or egg substitute 1 1/2 cups pumpkin

Place first three ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. (If fruit is too hard, rinse briefly under hot tap water.) In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir well with spoon. Add to blender and blend until well mixed. Pour into unbaked 8-inch or 9-inch pie shell. Bake at 350 [degrees] F for 1 hour or until set. Serve warm or chilled with whipped topping. Serves: 6. Calories per serving without crust: 172; protein: 8.3 grams; fat: 2.1 grams; cholesterol: 73.5 milligrams; fiber: 1.9 grams; beta-carotene: 13,874.0 IU.

Sparkling Christmas

Punch

4 cups apple juice or pear nectar 1/2 t. coriander 1/2 t. cardamom 1 t. vanilla extract 2 12-oz. bottles of lemon-lime carbonated water 1 large apple, cored and sliced crosswise, or 1 pear, cored and sliced Cranberries Ice cubes

Pour apple juice or pear nectar into a medium saucepan. Make spice bag of double-thick cheese-cloth and place spices into it by bringing four corners together and tying with a string. Place spice bag in juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool and chill thoroughly. Before serving, remove and discard spice bag. Pour juice into large pitcher or punch bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and carbonated water. Garnish with apples or pears and cranberries. Add ice just before serving. Serves: 14 with 4-ounce servings. Calories per serving: 88; fat: 0.0 grams; cholesterol: 0.0 milligrams; carbohydrate: 13.0 grams; fiber: 1.0 grams.

Holiday Pandowdy 

Dowdying is a process of scoring a crust halfway through baking and pressing it into the fruit. A pandowdy resembles a cobbler.

2 cups peeled, sliced Granny Smith apples (approx. 3/4 lb.) cups ripe pears (approx. 1 lb.), peeled, sliced 3 T. fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup sugar 1 t. cardamom 1/2 t. coriander Vegetable cooking spray 1 cup pear nectar 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/8 t. salt 2 1/2 T. shortening 2 T. plus 2 t. ice water 1/4 t. fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 t. skim milk 1 T. sugar 1/4 t. cardamom

Combine first three ingredients in a bowl; toss well. Combine cranberries and next three ingredients; stir well. Add to apple mixture, and toss well. Place fruit mixture in an 8-inch-square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour pear nectar over fruit mixture. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine ice water and lemon juice. Sprinkle ice water mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, over surface of flour mixture, and toss with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently press dough into a 4-inch square on heavy-duty plastic wrap, and cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll the dough, still covered, into an 8 1/4-inch square. Place dough in freezer 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be removed easily. Remove plastic wrap; place dough on top of fruit mixture. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape. Brush dough with milk. Combine the remaining ingredients, and sprinkle over dough. Bake at 400 [degrees] F for 30 minutes; remove from oven. Score pastry into 1-inch squares, using a sharp knife; gently press pastry into fruit mixture with a spatula, allowing juices to moisten top of pastry. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve warm with frozen yogurt. Yield: 6 servings. Calories per serving: 224; protein: 2.2 grams; fat: 5.2 grams; fiber: 3.3 grams; cholesterol: 0.0 milligrams.