For the past few years during the holiday season, staff members from the Glenwood Springs Post Independent have shared some of their favorite recipes.

This year, the simply divine and delectable kitchen creations range from fruit salad to pumpkin soup to apple pie.

The holidays are always a special time of the year, we hope you enjoy our annual recipe edition.

Enjoy and have fun in the kitchen!

Poppy seed fruit salad

By Andrea Porter, Publisher

1/3 c mayonnaise

1/3 c sour cream

3 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger

2 tbsp honey

1 1⁄4 tsp poppy seed

2 c cantaloupe

1 1⁄2 c pineapple

1 c strawberries

1 c seedless grapes

1 banana

• combine mayonnaise, sour cream, ginger, honey, vinegar and poppy seeds in bowl ; stir. Season dressing to taste with salt & pepper. Combine fruit in large bowl. Add dressing and toss. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve cold.

• Serves 4

Monkey Bread

By Kendra Jones, Advertising Representative

This is a very easy and delicious recipe my family makes every Christmas morning. It isn't Christmas in the Jones house without Monkey Bread!

4 pkgs. Canned Biscuits (do not use buttermilk biscuits)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

• Separate and cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Mix together 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 2/3 cup of sugar, roll each biscuit piece in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Mix 1 1/2 sticks of melted butter, 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Grease Bundt pan. Arrange half of the cinnamon/sugar coated biscuits in pan, then half of melted mixture, then remaining biscuits and remaining melted mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Turn over pan and serve. Eat while warm.

Super Easy Mediterranean Appetizer Plate

By Kay Vasilakis, Columnist

One of my favorite places to eat in Denver is Pete's Place on East Colfax- just a diner around the corner from East High School, but the original Greek owners who have been running the restaurant for 25 years sure know how to make some delicious Greek food.

This recipe is a take-off from their Greek Sampler Plate, sadly without the gyro meat.

• Variety of olives — Kalamata, Mediterranean Olive Salad

• Arrange on large platter and add these options:

Artichoke quarters

Giant white beans

Roasted red peppers

Puglia mix

Spicy Greek Garden Medley

halved grape or cherry tomatoes

slices of red onions

slices of cucumber

pepperoncini

Dolmades- stuffed grape leaves

• Sprinkle with the olive oil from olives and other choices, crumbled feta cheese, juice of half a lemon, oregano and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with pita bread or sliced focaccia bread. Tzatziki sauce (below) is optional but highly recommended.

• Find many of the ingredients in the Mediterranean olive bar at City Market, and/or canned dolmades at Good Health health food store.

Tzatziki sauce (optional)

2 C. plain yogurt

juice of 1 lemon

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced very small

1 T. finely chopped fresh mint

2 cloves garlic, diced very tiny

salt and pepper

• Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Chestnut Soup with Marsala Mushrooms

By Charlie Wertheim, Copy Editor

The hardest part of this recipe probably is finding the chestnuts. Try a gourmet food shop.

Soup

3 Tbs. butter

1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)

1 celery stalk, diced (1/2 cup)

1 bay leaf

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1 15-oz. jar cooked, peeled whole chestnuts, chopped (2 1/2 cups)

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbs. Marsala wine

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves for garnish, optional

Mushrooms

1 Tbs. butter

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

2-3 Tbs. Marsala wine

1. To make soup: Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, bay leaf, thyme and allspice, and cook 5-7 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add chestnuts, broth and 2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until chestnuts are very soft. Remove bay leaf.

2. Purée soup in batches in blender until smooth. Return to pot, and stir in Marsala wine and cream.

3. To make mushrooms: Heat butter and garlic in skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and cook 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. Add Marsala wine, and cook 1 minute more, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

4. Season soup with salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls. Garnish servings with mushrooms, and fresh thyme leaves, if desired.

Melissa's Apple Pie

By Melissa Boutwell, Circulation and Customer Service

I modified this recipe from a recipe that I got off the web called Grandma Ople's Apple Pie.

Ingredients

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup water

8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the apples. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. Cover with pie crust

3. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

By Bonnie Strong, Classified Sales

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups self-rising flour

FROSTING:

2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup water

4 teaspoons meringue powder

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Green, red and yellow food coloring

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough to 3/16-in. thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 375° for 5-7 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the confectioners' sugar, water and meringue powder on low speed just until combined. Beat on high for 4 minutes or until soft peaks form. Add corn syrup; beat 1 minute longer.

Tint with food coloring of your choice. Cover frosting with damp paper towels or plastic wrap between uses. Spread and/or pipe frosting on cookies. Let stand until set. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.

Note: As a substitute for each cup of self-rising flour, place 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 1 cup. As a substitute for each 1/2 cup of self-rising flour, place 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 1/2-cup measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 1/2 cup.

Pumpkin Soup

By Kelley Cox, Photographer

I get all my best recipes from my mom. This pumpkin soup is the perfect comfort food for cold wintry days. And a few unexpected ingredients, like peanut butter and mustard, makes it even more interesting.

1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes (peeled/boiled or canned)

2 tbs. butter

4 tbs. green onion

2 cups pumpkin (canned)

8 cups chicken broth

1 cup peanut butter

2 tsp. coarse mustard

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mash and blend sweet potatoes with pumpkin.

Sauté onions in butter until soft.

Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat and add pumpkin mixture, onions and peanut butter.

Stir and simmer for 25 minutes.

Add mustard and nutmeg.

Stir and serve.

Battered Breakfast Bread

By Dale Shrull, Editor

Before you get too excited, this is just my name for French Toast. I think the French get too much credit for food, so I changed the name.

Most of us know how to whip up a batch of “Battered Breakfast Bread” without too much trouble. But for me, variety is the key ingredient.

Recipe is pretty simple.

2-3 eggs

1/4 cup (or however much you like) milk

Pinch of nutmeg

a tad of cinnamon.

Mix it all up, dip the bread in and plop into a heated pan.

Battered Breakfast Bread is served!

Since the nutmeg and cinnamon gets soaked up onto the bread so easily, I sprinkle into the battered for each piece of bread. Also, changing the fat content of the milk or adding half and half can make the dish richer.

Here's where variety spices things up.

Change the bread. French bread, wheat, white, cinnamon, brown sugar, etc. By changing bread, it makes this traditional breakfast dish different every time.

I also like to add pecans or walnuts, and sometimes slice up some bananas to put on top.

Of course, Battered Breakfast Bread just wouldn't b e the same without powdered sugar sprinkled on top.

Hit with some maple syrup and its' breakfast time!

Crockpot "sweetish" meatballs

By April E. Clark, Columnist

Shopping, wrapping, baking, celebrating. The holidays are busier than a short-staffed Santa's Workshop crew. Simplify holiday entertaining with a crowd favorite my family and friends always enjoy at parties and on Christmas Eve. These meatballs are quick to prepare, slow to cook, and easy to please Santa and all his hungry elves. Who doesn't love a cocktail meatball on a toothpick anyway? Take it from me, holiday food on the move helps with multitasking. Now if I could only hire few elves as assistants this year ... Will work for meatballs?

1 lb. frozen, fully cooked meatballs

1 12-oz bottle (Heinz) chili sauce

1 16-oz can cranberry sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In 3-4 quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, until meatballs are hot. Serve hot, with toothpicks, straight from the slow cooker.

Mac & Cheese Bake-off winning recipe

By Liz Auerbach, Mac & Cheese Bake-off winner

Cowboy's Mac

Liz whipped this delectable dish up and walked away as the winner of the first-ever Mac & Cheese Bake-off last Saturday at the Glenwood Springs Community Center

2 cups noodles (large elbows)

1 tbs. butter

4-5 slices of bacon

2 or 3 4 oz chopped green chilies

1 1/2 cups milk

31/2 cups cheddar (sharp works best)

2 cups pepperjack

1 tbs. garlic

1 tsp each of paprika, chili powder, salt & pepper

Turn oven to 350 degrees; start boiling salted water for noodles.

Cut bacon into 1 inch strips and sauté in pan for 2 minutes, then add garlic and sauté bacon til it's slightly crunchy. Drain bacon on paper town. Cook noodles, drain, let cool for a few minutes.

Mix together with 2 cups cheddar, all the peperjack, bacon, green chilies. Spread butter on baking dish and pour mixture into dish.

Mix milk and spices and pour over noodles in the dish; top the noodle mix with remaining cheddar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the top is dark brown.

There you have it — award-winning Mac & Cheese!