Hot Buttered Toddy Mix + Two Drinks

Toddy Mix
½ cup unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup raw cane sugar

2 T honey

1 T molasses

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp ground cloves

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and chill for at least one hour. Keep refrigerated up to two weeks

Hot Buttered Bourbon

1 heaping tsp buttered toddy mix

2 oz bourbon

1 cinnamon stick

In a heatproof mug, add a heaping tsp toddy mix, bourbon and cinnamon stick and cover with 8 oz boiling water. Stir vigorously before serving

Hot Buttered Berry Rum

1 heaping tsp buttered toddy mix

2 oz spiced rum

4 to 5 fresh or freeze dried cranberries

In a heatproof mug, muddle cranberries with a heaping tsp of toddy mix. Add rum and muddle a bit more. Add 8 oz boiling water and let steep a couple minutes before stirring vigorously and serving.

Holiday Snack Mix

8 cups oatmeal square cereal

2 cups pecans

½ cup light corn syrup

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp baking soda

1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Zest of 1 organic orange

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking pan and add cereal and pecans. In a medium microwaveable bowl, heat syrup, sugar, butter for 1 ½ mins; stir. Microwave an additional ½ to 1 ½ mins or until boiling. Stir in vanilla, orange zest, rosemary and soda; pour over cereal. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 mins to evenly coat cereal and pecans. Remove from oven to cool. Carefully break apart before serving or storing in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. I guarantee it will not last that long though.

For a twist, add 1 cup of dried cranberries to cooled mix before serving.

Recipe from K. Dixon

Butternut Squash Lasagna

For the vegetables:
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet yellow onion, halved and sliced thin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

For the bechamel:
2 tablespoons salted butter
10 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
¼ tsp of freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp salt

For the lasagna:
Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
2 cups grated low-moisture mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
2 cups grated parmesan cheese (about 8 ounces)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
9 no-boil lasagna noodles

Make the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the squash and onions with olive oil on a baking sheet. Season with salt, garlic powder and red pepper. Roast, rotating the baking sheet once, until the vegetables are tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Smash squash with a fork until evenly mashed and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the flour until smooth; cook, whisking, until the flour is lightly golden but not brown, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and salt.

Assemble the lasagna: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Toss the cheeses and the flour in a bowl; set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Evenly coat the bottom of the dish with 1/2 cup of the bechamel. Lay 3 noodles side by side on top. Cover with one-third of the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with half of the remaining cheese mixture, then top with half of the vegetable mixture, spreading evenly. Arrange 3 more noodles on top and repeat the layers (bechamel, cheese, vegetables). Top with the remaining 3 noodles, then cover with the remaining bechamel; sprinkle with the reserved 1/2 cup cheese.

Loosely cover the dish with foil and bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Uncover the lasagna and broil until browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from a recipe at www.foodnetwork.com