By Sharon Quercioli

Here are a few fabulous recipes for Christmas and Hanukkah:

Christmas Recipes

Prime Rib Roast

Ingredients:
• Prime rib roast
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Rosemary and thyme
Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
• Season the prime rib with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and herbs.
• Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325°F (165°C) until the desired doneness.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Crust
To make it easy for me, I use a prepared graham cracker crust pie.
Filling
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup refrigerated eggnog
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for garnish
Toppings
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Directions
Prepare the Filling:

• Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until each is combined. Add brown sugar, eggnog, flour, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg, beating until just combined, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Pour into prepared Crust. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 250°F (do not remove cheesecake from oven) and bake at 250°F for 45 minutes. Turn oven off (keep door closed); let cheesecake stand in oven for 45 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven (center of cheesecake should be almost set and jiggle slightly); let cool on a wire rack until room temperature, about 2 hours.
• Cover cheesecake, and chill until cold, about 6 hours.
• Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Dollop whipped cream evenly over chilled cheesecake. Garnish with additional nutmeg and serve. Store cheesecake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Hanukkah Recipes

Potato Latkes
Ingredients:
• 4 large potatoes, peeled
• 1 onion
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions:
• Grate potatoes and onion, then squeeze out excess moisture.
• Mix with eggs, flour, salt, and pepper.
• Heat oil in a pan, drop spoonfuls of the mixture, and fry until golden brown

Kugel
Ingredients:
• 16 oz. wide egg noodles
• 5 large eggs
• 1/2 c melted butter
• 16 oz sour cream
• 8 oz cottage cheese
• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Butter, for greasing the pan
• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9″ x 13” baking dish. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, 5 minutes. Drain.
• In a large bowl mix together eggs, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, sugar, and cinnamon then stir in noodles. Pour into prepared dish and bake until set, 1 hour. Cover with aluminum foil if the top starts to get too dark. 
Feel free to customize these recipes based on your preferences and dietary restrictions.
Enjoy your holiday celebrations!