4 Sweet Recipes to Share with Your Family this Holiday Season

With Thanksgiving coming up and December holidays peeking around the corner, you'll find plenty of reasons to gather your loved ones in the kitchen. To keep the cold out, be sure to share any of these 4 recipes that are sure to leave stomachs and hearts feeling warm.

1. Chicken or Turkey Crepes with Tarragon

Ingredients:

• 3 recipes of basic crepes
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped dried tarragon
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare a basic crepe recipe in advance. Crepes can be made and frozen up to several weeks ahead of time.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Mix in broth, wine, and tarragon; stir over medium-low heat until thickened (about 4 minutes).
4. In a small bowl, gradually stir 3 tablespoons of the hot milk and broth sauce into the egg yolks; then pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking briskly. Cook 1 minute more, then remove from heat.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together half of the sauce with the chicken. Season with salt to taste.
6. Fill each crepe with 3 tablespoons of chicken mixture. Roll crepes, and place seam-side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Thin the remaining sauce with 1/4 cup milk, and pour over crepes. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until sauce begins to bubble.

2. Donna's Heavenly Orange Chip Scones

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (6 ounces) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
• 1 cup buttermilk 3 large eggs, divided
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 tablespoon milk icing (recipe included below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add morsels, raisins and orange peel; mix well. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine buttermilk, 2 eggs and orange extract in small bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture; mix just until a sticky dough is formed. Do not overmix. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Combine remaining egg and milk in small bowl. Brush egg mixture over top of dough.
3. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. For best results, bake one baking sheet at a time. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Drizzle scones with icing. Serve warm.

FOR ICING:

1. Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon grated orange peel and 1 teaspoon orange extract in medium bowl. Mix until smooth.

3. Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients:

• 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast.

4. Strawberry Cream Cheese Crepes

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oil (vegetable or canola oil) 

FOR THE FILLING:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 1-pint heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, milk, flour, salt, sugar, vanilla and oil and beat until smooth. The mixture should be runny.
2. In a separate bowl mix strawberries and sugar, set aside.  In another small bowl cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
3. In another small bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar on high speed until a thick fluffy cream forms.
4. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, spray well with cooking spray.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup batter (or less if you are using a small skillet) into pan and tilt pan in a continuous circle until the sides are evenly coated with batter.
6. Allow to cook about 2 minutes or until the edges of the crepe start to curl and small air bubbles form in the center. Flip and cook until golden.
7. Remove crepe to plate, spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on crepe, add strawberries and whipping cream, and roll. Serve topped with strawberries and cream.

Bon appetit!