Entertaining expert Christy Rost joins EatsandDrinks.com    Wrapping Up The Holidays With only a few days remaining until Santa makes his rounds, holiday baking takes center stage.  Homemade treats are an important part of so many Christmas celebrations, and few gifts are as appreciated as ones lovingly made in the kitchen. During these final days before Christmas, my kitchen becomes "holiday central" as I turn out holiday treats at a near marathon pace.  I will bake cookies for the family, as well as for Santa, sweet holiday breads to enjoy Christmas morning, and cakes and pies for my traditional dessert buffet.  Many of the cookies, breads and cakes will be packaged as gifts for my friends and neighbors - a tradition I have been keeping since I was a teenager. When I give a homemade gift from my kitchen, my friends know this is a gift from my heart.  Often, the recipe has been handed down from my husband's or my grandmothers, or it is a recipe I've developed to recapture childhood memories.  Either way, a bit of the past is baked into every sweet confection.      With everyone so busy, imagine how welcome your gifts from the kitchen will be. Surprise your friends with a plate of sugar or molasses cookies, or perhaps a small holiday spice cake or yeast bread drizzled with frosting and dusted with holiday sprinkles. Wrapping up your homemade gifts can be as much a part of the gift as the delectable treasures inside.  For a truly outstanding result, nothing beats clear cellophane for giving a homemade gift a professional appearance.  A humble plate of brownies or cookies look gourmet when the plate is wrapped in a large sheet of clear cellophane and tied with a large bow and beautiful gift tag.  Nestle freshly baked gifts in an oversize coffee cup and saucer wrapped in cellophane and a bit of silver or gold ribbon, or stack treats inside a large canning jar wrapped in cellophane and a wide plaid bow.     Gift baskets are even more  impressive when stuffed tightly with paper to provide a good base for heavy gifts; then topped with colorful paper shred for a professional appearance.  You may need two sheets of cellophane to cover large baskets, so have a twist-tie handy to secure the cellophane as you gather it. With a favorite recipe or two, a roll of clear cellophane and wide ribbon, you can wrap up the holidays in grand style.  I've included two of my favorite holiday recipes to get you started.                      Holiday Sugar Cookies 1    cup unsalted butter 1 1/ 2    cups sugar 2    eggs 2    teaspoons vanilla 3 1/ 2    cups flour 1 1/ 2    teaspoons baking powder 1 1/ 2    teaspoons salt Cream butter and sugar until mixture is fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.   Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, stirring with a large spoon, to form a soft dough.  Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight. To bake, roll half of dough to 1/ 4-inch thickness on a floured surface or pastry cloth.  Cut with cookie cutters, dipping cutter in flour between each cookie.  Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 6-7 minutes until edges are barely brown.  Remove cookies from cookie sheet while warm; place on a wire rack to cool.  Frost with glaze, if desired. Glaze Whisk together 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, 2-3 tablespoons milk and 1/ 4 teaspoon vanilla until mixture is smooth.  Tint with paste food coloring, if desired.  Spread glaze on sugar cookies with a knife or offset spatula; sprinkle with decorator sugars.  Set aside to dry, about 2 hours. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Recipe makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.                        Chocolate Truffles 1    12-ounce pkg. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 3/ 4 cup sweetened condensed milk 1    teaspoon vanilla extract 1-2  tablespoons cognac or other liqueur (optional)       dash of salt 2    cups sweetened, flaked coconut 2    cups chocolate-flavored sprinkles 1    tablespoon butter In a double boiler over low heat, melt chocolate chips, stirring until smooth.  Stir in condensed milk.  Add vanilla, cognac and salt, stirring until well blended.  Remove from heat.  Fold in coconut; set aside 10 minutes to cool. With buttered hands, roll teaspoons of chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls; then roll in chocolate sprinkles or sifted cocoa mixed with a bit of sifted confectioners sugar.  Place finished truffles on a tray lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate several hours or until firm.  If using cocoa, re-roll truffles before serving. To serve, place truffles into paper or foil petit-four cups. Recipe makes approximately 45 truffles. Read more of Christy Rost's articles in her archives. Click here. Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com