Table of contents for Holiday Bliss 2011 in Victoria

Entertaining during the holidays brings a new level of excitement to our home, and we delight in the opportunities Thanksgiving and Christmas provide for experimenting with symbols of the season. When the youth group of a local church fills a grassy area adjacent to the building with brilliant orange pumpkins, I know my favorite holidays will soon follow. Pumpkins symbolize that glorious time of year when I gather colorful leaves and nuts from the yard to create kitchen and dining-room displays. In these pages you’ll find a wealth of ideas perfect for enhancing your home’s spaces to pay tribute to the autumn harvest. The Victoria staff has selected highlights from the magazine’s early history and has combined those with suggestions for a bountiful meal that, although easy to prepare, will…

Featuring hearty dishes accented with warming spices and crisp apples baked to perfection with cinnamon and brown sugar, autumn is a time to celebrate good food, healthy appetites, and fresh produce from the garden, farmers’ market, and orchard. “ Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” —George Eliot…

Preparing the delicious baked goods we turn out by the dozens in the warmth of our own kitchens is perhaps the most satisfying holiday ritual. We take pride in the treasured recipes that have been with us for generations, and we revisit them each Christmas like trusted old friends. Gingerbread Snowball Cookies Makes 3 dozen 1 cup softened unsalted butter 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus additional for dusting, divided 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup finely ground hazelnuts 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon ground fresh nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the butter and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.…

Only Christmas can inspire the richness and magnitude with which we adorn our homes to celebrate family and friends. No other occasion compels us to devote permanent storage space to the boxes upon boxes of fragile ornaments we have collected throughout the years. For it is the meaning behind these well-worn heirlooms and the memories formed by layers of time that are the soul of our traditions and the heart of the holiday season. “Silent night, holy night, when the bough flies from the tree and is hung everywhere … .” —Ingeborg Bachmann “ Shall we liken Christmas to the web in a loom? There are many weavers, who work into the pathern the experience of their lives.” —Earl W. Count…

So many of our holiday memories are made around the table—a place where the true essence of Christmas comes together in warm companionship, family traditions, and a glorious abundance of home-cooked fare. Whether an elaborate spread for a hundred or a cozy table for two, we look forward to these meaningful moments when we share the company of loved ones. Tykes on sleds and shouts of glee, Icy-window filigree, Sugarplums and candle glow, Part of Christmas long ago … .” —Jo Geis…

Smoky Mozzarella-Mushroom Focaccia Makes 1 loaf 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 (8-ounce) packages sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms 1 tablespoon roasted garlic puree 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided 2 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper, divided 2 cups warm water 1 tablespoon quick-rising dry yeast 1 tablespoon black truffle oil 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 4 1/2 cups bread flour, divided 1 (7-ounce) package smoked mozzarella, shredded 1 (4.5-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, shredded 1. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, roasted garlic puree, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook until mushrooms are browned, about 14 minutes; set aside. 2. In a large bowl, stir together water and yeast. Using a wooden spoon, stir…

From house to house, the glorious signs of Christmas appear shortly after Thanksgiving. Nothing can quite compare to the magic and excitement of glimpsing those first decorations of the season—a wreath of extraordinary proportions bejeweled with apples; a lamppost draped in an elegant evergreen garland laced with pinecones and velvet ribbon; and a mailbox piled high with waxy magnolia leaves, holly berries, and a billowing golden ribbon that very well may promise a special holiday homecoming.…

Possibly no meal is more lovingly prepared than our Christmas feast. A ritual steeped in tradition, it offers a blissfully familiar array of dishes that have been passed from generation to generation. A menu often derived from family origins and time-honored customs, this most celebratory repast always comes together with the help of many hands, many hearts, and many wellkept secrets. Menu Seasonal Green Salad with Pear Vinaigrette Citrus and Herb Roasted Turkey Butternut Squash and Fennel Mash Roasted Root Vegetables with Haricots Verts Brown Butter Rosemary Yeast Rolls Orange-Scented White Chocolate Mousse Cake Seasonal Green Salad with Pear Vinaigrette Makes 6 to 8 servings 1 (5-ounce) bag spring mix lettuces 1 head frisée, washed and trimmed 1 red Anjou pear, cored and thinly sliced 1/4 cup pomegranate arils 1…

From the scenic byways of North Carolina’s Piedmont region to the towering Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the striking foliage that decorates the landscape is the season’s main attraction. Aspen trees burst into golden flames, and maples show off stunning plumage in extraordinary shades of red orange, saffron gold, and majestic plum. “ No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace As I have seen in one autumnal face.” —John Donne…

Amid the stark winter landscape, what could be more welcoming than December’s joyous holiday foliage? Brought in from the cold, the heavenly scents of juniper, spruce, cedar, and fir conjure vivid memories of childhood, when Christmas— wondrous and magical—had finally arrived. For a stunning tabletop display, create a shimmering vignette with pots of flowering snow-white Phalaenopsis orchids, magnolia leaves, pine branches, and nandina stems laden with red berries. Sprinkle the scene with metallic ornaments for a glamorous glow. “Christmas is not an eternal event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart." —Dame Freya Stark SUPPLIES NEEDED Your imagination and a few materials are all it takes to fashion a festive seasonal wreath. Garden clippers Twine-wrapped wire Floral wire Wreath frame Fresh greenery, berries,…

Much of December’s kinship is experienced with the invigorating moments we share outdoors after freshly fallen snow blankets the ground. Perhaps it is the warmth of friendship, as well as the warmth that follows—piping hot libations beside a blazing fire—that makes the cold so inviting and the frosted landscape so breathtakingly beautiful.…