If you had all of your Christmas gifts wrapped the day after Thanksgiving, you have more time now for holiday cooking. Your free time may be used to make candy, always a welcome addition to holiday parties. The usual chocolate fudge goes well with brown sugar penuche. Penuche contains chopped nut meats that may be walnuts or pecans. Chopped candied ginger add a new twist to the flavor. If the candied ginger is sugar covered, cut off the coating as the sugar will make a grainy fudge.

Penuche

1 pound box light brown sugar or 3 cups 1 cup thin cream or half and half 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until a few drops of the mixture form a soft ball when tested in cold water. On your candy thermometer it registers 236 to 238 F. Remove at once from the heat and drop in the butter, but do not stir at this time. When the thermometer reads 110 F, remove the thermometer, add the vanilla and salt and beat until candy begins to hold shape. (We find it takes longer for this beating than in chocolate fudge.) Add nuts and candied ginger, if used, and pour into a buttered pan. Cool. Wrap pan in foil or place in a tin box and cover until used.

These few suggestions for party time were gleaned from the caterers at a wedding reception I attended in Tennessee. Sandwiched between halves of whole-wheat biscuits were curried cream cheese filling, thinly sliced ham in folds and a thin slice of Swiss cheese. These were served warm on a tray with other breads.

Curried Cream Cheese 2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 pound thinly sliced turkey or ham Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

Beat cream cheese until spreadable. Beat in lemon juice and curry powder. Use as a spread. This mixture may be frozen to use later.

Another filling used was with poppy seeds.

Poppy Seed Filling 1 stick margarine, softened or melted 1 tablespoon poppy seed 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes

1/4 cup prepared mustard

Mix all together. Taste for more seasoning, as you wish. Spread on tiny biscuit halves and top. Serve warm.

When a snow storm closes the schools and the children are homebound, give them a lesson in foods to keep them busy. For lunch, have them make sandwiches. One suggestion is Bunny Food. Combine grated carrots with raisins and blend together with mayonnaise, a bit of honey and lemon juice.

Chicken Salad. Mix cubes of cooked chicken with mayonnaise, finely chopped celery and grated carrots.

Tuna Salad Melt. Combine one 7-ounce can of tuna with 2 tablespoons chopped onion, 2 tablespoons chopped pickle (pickle relish) and 1/4 cup mayonnaise. Split and toast hamburger buns, spread bottom half with tuna salad. Top with one slice of cheese and broil for 4 minutes, until cheese melts. Add top and eat.

When the usual fare gets ho-hum, go back to one of the first recipes you learned in high school home economics — goldenrod eggs. It will offer you a chance to alter the recipe by adding tuna fish, canned salmon or whole kernel corn. Shredded cheese may be sprinkled over the top. Give the dish a fancy name and all thoughts of the eggs goldenrod you made in high school will vanish! Serve a tossed green salad with the dish, if desired.

Eggs Goldenrod 5 hard-cooked eggs 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons flour

Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook until smooth, then add the milk slowly, mixing with a spoon or wire whip until a smooth sauce evolves. Cook slowly for a few minutes while you remove the cooked eggs from the shells. Remove the egg whites and slice into the sauce. Prepare slices of toasted white or whole-wheat bread and place in a platter. Pour the sauce over the toast and press the egg yolks through a sieve to top the sauce. Shredded cheese may be sprinkled over all, or salmon or tuna may be added to the sauce before spread over the toast.