At serving time you can add some decorations piping colored whipped cream, or using cherries and leaves again, but my favorite is to leave it elegantly white. “Boule de niege” is French for snowball!

BEEF WELLINGTON

Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and those colored peppercorns that are red, green and white - a "four-color mélange” is available here: http://www.happycookers.com/wc.dll/products/divulge/3-1918.html . Coat beef with this before you encrust it. You can also use this on turkey, Prime Rib, or Crown Roast. For a photo, go here: http://www.zinos.com/cool/zinos/author_area/preview_article?;AR008410 .

P.S. Be sure and put dough cut outs atop Beef Wellington, too!

INDIVIDUAL TRIFLES

Here are some really cute star-shaped Christmas bowls ( http://www.happycookers.com/wc.dll/products/divulge/1-21856.html ). Make trifle and put them in these dishes. Then smooth over top with whipped cream.

MASHED POTATOES

Mash them and put them in a serving bowl. Then sprinkle just enough cayenne and parsley flakes for color.

PARFAITS

Here’s a super easy, cheap, and very eye-appealing dessert.

Version 1: Fill fluted glasses with vanilla ice cream, or peppermint. Drizzle green crème de menthe and chocolate over it. Add maraschino cherry – red or green. If you use red cherry, add green mint leaf.

Version 2: Use vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce, and sprinkle crumbled candy cane over it.

TRIFLE

Trifle is, as I’m sure you know, a cold dessert made with liqueur-soaked sponge cake, layers of fruit, jelly, custard and whipped cream. It makes a great Christmas dessert because it can be made well ahead of time, it’s got cheap ingredients, it’s not familiar to a lot of people and they think it looks intricate to make, and … presentation!

For instance since ingredients are so cheap, why not buy Spode Christmas tree soup tureen – “just” $348.95 (instead of $535.00) at amazon.com kitchenware. j.k.

However, put trifle in a tureen and then put a layer of whipped cream on top smoothing it completely (use a warm wet flat spatula). What makes it special is people will keep trying to “pick up lid” which is whipped cream, and there are fingerprints all over it and lots of laughs and “oohs” and “aahs.”

VEGIES

Put chopped red peppers in among peas, Brussels sprouts or broccoli; chopped green pepper in with tomatoes. Cut stars out of cheese and place atop casserole.

Don’t do all of these things; that’s too much. Choose one or two.

AND DON’T FORGET TO DRESS THE HOSTESS

A Christmas apron is always fun. Here’s a Santa one with matching hat: http://avalonusa.com/christmas/aprons.htm , a sexy Santa girl apron ( http://www.incrediblegifts.com/sagichap .html ), and my personal favorites – affordable white cotton with ruffles, Christmas tree, gingerbread men, spoon and candy cane ( http://www.asianhomeandcrafts.org/apronbib.html ). For more sources, go here: http:/ opten.org/public/BI/BI324.html .

1.Rename it " Harvest Pumpkin and Cinnamon Cheesecake". 2.Try scooping out extra pile of cinnamon Little Helper poured in for you. 3.Bang your head against counter and start over.

There is also a tablespoon of ground ginger to add. Sorry about that. Don't worry, you still have three options...again:

1.Rename it " Harvest Pumpkin and Ginger Cheesecake". 2.Scoop out as best you can extra heap of ginger Little Helper added for you. 3.Bang your head twice on counter and start over.

I almost hate to mention this, but you'll need to add a teaspoon of ground nutmeg. And a half teaspoon of salt. And a half teaspoon of allspice. Go ahead and bang your head some more if it makes you feel better.

Fortunately, there is a parental failsafe. It is sort of like a "get out of jail free card". Look in bowl. Observe quantity of creamy things. Observe quantity of spicy things.

If quantity of creamy things is even slightly greater than quantity of spicy things, keep going and pretend you didn't have any help. Maybe nobody will notice. If quantity of spicy things is greater than quantity of creamy things, open another can of pureed pumpkin. Keep adding cans of pureed pumpkin until creamy things are greater than spicy things -- or until your grocer runs out of cans.

Pour filling into crust. Note, if you had to add too many cans of pureed pumpkin, this could get messy. I recommend hip-waders...especially for Little Helper.

Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50 minutes or until top is slightly brown and almost as cracked as your head and counter. Do NOT let Little Helper eat cake while it is still in oven.

Let it air cool in a safe place -- like at a neighbor's house -- then refrigerate overnight

Just before serving, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with pecans. Oops. I just wrote that last line in non-parentease. It should read: "Now that whipped cream is polished off, shake remaining sprinkles on cake. Unless Little Helper ate them, too.

Now you can sit down and enjoy your Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake (Parent Version). Oh yes, don't forget to laminate this page to avoid more impromptu experimentation in future.