'Twas the night before Christmas and you don't know what to do - holiday dinner is all up to you. You've got turkey and pies and stuffing galore, but you know that your family is going to want more. The cookbook is old and tattered, it's through, you need something special, something easy and new. And what to your wondering eyes should appear? Three holiday recipes to help you this year.

The holidays are a time to celebrate family, friends and the amazing food of the season, but as people scramble to finish wrapping presents, stuff stockings and make sure their home is filled with holiday cheer, it can be difficult to cook extravagant dishes for holiday dinner. Many people have a few quick and easy holiday recipes up their sleeve that they bring out every year and below are three of the easiest, yet cutest, recipes that I've come across. Hopefully they will bring a little holiday cheer to you and your family, while taking away some of the stress of creating unique food ideas for the holidays.

Christmas Crunch Balls

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Captain Crunch cereal
- 1 package of marshmallow
- 1 stick of butter

Directions:
- Melt marshmallow and butter together on low heat, until melted
- Add captain crunch to mixture
- Remove from stove top, stir together gently
- Let cool and then form into balls

"My four boys ask me every Christmas to make my crunch balls," said Melissa Bushey, who invented the balls herself after substituting Rice Krispies with Captain Crunch, "they're the most random idea that has somehow become a staple in my house every year." Melissa says that when people first hear of them they expect them to be way too sweet, but after tasting them they change their mind. "They're my favorite dessert at Christmas," said Nick Bushey, Melissa's son, "I like them a lot more than normal rice krispie bars." So this Christmas if you're looking to add a little color with a delicious flare to your dinner table this season, Christmas Crunch Balls can be the solution.

Jello Ice Rink

Ingredients:
- 4 boxes of blue jello
- 2 1/2 cups of boiling water
- a cup of little/big marshmallows
- sprinkles
- toothpicks
Directions:
- Let marshmallow dissolve in the 2 1/2 cups of boiling water
- Pour into a 9/13 inch pan
- Refrigerate for 3 hours
- Cut jello to your liking
- Use marshmallows, toothpicks and sprinkles to create snowmen, igloos, or any of your own ideas

The jello ice rink is a ridiculously easy recipe that can be a great addition to your Christmas dinner, for both children and adults to enjoy. "My mother and I just thought one day how cute a little jello ice rink would look," said Nicole Couture, who has used the ice rink for the past three Christmas parties she's thrown, "and when you add the snowmen and other directions to it, the rink really comes to life." The look of the jello ice rink alone is enough to impress people, but the familiar taste of jello and marshmallows always brings people to whatever table houses the little rink at the party. "I know that I always make a bee-line for the jello every year at our party," said Justin Couture, Nicole's husband, "and my mom has been jealous since she saw it the first time."

Holiday Oreo Balls

Ingredients:
- 8 ounce package cream cheese
- Whole package of Orea cookies
- Powdered sugar
Directions:
- Soften cream cheese (leave out for 20 minutes or so)
- Mix cream cheese and crushed oreos together
- Form into balls
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Once hardened, roll in powdered sugar

"Oreo balls have been around for a while," said Kim Crockett, who put her own special twist to the recipe, "but most people dip them in white chocolate... I found that to be too intense of a taste." The Oreo balls resemble snowballs, so Kim yearly fills a tiny, decorative wheel barrel on her table with them to resemble a child's snowballs during a snowball fight. "I've gotten compliments on how adorable the wheel barrel turns out," Kim said, "and it's really such an easy thing to make." Kim's friend, Chrissy Allard, agrees. "The first time I tasted the Oreo balls I was hooked," Chrissy said, "they're decorative and delicious - and you'd never think they're so easy to make."

What's so special about the three recipes that were chosen is the fact that they all came from the heart of the women who created them, and they're easy to prepare when you're in a tight spot. With just a little imagination you can even put a twist on the recipes, whether it's adding more snowmen to the Jello Ice Rink, or dipping the Holiday Oreo Balls in white chocolate - it's all up to you. But hopefully this holiday while you're frantically searching for a quick recipe before a holiday party at work, or before your family members arrive for dinner on Christmas Eve, you'll look to North Country Entertainment for help.

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http://w744.wrzuta.pl/sr/f/83E5YkJQChT/ingrid_michaelson_-_soldier.mp3

"I'd like a Zuke's special, please." This sentence is heard repeatedly on a daily basis at Zuke's Deli and the girls who make each and every sub for you never get sick of hearing it. "I think the customers that we get in here are sometimes the best part of the job," said Alysha Baker, 20, who is one of the "Zuke's girls" everyone has come to know and love. Zuke's Deli has been a staple in student's lives for quite a long time and although the current group of girls working at deli haven't worked there forever, they've been around long enough and that people openly recognize them in public. "I'm constantly hearing 'ZUKE'S GIRLS!' as we are walking around downtown," says Mackenzie Albin, 22, who has worked at Zuke's since coming to Plattsburgh State.

While the girls may be recognized quite often in public, many people have wondered what the "Zuke's girls" are doing when they're not making subs for hungry, hungover college students. "People will ask what we do besides working at Zuke's because they always see us working," said Devan Gallagher, the newest Zuke's girl, "and I always joke and tell them that I live at Zuke's." However, the girls certainly do have lives outside of Zuke's (come on, like they really work 24/7?) and they were more than happy to answer a few questions about the life of the Zuke's girls.

First up is Mackenzie Albin, who says her life outside of Zuke's mainly consists of playing with her dog, Mr. Pudding, and hanging out with her boyfriend and roommates. "Yes, I am taken," she joked, "so all the guys coming into the store can stop asking." When she's not working, Albin says you can most likely find her at home, but that once the weekends roll around you can always find her downtown. "My weekends start on Thursday," she said, "so I'll be at the Krazy Horse... shaking my thing." When asked to sum herself up in two words, she had to take a minute. "You know, I'm way too complicated to be summed up so easily," she said, "but I'd have to say open and crazy."

Next is Devan Gallagher, the most recent addition to the Zuke's girls, but she says she "feels like she's been there just as long as the others." Though she just turned 19 and isn't able to go downtown like the other girls, she admits to still having fun. "I can't go downtown with everyone else," she said, "but I don't just sit around and do nothing besides work." She says that working at Zuke's is an extremely fast-paced job and that her definition of what it means to be a Zuke's girl is "quick and efficient... with a great attitude." You can always find her dancing, both at work and outside of work, because it's one of her favorite things to do. "People always comment on how we dance around the deli a lot," she said, "but I'm literally always dancing."

Third is Lauren Dooley, the oldest Zuke's girl who is currently getting ready to graduate. "After this semester I'm moving to New York City for a teaching position," she said, "so it's going to be really difficult to say goodbye to this place." When she's not working, or partying it up on the weekends with other girls, you can find her with a redbull in one hand and a cigarette in the other. "It sounds so classy," she joked, "but those are my two favorite things." An extremely interesting fact about Lauren is that she drew all the menus at Zuke's and draws all the images on the quote board as well. "Art has always been something I was good at," she said, "and I really can't wait to bring it into my classroom."

Lastly is Alysha Baker, nicknamed "Sheesha" by everyone close to her. "I'm not even sure where the nickname came from," she said, "but it stuck... and I like it." When she's not making the best possible subs for customers, Baker says she's not ever doing the exact same thing as the day before. "I'm always doing something random that I haven't really done before," she said, "I'm not a fan of repetition." Her favorite part about working at Zuke's is the customers and how they interact with the girls working. "Sometimes guys will use the cheesy pickup lines on us," she said, "things like: 'do you want my footlong?'... We always just laugh in their faces." Like the other girls, she's always out to have a good time and says most people recognize her because of her "big hair" and "big personality."

So the next time you're in Zuke's be sure to look for the girl with the big hair and the big personality, or the girl with the Redbull in one hand and a cigarette in another, and say "hey", because now you know them - at least a little bit.