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Of course, one of the joys of the holiday season is the delicious cuisine, fancy drinks and decadent treats that we all look forward to. Here I will share some of these festive dishes that I make, year after year.... recipes included! There are also plenty of ideas for fabulous Christmas yummies, from fancy dinners to casual snacks. Merry Christmas and Bon Appétit!
APPETIZERS
During the course of the season, there are usually several opportunities to offer snacks and appetizers to family and friends. These are a few of my favorites that are no-fail recipes. People always ask me for the recipes too, so you know they're good! These are also great options for bringing to a gathering for a crowd. Try them all!
Cheeseball
This savory cheeseball is wonderful, but only if you like garlic! Everyone raves about it, and it's very easy to throw together.
INGREDIENTS:
(makes 2 loaves)
—2 pckgs (8oz. ea) sharp shredded cheese
(any kind of sharp cheese. I use a combination of sharp cheddar and parmesan, but asiago is wonderful with it too!)
—1 or 2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
—1 or 2 Tbsp minced onion
—1 Tbsp dried red peppercorns, IF you want it extra spicey
—mayonnaise (I like Hellman's, but don't use Miracle Whip, use a real mayo)
—chopped fresh parsley for garnish
—box of hearty crackers (these should be thick, not like Ritz crackers, more like Triscuits or another firm cracker)
METHOD:
Dump the cheese in a large mixing bowl.
Throw in the minced garlic and onion. (Try it first with one Tbsp of each and if it's not enough, you can do two the next time!)
Add dry peppercorns, if using. Start with about 1/4 Cup mayonnaise, and begin to combine. Add mayo by a few tablespoons at a time until the mixture sticks together, but is not too wet.
Turn the mixture onto a pretty Christmas plate, large enough to add crackers around the edge. With a plastic baggie on your hand, shape the cheese mixture into a dome. Then press parsley into the dome for garnish.
Wipe the mayo smears off your plate from around the cheeseball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. (Overnight is even better, allows flavors to meld!)
To serve, tuck a cheese knife in the cheese ball and arrange your crackers around it on the plate.
EASY Delicious Fudge
It's always nice to have sweets around during the holiday season. Kids and adults alike enjoy indulging, especially in chocolate delights. Many folks like to make chocolate truffles, which are divine, but not that simple to create. This fudge is both delectable AND very easy to make!
INGREDIENTS:
—3 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
—14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
—1/4 Cup butter (half a stick)
METHOD:
Line an 8x8 baking pan or pyrex baking dish with foil so that the foil goes up the sides and folds over the edge. Spray with baking spray.
Put chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter in a saucepan and set on med-low heat.
(at this point, you may add chopped walnuts, crushed candy cane or vanilla or peppermint extract to your mixture, if you want to get fancy!)
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Sweet Breads
Sweet breads have been a staple of the Christmas season for hundreds of years. From German "Stollen" to "Panettone" from Italy, there are so many delicious breads to add sweetness to the holidays. My favorite is a Finnish bread called "Nisu" that my Aunt makes every year, but I've never made it myself! I do make pumpkin ginger bread, though!
Pumpkin Ginger Bread
This recipe is moist and spicy and smells heavenly in the oven. A slice of pumpkin ginger bread, warm with butter, or cold with cream cheese is a slice of Christmas heaven!
INGREDIENTS:
—3 Cups sugar
—1 Cup vegetable oil
—4 eggs
—2/3 Cups water
—1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
—2 tsp ground ginger
—1 tsp ground allspice
—1 tsp ground cinnamon
—1 tsp ground cloves
—3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
—2 tsp baking soda
—1 tsp salt
—1/2 tsp baking powder
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Hot Mexican Dip
A wonderful hot dip, fantastic with restaurant-style tortilla chips!
INGREDIENTS:
—1 pckg (8 oz.) full fat cream cheese
—1 can refried beans
—1 jar (160z.) medium-hot salsa (or mild, if you prefer)
—1 pckg (8oz.) shredded mexican blend cheese
—sour cream for garnish
—large tortilla chips or tortilla chip "scoops"
METHOD:
I use an 8x8 square pyrex baking dish for this, but you can use any oven-proof dish of approximately that size.
Spread the pckg of cream cheese evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. Then spread the can of refried beans over the cream cheese.
Add the jar of salsa to the top and spread evenly. Sprinkle the pckg of shredded cheese over the salsa.
Bake at 350 (pre-heated oven) for about 25-30 mins, until cheese is melted and beginning to bubble. Remove and allow to sit for 5 mins.
Add a blob of sour cream to the top, and serve with tortilla chips and small Christmassy paper plates and napkins. Dig in!
Pita Christmas Tree Appetizers
These are quick to put together and always a hit. Festive and tasty, you can't go wrong with these mini-Christmas trees!
INGREDIENTS:
—pckg of small round pita breads
—container of plain hummus, about 8 oz.
—4 oz. container of fresh pomegranate seeds (also called pomegranate arils)
-you'll find these refrigerated in the produce section
—bunch of fresh parsley, curly or flat or a combination of both
METHOD:
Cut the pita breads into quarters, which will give you 4 Christmas tree shaped pieces per bread.
One by one, spread the hummus on each "tree", covering from tip to bottom. Lay them on a decorative Christmas serving plate or tray.
Cut the parsley with kitchen shears into small shreds. With plastic gloves or baggies on your hands, press parsley into the hummus to cover.
Dot each "tree" with the pomegranate seeds.
Cover your tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate until time to serve. These won't store well, so serve within several hours, and don't make more than will likely be consumed.
(fudge continued.....)
Remain at the stove and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon as it melts, about 8 minutes, until smooth, well combined and thick, but don't allow to harden.
When melted and smooth, pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Refrigerate overnight, then lift the fudge out with the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut with a sharp knife (carefully!) into squares and store in a container with a tight lid until time to serve. Should make about 40 pieces.
Serve on a Christmas plate!
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9x5" loaf pans.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil and eggs and beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and clove.
In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and baking powder. Add these ingredients to pumpkin mix and blend just until combined.
Divide batter between the two pans and bake about an hour, until toothpick comes out clean and top is springy to the touch.
Main Meals Ideas
When it comes to the main meal, first you need to decide if the main meal will occur on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day. I have done both, and they each have their advantages. I must say, I think I prefer my Christmas Eve dinner, not only because I have perfected the menu over the years, but because that leaves Christmas afternoon for relaxation and nibbling on leftovers, rather than hunching over a stove or washing endless dishes. However, a beautiful late afternoon Christmas dinner can become a family tradition that nothing can replace. Let's consider both options.
Christmas Eve Dinner
Christmas Eve Dinner
I came up with this dinner the first Christmas that I was married, in 1986. Since then, there have been very few Christmas Eve's I haven't done it. It is elegant, yet not difficult to put together, and most can be done ahead. Here's what I make:
-Filet Mignon Tenderloin Steaks with béarnaise sauce
-Baked, Stuffed Potatoes
-Green Beans Almondine
-Take & Bake rolls
Dinner on Christmas Day
Dinner on Christmas Day
The steaks should be on the smaller side, so you can get one tenderloin steak for each person. I buy them on the 23rd, but you may want to go earlier if you think they'll sell out, and freeze them. The béarnaise sauce is actually not real hard to make from scratch, but the envelope kind (in the baking aisle) comes out quite nice, and is very quick and easy. The sauce should be left to make last.
Baked stuffed potatoes can be done 2 days ahead and stored in an air tight container in the fridge. Even the green beans almondine (which I buy in the frozen foods aisle! I think Green Giant makes it) can be cooked according to package directions ahead of time and tucked in the fridge to be warmed with the potatoes.
The "take & bake" rolls are half-baked rolls that I buy at a local market. Find the dinner rolls you like the BEST. These can be wrapped in foil and put in the oven while the meat broils to get warm.
On Christmas Eve, I first warm up the potatoes and beans a bit, then leave those in and cook the meat in the broiler below (leaving oven door open a notch). If you don't have a broiler, you can pan cook them, just be sure they're properly cooked through. I add the rolls to the oven for about five minutes while I whisk up the sauce on the stove top. Then it's time to serve!
Christmas Beverages
Christmas is a wonderful time for fancy drinks and warming concoctions to add to the holiday spirit! Here are a few of my favorite Christmas "adult beverages". Cheers!
Dickens Wassail
This is an old fashioned drink, commonly enjoyed in Britain in the Victorian age and even prior to that era. It makes your house smell amazing while it simmers in the crock pot, and it tastes delightful, spicy and sweet, and warms you all the way down!
INGREDIENTS:
—1 bottle of red wine
(This should be a robust wine. Last year I used a red wine blend from Portugal called "Silk and Spice", and it was so good!)
—1 quart of apple cider (cider, not apple juice!)
—2 Cups cranberry juice
—2 whole fresh oranges
—1 fresh lemon
—2 pieces fresh ginger, about 2" long each
—whole cloves
—2 cinnamon sticks
—honey
—1 bottle cognac/French brandy
—you will need a small sieve or cheesecloth
METHOD:
Into a large size crock pot set to "low", pour the apple cider and cranberry juice. Cut the oranges into quarters and stud the skins of each piece with 4 to 6 whole cloves. Add to pot. Slice the lemon and add 5 or 6 lemon slices to the pot. Peel the fresh ginger and add the pieces to the pot. Add the cinnamon sticks and put the lid on. Allow to simmer on low for 5 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally. (this is where the amazing aroma comes in!)
About 2 hours before you want to serve it, pour in the bottle of red wine and replace the lid. Taste after half an hour and drizzle in some honey, just about a Tablespoon to start. (I generally add about a Tablespoon of honey total, but you may want it sweeter.) Taste again a half hour later and add more honey if desired.
When the Wassail has steeped with the wine for at least 2 hours (can steep as long as 4 or 5 hours), get out your Christmas hot beverage glasses or mugs and pour 1 oz. of cognac/brandy into each mug. Holding the small sieve or cheesecloth over each cup, ladle the wassail through the sieve. (this is to keep most of the shreds of fruit, cinnamon, ginger, etc out)
Sip and marvel!
[note: The Wassail can also be enjoyed without the brandy, of course, and you can make a child-friendly version omitting the wine. Note the flavors and adjust the spices to your preference next time you make it.]
Mimosa
This elegant cocktail is perfect for a Christmas morning brunch or before a nice Christmas Day dinner. Choose a variation that sounds good to you!
INGREDIENTS:
—fresh squeezed orange juice or a quality bottled orange juice
—bottle of champagne or a white sparkling wine or prosecco
optional additions:
—a liqueur such as Grand Marnier, Triple Sec or Chambord
—garnish of orange or kiwi slices, maraschino cherries or sliced strawberries
—cranberry or pomegranate juice
METHOD:
—squeeze your orange juice, if using fresh
—using champagne flutes or wine glasses, pour the bubbly into each glass - you may want to use the usual 50/50 blend, or make it with more bubbly or more juice
—if using cranberry or pomegranate juice, add 2 Tablespoons to the bubbly
—add orange juice to the bubbly
—if using a liqueur, add 1/2 to 3/4 ounce and give a quick stir - don't stir too much, it will break the bubbles!
—add garnish, if using, and voilà
[you can make a non-alcohol version for children and those who prefer it by substituting the bubbly wine with flavored seltzer - pineapple, pomegranate or orange work well]
You can make mimosas by the pitcher, if you prefer, but don't mix it up too long before time to serve, so the carbonation will remain!
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