Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Christmas Treats Kids Can Make

Most children enjoy creating, whether it's art, stories or cooking. Christmas is a great time of the year for children to create treats and snacks for guests or even to give as gifts. Here are a few simple recipes your child can start with.

1. Peanut Butter Crunch

1 stick of butter
1 cup of peanut butter
1 pound box of powdered sugar
1 large box of crispy corn cereal squares
12 oz package of milk chocolate chips

Melt the butter, peanut butter, & chocolate chips in large microwaveable bowl on medium until melted and stir. Empty the box of cereal in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture over the top and coat thoroughly. Pour the powdered sugar over the top and stir until all pieces are coated with sugar.

Store in 2 large zipper bag in the refrigerator.

S'more Balls

16 ounce bag of large marshmallows
16 ounce bag of chocolate chips
16 ounce package of graham crackers
toothpicks

Crush the graham crackers until they are almost like powder and put them in a big bowl. Melt chocolate and stir often until smooth. Stick a toothpick in one of the marshmallows and dip it in the chocolate all the way. Then dip it in the graham cracker crumbs half way. Set on the wax paper to dry.

White Chocolate Mix

10 oz of mini twist pretzels
5 cups of toasted oat cereal
5 cups of crispy corn cereal squares
2 cups of salted peanuts
14 oz of candy-coated milk chocolate pieces
11 oz of white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Line 3 baking sheets with waxed paper or parchment. In a large bowl, combine mini pretzels, toasted oat cereal, crispy corn cereal squares, salted peanuts, and candy-coated chocolate pieces. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chips and oil on medium-high for 2 minutes, stirring once. Microwave on high for 10 seconds; stir until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture and mix well. Spread onto prepared baking sheets. Break apart when it's cooled. Store in an airtight container.

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Posted byJessica at 6:20 PM  

Yummy Christmas Drinks

The holidays often inspire us to eat warm, traditional meals and spend extra time with our families. Add to that the fun of making up a nice spiced drink to sip near the fire and you're ready to bask in the holiday season! Here are a few great drink recipes for you to try out (or, as a reminder if you've had them before).

Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients:
2 c. vanilla ice cream
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
Rum Substitute (non-alcoholic)
Nutmeg
Water

Directions: Mix the regular and brown sugars and butter in a sauce pan. Set to a low heat until the butter melts. Be sure to stir occasionally. When the butter is melted, pour the mixture into a large bowl and add the ice cream. Beat together until the mixture is smooth. To make the buttered rum drink, fill 1/4 of a cup with the mixture, add about an ounce of rum substitute, and 3/4 of a cup of boiling water. Top with a pinch of nutmeg. The butter/ice cream/sugar mixture can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for about two weeks, which makes it a cinch to prepare when you have unexpected company.

Chocolate Egg Nog

Ingredients:
Egg Nog
Chocolate Syrup

Directions: This one's easy! In a glass, mix 4 parts egg nog to 1 part chocolate syrup. Top with a sprinkle of nutmeg if you want to jazz it up a bit.

Chilled Mocha with Amaretto

Ingredients:
4 oz. of chocolate milk
2 oz. of cold coffee
1 oz. Amaretto-flavored (non-alcoholic) syrup
Whipped cream
Chocolate powder or shavings
Ice

Directions: In a large glass, add ice, chocolate milk, coffee, and amaretto syrup. Mix together and top with whipped cream. Sprinkle chocolate shavings or a dash of chocolate powder and serve.

Hot Mulled Apple Cider

Ingredients:
3 cups of apple cider
4 cinnamon sticks + 2 more to garnish
1/2 cup of ground "red hots" candy
1/2 cup of rum substitute (non-alcoholic)

Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together in a sauce pan (or slow cooker) and heat on a medium heat. Once the mixture is hot, reduce to a low heat and allow it to mull for about an hour. Serve warm and garnish with a cinnamon stick or two.

Now your holiday recipe arsenal is stocked with some highly tasty drink recipes! Many of these recipes can easily be altered to a non-alcoholic beverage so that your youngsters can enjoy them as well, so don't be afraid to whip up a batch that the whole family can enjoy! --Happy holidays!

Tags : Discount Barbecue Tools & Accessories Store Portable gas barbecue grill Buy Cheap BBQ Accessories BBQ Tips for All Holiday

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Posted byJessica at 8:00 AM  

Sumptuous Christmas Lunch Recipie

Starter

Champagne prawns

Potted prawns make a welcome change from traditional smoked salmon. Serve them with curly Melba toast, savoury biscuits or simple slices of toast.

SERVES 6-8

400-500g shelled raw prawns

2 shallots, sliced

2 pinches ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

150ml non-vintage champagne

1/2 lemon

100g unsalted butter

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

25g (total weight) chopped parsley and dill, plus sprigs to garnish

Put the uncooked prawns, shallots, nutmeg, salt and champagne into a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the blue flesh turns firm and pink. Drain the prawns, reserving the liquid and set aside. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the pan liquid and reduce down to 3 tablespoonfuls. Chop the prawns and divide among 6-8 ramekins. Pour over the reduced liquid and leave to cool. Melt the butter in a saucepan and cool to warm. Stir in the pepper and chopped herbs, then spoon over each ramekin. Leave to cool completely, then garnish with herb sprigs and chill. Refrigerate for up to 3 days before use, and the flavour will actually improve.

FOR THE TURKEY

5kg Bronze turkey or other fresh turkey (not frozen), ideally outdoor raised, trussed

1 red onion, halved

250g stale bread, cubed

30g (total weight) parsley, thyme and tarragon, de-stalked and snipped

2 shallots, sliced

1D2 teaspoon sea salt

1D2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

12 dried apricots, snipped

25g fresh ginger, sliced thinly then shredded

FOR THE SAUCE

120ml chicken bouillon concentrate or 2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled

4 shakes Worcestershire sauce

450ml dry Marsala

1 head garlic, halved crosswise

200g redcurrant jelly, chopped or mashed

3 tablespoons arrowroot

8 or 12 tiny bunches of fresh table grapes

Bunch of fresh parsley, bay and thyme, and rocket leaves to garnish

Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200°C, 400°F). Remove the giblets from the turkey and push the onion halves inside the cavity, without untying the trussing strings. Remove the fat inside the vent and snip into small pieces. Put the fat strips, bread, herbs, shallots, seasoning, apricots and half the ginger into a food processor. Whizz in 40-second bursts to create a crumbly stuffing. Turn the bird onto its breast. Loosen the trussing strings enough to fill the neck cavity neatly with stuffing. Secure again, and fasten using a wooden cocktail stick, ensuring that the ends are well tucked in. Slide the bird into an extra-large oven-roasting bag, breast first, and set in the roasting pan, breast up. Put the bouillon or crumbled cubes, Worcestershire sauce and Marsala into a measuring jug, and make up to a litre with boiling water.

Add the remaining ginger and stir. Holding the bag ends open, pour in the warm liquid. Seal the bag completely and tie tightly with string. Put the garlic halves, cut sides down, in the pan around the bagged turkey (these will help to prevent the bag from sticking). Pour in about 1cm of boiling water around the outside to create a bain-marie. Cook in the oven for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to Gas Mark 5 (190°C, 375°F) for a further 2-21D2 hours until the bird is golden and the wings look and feel very tender when gently prodded through the bag (this gentler style of cooking takes longer than roasting). Remove the pan from the oven. Pour off the garlicky water. Cut open the bag and discard the bag and string.

Pour the poaching liquid into a heat-proof measuring jug; there should be about 800ml. Return the bird to the oven to continue cooking. Meanwhile, pour the poaching liquid into a large saucepan and hard-boil it down, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until roughly reduced by half. Add the jelly, stir and cook until dissolved. Mix the arrowroot with 8 tablespoons of cold water, stirring until smooth. Whisk this into the Marsala broth and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until a glossy and thick glaze forms. Test the bird is done by piercing one leg joint and holding a spoon underneath; juices should run clear gold, not pink. Pour the glaze all over the bird. Turn off the oven. Leave the bird to rest, with the oven door ajar, for 10 minutes. To serve, set the glazed bird on a heated platter, garnished with small grape bunches, herbs and rocket leaves. Reheat any remaining Marsala glaze and serve as gravy.

Cheat's bread sauce

Forget endless simmering of onions studded with cloves - this is an easy way to make and enjoy bread sauce, and it takes just 5 minutes.

SERVES 8-12

350 g stale white crustless bread

1 teaspoon sea-salt crystals

4 white peppercorns

4 cloves

1D2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1D2 dried bay leaf, crumbled

550 ml creamy milk

10 cm piece white portion of leek, finely sliced, crosswise

20-25 g knob of salted butter

Tear the bread directly into a food processor and process continuously for 45 seconds to create crumbs. Put the salt, pepper, cloves, nutmeg and bay into a mortar and pound to a fine grit. Add to the crumbs. Bring the milk to the boil and add the leeks and butter. Pour into the processor with the machine running, processing for 1 minute. Pour the thickened sauce into a sauce jug or dish and serve hot, warm or cold.

Warm green salad

This refreshing warm green salad looks wonderful and can be served with the main course, or on its own between the main course and cheese or pudding.

SERVES 6-8

100ml seasoned vegetable stock

400-500g trimmed fine green beans

3 medium leeks, in 1 cm slices

2 heads white chicory

10g chives, snipped into batons

FOR THE DRESSING

15ml tarragon vinegar

60ml first, cold-pressed, unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon truffle oil or argan oil

1 teaspoon clear honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a pan and add the beans. Part-cover and cook on a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add leeks, part-cover again and cook for 3 minutes (the beans and leeks should both be bite-tender). Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly, uncovered. Line your serving bowl or plate with the chicory leaves; then, using tongs, drain and add the beans and some of the leeks to the centre. Scatter with chives, then add the remaining leeks. Thoroughly whisk or shake together the vinegar, oils, honey and mustard. Add 4 tablespoons of the hot vegetable cooking liquid, then whisk again. Serve the dressing in a small jug.

Epicurean roast potatoes

Beautifully crunchy-crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, these potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to the festive turkey.

SERVES 6-8

8-10 oval-shaped Wilja or Desirée potatoes, peeled, halved crosswise

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons finely crushed garlic

500ml extra-virgin olive oil

250ml grapeseed oil

Chopped fresh parsley to garnish (optional)

The day before serving, put the potatoes into a saucepan of boiling water. Bring to the boil and cover; reduce heat and parboil for 16 minutes. Drain the potatoes and, when cool, mix the pepper, salt and garlic and rub all three over them. Pile the potatoes into a non-reactive bowl and pour over the oils. Leave to stand overnight. Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5 (190°C, 375°F). Drain a third of the oil from the potatoes into a roasting pan and heat for 30 minutes in the oven. Add the potatoes and cook for 11D4 hours, turning halfway through.

Red cabbage compote

You can prepare this dish some hours or a day ahead, if you like, but don't add the salt until just before serving as it would dull the vibrant colour otherwise.

SERVES 6-8

1 medium red cabbage, halved

2 red onions, halved

2 apples, quartered, cored

4 garlic cloves, crushed

8 juniper berries, crushed

60ml vegetable stock or water

60ml robust red wine

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 orange, halved

75g redcurrant jelly, chopped

1D2 teaspoon sea-salt flakes

Remove the core, shred the cabbage and put it in a heavy-based saucepan. Slice the halved onions and apple quarters thinly and add to the cabbage with the garlic, juniper berries, stock and wine. Drizzle the olive oil over. Squeeze the orange halves into the cabbage, then set them on top, skin sides up. Bring the pan to the boil, then cover and reduce heat. Cook for 15-18 minutes, then discard the orange halves; add the jelly and cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until liquids are syrupy. Stir gently, then season with salt and serve

Celebration dessert

SERVES 8-12

250g golden caster sugar

300ml red wine, such as Shiraz

1 cinnamon stick, halved lengthwise

6-8 small dessert pears, peeled, halved, cored

350g good-quality bitter chocolate

1 mandorlata cake or panettone (1 kg)

250g ricotta cheese

500g good-quality vanilla custard 250 ml white rum

500g strained natural Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

2 sheets edible gold leaf, optional

Combine 175g caster sugar, the wine, cinnamon and 650ml boiling water in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Add the pears and poach for 20-35 minutes, then remove. Boil liquid for 20 minutes until reduced to 400ml, and remove the cinnamon. Pour 200ml of this syrup into another pan. Add 200g chocolate; stir and gently cook to create a sauce, then cool. Cut the cake or panettone into chunks and use some to line the base of the serving dish. Sit the pears on top and drizzle with the wine syrup. Pour the chocolate sauce over. Whisk half the ricotta, half the custard and 4 tablespoons of rum, and spoon over. Add a final layer of cake and remaining rum. Whisk together half the yogurt, remaining ricotta and sugar and the vanilla essence, and pour over. Chop and scatter the rest of the chocolate. Whisk the remaining custard and yogurt, and pour on top. Decorate with gold leaf, if liked.

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Posted byJessica at 3:40 PM