Christmas foods.?!
Answers: Can anyone give me a idea of what to have for a Christmas get together ? I really don't want turkey, ham nor all the other fixings that go along with these. I was thinking of a little of something here and there. Any ideas ? I am expecting around 15 people.
Mango Salsa
2 cups
Ingredients
1 mango, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 Scotch bonnet or hot green chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
1. In medium bowl stir together mango, sweet pepper, green onions, chile pepper, oil, lime peel, lime juice, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Store in refrigerator up to 24 hours. Makes 2 cups.
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Mango Salsa
about 2 cups
Prep: 20 minutes
Chill: 2 hours
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups chopped, peeled mango, papaya, peaches, plums, and/or pineapple
1/2 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (2)
1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tablespoons lime juice or lemon juice
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped, or 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Anaheim pepper
Directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together fruit, sweet pepper, green onions, cilantro or parsley, lime juice or lemon juice, and jalapeno, serrano, or Anaheim pepper. Cover; chill at least 2 hours before serving.
2. Serve as a dip for chips or fresh vegetables or as a condiment for tacos, quesadillas, burgers, steaks, chicken, or fish. Makes about 2 cups.
Make-Ahead Tip: Spoon the salsa into a storage container. Cover and chill for up to 2 days.
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Papaya Salsa
Ingredients
1/2 of a small papaya, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 small nectarine, pitted and chopped
1 hot red or jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon snipped cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
In a bowl stir together the papaya, nectarine, hot red or jalapeno pepper, cilantro or parsley, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1 teaspoon honey. Cover and chill thoroughly.
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Chunky Guacamole
Prep: 20 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 of a small red onion, finely chopped
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and coarsely mashed
Tortilla chips
Directions
1. In a bowl combine tomatoes, red onion, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Gently stir in avacados. Cover the surface with plastic wrap. Chill for up to 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.
2. Makes 2 cups (sixteen 2-tablespoon servings
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Sweet and Sassy Meatballs
64 meatballs
Start to Finish: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 16-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
1 18-ounce bottle barbecue sauce
2 1-pound packages frozen cooked meatballs, thawed (32 per pound)
Directions
1. For sauce, in a large skillet stir together cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce. Cook over medium heat until cranberry sauce is melted, stirring occasionally.
2. Add meatballs to sauce. Cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately or keep meatballs warm in a slow cooker on low setting to serve. Makes 16 servings.
3. Make-ahead directions: Prepare as directed in Step 1. Stir in frozen or thawed meatballs. Place in an airtight container. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. To serve, heat meatballs and sauce in a large skillet over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
4. Chipotle-Sauced Meatballs: Prepare as above, except substitute one 12-ounce bottle chili sauce for the barbecue sauce and stir in 3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
5. Hawaiian-Sauced Meatballs: Prepare sauce as above, except substitute one 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained, for the cranberry sauce.
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Spritz are a butter sugar cookie usually made using a cookie press to get many different shapes.
Spritz Blossoms
about 7 dozen cookies
Prep: 40 minutes
Bake: 7 minutes/batch
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 recipe Powdered Sugar Icing
Coarse sugar; silver dragees
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. In large bowl beat butter on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder; beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg, vanilla, and extract until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can; stir in remaining flour.
2. Push dough through cookie press onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7 to
9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
3. Brush with Powdered Sugar Icing; sprinkle with sugar. Place a dragee in center. Dry 30 minutes on waxed paper. Makes 80.
4. Store in airtight container in single layer at room temperature up to 3 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
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Molasses Ginger Cookies
Prep: 30 minutes
Chill: 3 hours
Bake: 9 minutes per batch
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 egg
1/2 cup coarse raw sugar or granulated sugar
Directions
1. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the 3?4 cup granulated sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in molasses and egg until combined. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or until easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the 1?2 cup raw sugar. Place balls on parchment-lined cookie sheet or on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are firm and tops are puffed; do not overbake. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks. Cool. Makes 4 dozen cookies.
Test Kitchen Tip: To store, arrange in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Tender Sugar Cookies
about 60 Prep: 40 min.
Chill: 30 min.
Bake: 15 min. per batch
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes or until dough is easy to handle.
2. Preheat oven to 300F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated about 15 minutes or until tops are slightly crackled and sides are set (do not let edges brown). Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. Makes about 60 cookies.
3. Tip: For a colorful platter of cookies, roll the dough balls in different colored sugars instead of the white granulated sugar.
4. To store: Place cookies in layers separated by pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies, if frozen, before serving.
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COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIES DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
? tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
? cup Butter – softened
1 2/3 cup Sugar
2 Eggs – large or bigger (I prefer to use Jumbo)
1 ? tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 ? cup Quick Oats
1 cup Flaked Coconut
16 oz Milk Chocolate - Melted (I prefer Droste a Milk Chocolate candy bar from Holland)
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (and I know how you gals like 'fluffy'). Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in flour mixture, vanilla and oats. Add coconut. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Cool on a wire rack. One cool dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate and let harden. Makes about 60 cookies. Cookies will spread when baking.
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Irish Crème Fudge
I also use other liqueurs in place of the Irish Creme such as Kahlua, bandy, Kirsch, spiced/flavored rum and the new flavors of Kahlua mixing and matching nuts, coconut and dried fruits to match the liqueurs.
3 sticks of butter (3/4 pound)
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 7-ounce jar Kraft marshmallow crème
12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bottle (airline size or nip) or 1 shot Irish Crème
2 cups walnuts or pecans - optional
2 8-inch square pans sprayed with non-stick spray
In a heavy 3 quart sauce pan - I prefer an enameled cast iron -melt butter, sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to a low boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and mix in marshmallow crème. Once that is incorporated, mix in the chocolate chips until mixture is an even chocolate color then add the Irish crème and nuts, mixing thoroughly.
Pour mixture into pans and cool thoroughly before cutting into squares and serving.
For Christmas dinner, we make
Lasagna
Green Salad
Rolls
Prime Rib
Baked potatoes
Fudge for desert
So this is not a Christmas dinner, just a get together? How about a large platter of ice cold prawns? You can make finger foods such as little sandwiches, small pieces of melba toast with cream cheese and lox, or pillsbury cresent rolls that have been patted into a pizza like circle, baked and spread with veggie cream cheese and then sprinkled with small diced veggies -- or spread with fruit cream cheese and topped with fresh fruit bits.
Do spiced nuts! People will munch on them all night. Take your favorite kind of nuts or a mix and toss with some melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Do another batch with butter and some chili or curry powder.
You could also ask your guests to each bring an appetizer.
Sort of a pot luck of munchies.
cookies and little quiches bacon wrapped shrimp ribs chicken wings
