Drinks
For the Holiday Food Lover and Lush in You
December 24, 2006December is the time for giving as the holidays are quickly approaching. Women are rushing to get their shopping done and prepare for the second most important aspect of the holidays, entertaining. Having guests over is hardly easy for the thousands of women who are expecting guests during the holidays. Running out of ideas? Here are a few ideas for snacking and of course drinking.
Drinks
1 shot citrus vodka
1 shot white cranberry juice
1 shot passion fruit juice
1/2 shot orange liqueur
1 tablespoon cherry juice
Orange peel twist, for garnish
Combine all ingredients except orange peel twist in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into martini glass. Garnish with orange peel twist.
Rose Sangria
1 bottle rose wine
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup triple sec
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup simple syrup, or more to taste
Orange slices, lemon slices, lime slices, apple slices and blackberries
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. If you do not serve immediately, strain the fruit and add fresh when serving.
3 cups mango juice
3 cups passion fruit juice
2 cups apricot juice
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1 bottle Champagne or sparkling white wine
2 ounces melon liqueur
2 ounces creme de banane
2 ounces apricot brandy
Fresh fruit, for garnish
Special equipment: large punch bowl, ladle
Combine all the liquid ingredients in a large punch bowl, add ice and garnish with fresh
fruit.
Smoothies
1 large ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1 cup washed strawberries, stems, and hulls removed
½ cup raspberries or peeled and sliced kiwis (about 2 kiwis)
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
Instructions- Place all of the ingredients in the blender and process on high speed until smooth about 30-45 seconds.
Pour into glasses and serve
Key Lime Martini
3 tablespoons Liquor 43
1 tablespoon lemon-flavored vodka
2 tablespoons Key lime juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine Liquor 43, vodka, Key lime juice and cream. Cover, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Finger Foods
1 package store bought sugar cookie dough
1 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 cups assorted nuts, toasted and chopped (try hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the cookie dough out on a cookie sheet to 1/4-inch thickness (about 9 inches by 12 inches) using your fingertips. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool.
Spread the marmalade over the cookie. Sprinkle with nuts.
In a double boiler over very lightly simmering water, melt the chocolate. Dip a spoon in the melted chocolate and drizzle on top of the cookie. Let cool. Cut the cookie into 12 bars or squares. Serve or store in an airtight container.
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Mix spices and reserve.
Heat the nuts in a dry skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. Add the butter and cook, stirring, until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. Add the spices, the sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.
Remove the nuts from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
Pigs in a Blanket
1 1/2 pounds chorizo, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound puff pastry, thawed and cut into 2 by 4-inch rectangles
Cornichons
Creole mustard
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap each piece of chorizo in a piece of the puff pastry, and press the seam to seal. Place, seam-side down, on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook until the puff pastry is golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with cornichons and Creole mustard.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
2 pounds Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the bottoms off the Brussels sprouts and trim off any damaged outer leaves. Soak them in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes and drain them well. Cut them in half and put them into a roasting pan. Add the thyme, oregano, pine nuts, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the olive oil and vinegar and toss everything well to coat. Put the roasting pan into the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Give everything a good stir and cook for 25 minutes more, or until the Brussels sprouts are nicely browned and caramelized. Serve immediately.
Frozen Yogurt:
2 cups plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups simple syrup (see Cook’s Note)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean, split
Strawberry salad:
1 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar
16 large strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 (2-inch) piece honeycomb, optional
Equipment: 1-quart paper milk container, thoroughly cleaned with the top cut off; 4 (6-inch) ovenproof, shallow appetizer plates
Make the Frozen Yogurt: In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, simple syrup, and vanilla. Chill 30 minutes; then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Cram the frozen yogurt into the milk container, packing it well to get rid of all the air pockets. Freeze for at least 6 hours.
Make the Strawberry Salad: puree the raspberries and sugar in a blender. Strain out the seeds and taste the puree for sweetness, adding more sugar if necessary. Divide the puree on among the plates, spreading evenly to coat the bottom of each plate. Using 4 berries per plate, carefully fan them on top of each plate, starting at the edge and spiraling in to the center. (It can be made up to this point up to 8 hours in advance. Just tightly cover each plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake the strawberries until just warm, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, microwave them for 1 minute.
Take the frozen yogurt out of the freezer and lay it on its side. With a serrated knife, leaving the frozen yogurt in its container, cut a 1 1/2-inch think slice off the end. Remove the container band around the slice. Cut the slice on the diagonal into 4 triangles. Place a triangle of frozen yogurt in the center of each plate (it will start to melt immediately). Cut the honeycomb, if using, into 4 pieces and place on top of the frozen yogurt. Serve immediately.
Cook’s Note: If you have simple syrup on hand, this is such a fast dessert. To make the simple syrup, bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil; then let it cool before using.
**Most recipes courtesy of Food Network website. They have a great search engine and awesome ideas for any kind of recipe you are looking for.
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