Picture courtesy of “Southern Living Mag”Skip the ubiquitous metal tree stand, and give your tree a unique base by anchoring it in a large container. Adjust the vessel to your style: fancy urns for an elegant look and rustic baskets for a casual one.
Merry Christmas!
It is the Holiday Season again one of my favourite times of the year. Not only because my birthday falls on Christmas Day but because I just enjoy this time of the year. Feel free to browse through the recipes offered. Most of these recipes came from “Southern Living Mag and Southern Accent Mag” You can go to the website directly and browse through other recipes they offer.
I came from a family that love to gather together at Christmas Time. When we cook in the Caribbean we cooked for an army, too funny, oh, my, gosh! I remember my Grandmother who was a great cook, she would have 10-15 people over cooking in the kitchen the night before Christmas, gosh, I am crying as I write this. I miss her so much. She was a very kind and giving and loving person she never cooked just for the family she always cook and give to everyone she knew. I have never met anyone as kind and loving as she is. I can’t help writing or talking about her without crying. Anyway, Christmas with her was always fun, and she never worry about whether she had money or not, she just made do with what she had. So, enjoy your Christmas Holidays, as long as you have great company and good friends you’ll be okay.
Holiday Appetizers and Treats!
Choose appetizers for the party that will look and taste good as 
the evening progresses, get Recipe: Brie Tartlets With Grape Relish.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 (15-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts
1/2 (8-oz.) Brie round, rind removed - 3/4 cup seedless red grapes, chopped
- 1 green onion, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar $ 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs
Preparation
- 1. Place walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Increase oven temperature to 425°.
- 2. Unroll piecrust on a flat surface. Cut into 24 rounds using a 2-inch round cutter. Press rounds into bottoms of ungreased miniature muffin cups (dough will come slightly up sides, forming a cup). Prick bottom of dough with a fork.
- 3. Bake at 425° for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, and cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
- 4. Meanwhile, cut Brie round into 24 pieces. Stir together grapes and next 4 ingredients.
- 5. Arrange pastry shells on a baking sheet. Place 1 Brie piece in each pastry cup; sprinkle Brie pieces evenly with toasted walnuts.
- 6. Bake at 300° for 4 to 6 minutes or just until cheese begins to melt. Top tarts evenly with grape mixture. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.
Sheri Castle, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Southern Living
NOVEMBER 2007
Muffuletta Dip with Fresh Parsley
Parmesan cheese helps hold ingredients together. You can serve this versatile recipe on French bread crostini or with crackers over a block of cream cheese. Try tossing leftovers in a Caesar salad.
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Recipe: Muffuletta Dip
Yield: Makes about 4 cups
Total: 1 Hour, 10 Minutes
Ingredients
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1 cup Italian olive salad, drained
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1 cup diced salami (about 4 oz.)
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1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
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1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini salad peppers
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1 (2 1/4-oz.) can sliced black olives, drained
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4 ounces provolone cheese, diced
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1 celery rib, finely chopped
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1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
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1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
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Serve with: French bread crostini
Preparation
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Stir together first 9 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours before serving. Stir in parsley just before serving. Serve with French bread crostini. Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 5 days.
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Note: We tested with Boscoli Italian Olive Salad.
Recipe inspired by Kelli Tuttle, Drummond, Wisconsin, Southern Living
JANUARY 2011
Chocolate-Red Velvet Layer Cake
This moist and chocolate red velvet cake is filled with layer upon layer of sweet cream cheese frosting.
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Recipe: Chocolate Red Velvet Cake
I Love Pomegranate and usually I just eat it as is but here is a great recipe for a cocktail, enjoy!
Sparkling Pomegranate Punch
This bubbly, sweet-tart cocktail combines sparkling wine, dessert wine and deep red pomegranate juice.
Go to Sparkling Pomegranate Punch recipe
Recipe: Sparkling Pomegranate Punch
FAST!
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3 tablespoons sugar
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1 cup pomegranate juice
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Two 750-milliliter bottles sparkling wine, chilled
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3/4 cup late-harvest white wine, such as late-harvest Riesling, chilled
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2 oranges, thinly sliced crosswise
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1 cup diced fresh pineapple (1/2 inch)
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1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
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Ice cubes, for serving
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In a punch bowl, dissolve the sugar in the pomegranate juice, stirring vigorously. Add the sparkling wine and late-harvest white wine, then add the orange slices, diced pineapple and pomegranate seeds. Serve the sparkling pomegranate punch over ice cubes.
This Local Winery is the only place I love to purchase wine from during the Holidays. Not everyone goes for Apple Wine, but I do love their wines but for me on a personal level I love supporting the local Small Business people that work so hard but don’t get the recognition they deserve for the products they create.
http://www.archibaldswinery.com/
6275 Liberty Street North
Bowmanville, ON L1C 3K6
Wine to your door!
And – "Free Shipping" within Ontario when you order 12 bottles of wine!
You can purchase Archibalds Wines from the comfort of your home. Just call us with:
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Your choice of wine & quantity
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Shipping information
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Method of payment – Credit card
My Favourites:
Ida Red Oak Aged—This wine goes well with most dishes. Apple Raspberry—This wine goes well with Roasted Chicken or Ham Apple Black Currant Apple Strawberry (905) 263-2396
“Favourite Thing to Make during the Holidays”
Okay, this section was taken from my 2010 blog post for last Christmas just to save time posting this Christmas feature. However, I do love making the Gingerbread house for my kids and this year will be no exception I will make this for them. I just love the look on their faces when I make it and they get to decorate it themselves. I can’t help smiling to myself, yes, Gingerbread houses do that to you. Anyway, don’t panic, it’s easy to make, very easy. Just get yourself organized and you’ll be fine. I am a professional Baker but any novice can bake this quite easily. I promise—Enjoy baking!
What I like to do every year with the kids is make them a Gingerbread House and let them do the decorating themselves. This year is no exception, I will make the base of the Gingerbread house for them and then let them decorate it. This creates a lot of fun and excitement for them because they get to decorate the Gingerbread house however they choose to do it, and it gives me extra time to do other things.
Below you will find the Gingerbread house I made for my kids last year. After watching a television cooking show based in the UK. I realized this recipe was a keeper. The Gingerbread dough is so easy to make and so easy to handle, even if you are just a novice baker you will love this recipe. It uses quite a bit of ginger but it’s worth it. You can prepare the dough ahead put in the refrigerator and get on with something else until it’s ready. Don’t panic once you make the dough and it comes off the stove you will be saying this is too soft I can’t work with it. You will be at first, but once you put it in the refrigerator– don’t forget though you will have some flour on hand to sprinkle on it while you roll out the dough. * Note the cooking time on the recipe says 40 mins. but it doesn’t take so long it should only take you about 15-20 mins. each batch depending on how many Gingerbread houses you plan on making.
Making Gingerbread houses are great fun for the kids and they are not expensive to make quite the opposite. Another Idea would be if you are the kind of person who have many grandchildren, nieces, or nephews you can make the Gingerbread houses but do not decorate them just wrap them as gifts once they are set. Then give them to the children as gifts for them to decorate.
Here is a recent comment posted on the site about this Gingerbread House: Posted 05 Nov 2010 3:51 PM
“I have made this gingerbread house for the last 3 years for my children’s school fayre. I donate it for the raffle prize and it always gets lots of attention and comments after it has been eaten! really nice soft chewy gingerbread. Very easy to make.”
Here is the link below for the Gingerbread Recipe Enjoy making it and have lots of fun!!
Recipe Link: http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/610040
Template Link: http://uktv.co.uk/download/uktvfood_gingerbread_template.pdf
