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CHRISTMAS APPETIZERS
Christmas Mice & Cheese &
Crackers
(If you decide to prepare the
mice & cheese, cover the cheese ball tightly if storing in the
fridge or the mice will eat it.)
1 jar Maraschino cherries with stems
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate
1 bag almond slivers (small bag will do)
1 bag Hersey's kisses
1 tube white icing (gel)
1 tube red icing (gel)
Melt chocolate as according to directions on the package. Dip
one cherry 3/4 the way up the stem. Dip the back (flat) side of
Hershey kiss in chocolate and attach it to the cherry (kiss in front
and stem in back) Break one almond sliver in half. Try and
find pieces that are similar in size. Dip the tip of each broken end
in chocolate and attach to the top of the Hersey's kiss (for
the ears.) Using the white icing make two little dots for eyes and,
one for the nose. Put a dot of red icing in the center of the eyes,
this will make them look real. Let mice harden before moving to a
plate. You can use the below Christmas cheese ball recipe as
well!
Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe
(print
this recipe)
A family holiday favorite. We love this recipe, and could eat it more often, but save it for the holiday season and for neighborhood gifts to keep it a special holiday tradition. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 ounces Velveeta cheese
8 ounces Philadelphia Cream cheese
4 ounces port wine cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 box cracklin' oat bran cereal
1. Soften cheeses.
2. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly by using hands and squeezing through fingers (fun!).
3. Form into three (3) equal balls or logs.
4. Crush approximately 2 cups of Cracklin' Oat Bran cereal by placing in large plastic ziploc bag, close, and use a rolling pin to crush to desired texture.
5. In a large bowl, gently roll balls or logs in Craklin’ Oat Bran cereal.
6. Chill and serve with pretzels and crackers.
Honey You Shouldn’t Have Devilled Eggs
Ingredients:
12 hard-cooked eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons honey mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions:
Hard boil, shell and rinse your eggs. Slice eggs in half. Carefully remove the yolks and place in a large mixing bowl. Place egg whites on a platter. Cook 4 bacon strips to very crisp. Drain, allow to cool and crumble. Mash egg yolks with a fork. Blend in mayonnaise, crumbled bacon, cheese, honey mustard and pepper. Place a spoon full of yolk mixture into each egg white. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle paprika on top of eggs before serving
Carrot and Pineapple Jello
Salad
(print
this recipe)
1 1/2 c. cold orange juice, divided
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. boiling orange juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 c. cubed baby carrots
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained
Pour 1/2 c. cold orange juice in a blender. Sprinkle both envelopes of gelatin over the juice. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the boiling orange juice. Blend at low speed until gelatin is dissolved, using a spatula to scrape sides and mix in all gelatin. Add remaining cold orange juice, salt, and mayonnaise; blend well. Add carrots and pulse a few seconds until carrots are finely grated. Stir in about 3/4 of the can of undrained pineapple.
Lightly spray a jello mold with nonstick cooking spray, and pour mixture into mold. Chill until firm. This usually takes about 2-3 hours. To unmold, fill a sink with hot tap water, using enough to come up the sides of the mold without going over the top. Hold the mold in the water for 5 seconds, take out, place plate over the top, and invert. Don't hold any longer or you will melt the jello (a little will melt anyway). Keep leftovers refrigerated.
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| Here is a delicious jello salad recipe that complements the ham wonderfully. Add a dollop of sour cream or mayonnaise to the individual servings, if desired. |
Easy Christmas Dinner Salad
(print
this recipe)
1 bunch broccoli
1 head cauliflower
8 oz. sharp shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. bacon, cooked and diced
salt & pepper to taste
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
In a large bowl, blend together the broccoli, cauliflower, cheese, and bacon, making sure the broccoli and cauliflower are in bite-size pieces. Salt and pepper to taste. Blend the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. With a large mixing spoon, add the dressing ingredients to the veggie mixture, and mix until all is well-blended.
Serve immediately or leave in the refrigerator until dinner.
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Easy Christmas Salad |
Mulled Cider (print
this recipe)
apple cider
For every quart of cider you use, use the following spices:
2 cinnamon sticks
6-8 whole cloves
6-8 whole allspice
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
rum, if desired
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except the rum and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer for several hours.
If desired, strain through a cheesecloth before serving. Add desired amount of rum to individual servings if children will be drinking the cider. Serve hot.
This is a delicious recipe, and makes your home smell wonderful, too! In our home, we always make a gallon of this, and sip on it all afternoon!
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Party Eggnog recipe |
Christmas Party Eggnog
12 egg yolks*
1/2 lb. sugar
1 qt. whole milk
1 fifth rum of choice
1 qt. heavy cream, whipped stiff
sprinkling of cinnamon
8 whole cloves
ground nutmeg
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until light in color. Add the sugar and beat until well blended. Blend in the milk and rum. Add the sprinkling of cinnamon and the cloves. Cover, and place in the refrigerator and chill for about 2 hours.
Remove from refrigerator, remove the cloves, and fold in whipped cream. Use a whisk to blend, trying to be sure not to overblend. Chill again for at least another hour.
Before serving, whisk quickly to incorporate, and place in a large punch bowl or other decorative bowl. Sprinkle with nutmeg.
Serves 15-20.
*This is an old recipe, before everyone was concerned about consuming raw eggs. If this is a concern to you, use pasteurized eggs, and you should be fine with this recipe.
CHRISTMAS DESSERT & BREAD
Santa's Christmas Pumpkin Cake
(print
this recipe)
Cake:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 16 oz. can 100% pumpkin
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
Frosting:
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
Topping:
1 cup finely diced walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together eggs, sugar,
oil, vanilla and pumpkin till light and fluffy. Stir together flour,
baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add to pumpkin
mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread batter in an ungreased 9 x 13
cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
To prepare frosting, thoroughly blend cream cheese and butter, stir
in vanilla, add sugar a little at a time, and beat well until
smooth. Sprinkle top with 1 cup of finely diced walnuts.
Christmas Reindeer Bread
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup 100% pumpkin
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at a time mix well after each addition. In a separate bowl blend together flour, baking soda, salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and the ginger. Slowly stir 1/3 of the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Then stir 1/3 of the pumpkin into the sugar mixture. Next stir in 1/3 of the flour and then the rest of the pumpkin. Finally stir in the last of the flour mixture. Gently fold in chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of pecans. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour mixture into loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining pecans. Bake for one hour until a knife inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cool completely. For the icing stir together the confectioners' sugar and heavy cream. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until smooth. Drizzle icing over bread loaf when completely cooled.
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Christmas Dinner is so much fun to prepare. Let us help you
with Christmas Recipes and Christmas Dinner Ideas this holiday
season.
This year we have created a menu complete with recipes and
shopping list to
help you with your holiday meal planning! Enjoy! Melissa & Sue
CHRISTMAS DINNER MAIN DISH RECIPES
Jolly Ole St Nick Christmas Ham
Ingredients:
1 (5 pound) fully-cooked, bone-in ham
(3/4 - 1 lb. of meat per person of ham with bone.)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup of orange juice
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend together apricot preserves and Dijon mustard in a mixing bowl. Score the ham with shallow criss cross cuts. Spread preserves mixture over the whole ham. Gently pat brown sugar over the top of the preserve mixture. Mix water and orange juice together in a bowl. In a large roasting pan pour orange juice and water in bottom. Place the ham on a roasting rack in roasting pan. Bake approximately 1 1/2 hours or until ham is heated thoroughly. You may need to add a 1/2 to 1 cup of the orange juice/water to the pan as your ham cooks and the liquid evaporates.
Santa’s Elves Potato Delight
Ingredients:
8 red potatoes, sliced (not small red)
2 large sweet onions, sliced
1/2 cup butter, sliced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a large bowl mix sliced potatoes, sliced onions, butter and garlic salt together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Grease a large casserole dish. Place potato mixture in casserole. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven, uncovered and continue baking until cheese has melted and potatoes are fork tender, approximately 10 minutes.
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These
Christmas potatoes are so easy to make and unbelievably
delicious!
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Broccoli Casserole
2- 10 oz. pkgs. frozen chopped broccoli
1 stick butter
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 Tbsp. flour
2 c. milk
2/3 c. water
6 Tbsp. butter
14 oz. bag Pepperidge Farm herbed stuffing mix (cubed)
2/3 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the broccoli and drain. In a medium saucepan over medium heat,
melt the stick of butter. Crumble the chicken bouillon cubes and
stir in the butter. Mix well, and remove from heat. Add the flour.
Blend. Put back on the heat and whisk until paste-like. Remove from
heat. Add the milk, a little at a time. Cook until thickened.
Spray a 2 qt. casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread the broccoli evenly on the bottom. Pour the sauce over the
broccoli.
Boil the water, and add the 6 Tbsp. butter, melting. Remove from
heat. In a large bowl, place about 1/2 bag of the seasoned croutons.
Pour the water with the melted butter over the croutons, and toss
with the walnuts until water is evenly distributed over the
croutons. Top the broccoli with the crouton mix.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Can be made ahead of time
and reheated.
Put a Christmas Bow On It Corn Bake
Ingredients:
1 box corn muffin mix
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour muffin mix into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and milk. Blend until muffin mix is just moistened. Add butter, salt and pepper and mix well. Fold in both cans of corn. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour corn mixture into casserole. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean when inserted in the center of casserole. Christmas Dinner Only Green Bean Casserole (print
this recipe)
Ingredients:
1 10 (ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
3 (ounces) Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 tablespoon real bacon bits
1 (4 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
1 (2.8 ounce) can French-fried onions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Instructions:
Heat the undiluted cream of mushroom soup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the processed cheese and bacon, and continue stirring until completely melted. Remove from the heat, stir in the mushrooms, then the green beans until evenly coated. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish, and top with the fried
onions.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and bubbly. "Why I Show up for Christmas Dinner"
Lima Beans (print
this recipe)
2 pkgs. frozen Fordhook lima beans (10 ounces each)
8 slices raw bacon, diced
1 small chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1-½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ teaspoon pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook lima beans in 1-½ cups boiling salted water for 15 minutes; drain, reserving ½ cup of cooking liquid. In a large nonstick skillet, fry diced bacon
until about half cooked. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels to drain; discard all but 3 tablespoons of fat. Cook onion and celery in bacon fat until softened. In a large bowl, toss together lima beans, onion, celery, cheese, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and reserved cooking liquid. Turn into a lightly greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle top with the bacon. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes, or until top is browned. Remove and serve immediately.
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Christmas Lima Beans |
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