Holiday Recipes...please!

pickle · November 2011

I am hosting our Annual Christmas Open House on the 17th. This is a family tradition and I have been doing it for 20 years. Family and friends including the little ones. Usually 50-60 people.

My main tradition is serving is lobster/seafood chowder, appetizers, sweets etc.

I am looking to find some new recipe for dips, appetizers etc.

If you have a favorite recipe to share I would love to hear it. I want to offer some new things this year but the chowder will always be the mainstay.

Thanks

Beth

J9W · November 2011

Hi Beth, I have a fun one for you.....I call it 'Fruit Salad Surprise'. Use any kind of fruit that you'd normally put in a fruit salad, put in some cilantro, very thinly sliced red onions, honey, and then very, very finely chopped jalapino peppers. I enjoy seeing people get the first bite - they are always suprised to see red onion and even more so to find it's got jalapino's in it. Just don't go overboard on the peppers. It's a great combo of sweet/hot and it looks beautiful too.

pickle · November 2011

Sounds great and I love stuff with a bit of heat and lots of colour

Thanks

Beth

pickle · December 2011

Bump....would love some new ideas/recipes

dlb823 · December 2011

Just saw this thread, Beth, and will try to contribute a recipe/idea when I have a few more minutes. In the meantime, I'm wondering if you'll possibly share your lobster/seafood stew recipe? I had some really memorable ones when we were in RI & MA over the summer, and would love a really good recipe! Deanna

Anonymous · December 2011

I made a really good, easy appetizer for Thanksgiving.

Pesto Palmiers

Ingredients:

Pesto, I sheet of puff pastry, parmesan cheese and I egg

Buy puff pastry in the freezer section of the grocery store (pepperidge farm is the brand I bought).

Let it thaw so you can roll it out. Roll it out on a lightly floursed surface to a 6 X 14 inch rectangle. Spread pesto over the pastry. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over the pesto.

Roll up the pastry from each end of the long sides to meet in the middle. Refridgerate for 10-20 minutes until slightly firm so it is easier to cut. They look like little palmiers.

Brush with beaten egg on all sides. Cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices and place on a greased baking sheet, or one with parchment paper on it. Bake until crisp and golden, approx. 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan cheese while still hot from oven. Serve warm or at room temp.

You can make this ahead and slice it when you are ready. They went FAST so I would make a couple recipes. The pepperidge farm website has a LOT of good recipes with puff pastry.

Ellie1959 · December 2011

I have a favorite - easy and good - probably not too good for you but hey it is the Holidays!

Bleu Cheese Bites

1 stick butter

1 8 oz bleu cheese crumbles

1 tube Hungry Jack flaky biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 - put butter and cheese in baking dish or pie plate - melt together-

Cut up biscuits into 4th's - after cheese mixture is melted drop the biscuits on top and cover all of the cheese mixture - Bake until browned - about 15 minutes.

Even people who don't like bleu cheese like these - Enjoy! Cool

pickle · December 2011

Hi Debbie

Thanks for your reply and I look forward to a recioe.

I make the chowder for 50-60. It was sometning my Grandmother did for Christmas every year and since she passed, I have carried on the tradition.

I'll list the ingrdients but since I don't know how much you make I'll use my quantity and you can adjust

Be sure to reserve any juices from the seafood so you can add it to the pot...lots of flavour

3 lbs haddock fillets chopped to bite size

5 lbs potatoes chopped to bite size

5-6 yellow onions diced

1 lb cooked bacon chopped

Put above ingrediets in pot and add enough water to cover. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are tender. The haddock adds an incredible amount of flavour so you can't substitute it for a different fish.

6-8 11 oz cans of lobster meat cut bite size. I use a minimum of 8 cans

5 lbs shrimp cooked or raw

5 lbs scallops raw

Add scallops shrimp to pot until scallops are opaque. Then add lobster meat and all the juices from the seafood.

Add cream 2-3 litres.(we call it half and half or 16% cream)

Add stick of butter unsalted. I use unsalted because I like to season it myself.

Heat slowly and stir often so the cream doesn't burn

Season with salt and pepper. You can also add seasoning salt but it really doesn't need anything else because the flavor is all in the fish and juices from the fish.

I serve it in small chowder bowls and sliced baguettes on the side.

This recipe requires a very large pot but it is easily adaptable to smaller amounts. May be lots of calories but it is a terrific once a year treat.

Every year people start asking me in September "when is chowder night"

pickle · December 2011

Thanks Ellie and April. They sound delicious and I have never had it before. What is a tube of Hungry Jack bicuits? I don't think we have them in Canada. What would they be comparable to?

Thanks

Beth

Blessings2011 · December 2011

pickle -

Do you ever get on Pinterest? It's basically a bulletin board where people can post their favorites.

You can search "Everything" and get awesome ideas for just about anything, or you can search for "Food and Drink" and see tons of easy, delicious recipes that other people have decided are their favorites.

Here's the "Food and Drink" page:

http://pinterest.com/all/?category=food_drink

dlb823 · December 2011

Beth, I learned to make these holiday cookies when I lived in Greece many years ago. They're always a hit.

Kouramdiedes (Greek Christmas cookies)

2 cups of the best sweet (unsalted) butter you can find (have @ room temp)
Confectioners' sugar
1 egg yolk
1-1/2 Tbs. cognac or brandy
4-1/2 C cake flour, sifted twice*
Whole cloves, optional

Cream the butter in a mixer until thick and almost white. This should take 15-20 mins. Do not shortcut this step. Sift 3/4 c. confectioner's sugar and gradually add to the butter. Add the egg yolk, creaming well. Add the cognac. Gradually work in the flour to make a soft dough that will roll easily in the palms of your hands without sticking. If sticky, refrigerate the dough for an hour. Preheat oven to 350. Roll & shape the dough into balls 1-1/2" diameter. If desired, stud each with a whole clove. Place on ungreased baking sheet (parchment is good, if you want to use it), and bake just until sandy colored (not brown), about 15 mins. Cool and sift over generously with confectioner's sugar. Makes about 4 dozen melt-in-your-mouth cookies. (*You can use regular, all-purpose flour, but the end result won't be quite as light.)

Thanks so much for the chowder recipe! It looks delicious! Deanna

pickle · December 2011

Blessing thanks for the website. I am a total foodie but hadn't heard of this one. I'll be busy tonight reading..lol

Deanna

Thanks for the recipe...sounds yummy.

debbie6122 · December 2011

Pickle- If you like bacon here are a few app to serve that are really good, i have tryed them and got great raves from parties.

Ritz cracker appetizer;

take some ritz crackers and put a piece of cheese any kind you like, i like cheddar or jack, or fresh parmesan cheese put cheese the size of the crackers on top, wrap with a piece of bacon put on a rack set over pan so the grease will drop underneath and the cracker wont be greasy, cook in a 250% oven for 2 1/2 hours, sounds like a long time but it is pretty good.

Chicken wrapped in bacon bites:

Take about 4 large skinless, boneless chicken breast cut in bite size pieces, cut bacon in 1/3rds and wrap around the chiken secure with a tooth pick, make a sauce of 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 to 3 tbls of chili powder mix, and dip the chicken in the sauce, put on rack over sheep pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Figs wrapped in bacon and cream cheese;

Ingredients

18 (1 by 1/4-inch) pieces cream cheese
18 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
18 salted and roasted whole almonds
6 slices bacon cut crosswise into thirds
Special equipment: 18 wooden picks

Direction;

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stuff 1 piece of cheese and 1 almond into each date, then wrap one piece of bacon around each date and secure bacon with a toothpick if desired. Arrange dates, bacon seam down and 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.

Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp. 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel or parchment. Serve immediately.

pickle · December 2011

Debbie. Thank you. Great ideas and anything bacon is usually a hit.

Wabbit · December 2011

I have an easy one that people are usually surprised to find that they like

1 large cream cheese

1 can crushed pineapple (drained)

1 green pepper (diced)

1 small onion (diced)

1 large package pecan chips

Seasoned Salt

Mix together and chill. Preferably overnight. Serve on crackers.

I like the looks of the recipes above and hope you get more. I've been looking for some new ones too.

pickle · December 2011

Thanks WR. I like trying a few new things each year but the last few years I have been in an entertainer's rut. You and everyone else have given me the spark to branch out.

Love all the recipes so please keep them coming

debbie6122 · December 2011

Pickle- Don't know if you have what you need already but here is another one I really like and it is very easy to make

Mini fillo cups with tomatoe and basil

1 cup of tomatoe Finely diced
4 tbL of Finely diced yellow or white onion
2 tbL of finely chopped fresh basil
after dicing all of these put in a colander sprinle with salt, pepper and garlic powder, toss to coat evenly- Let sit in colander to drain about half an hour or so
In seperate bowl:
1 cup of mozzerella cheese (shredded)
1/4 cup of mayonaise

Real hormel bacon bits for topping

Mix the mayo and mozzerella cheese together
put about 1 teaspoon of the tomatoe basil filling in each shell- top with a little of the mozzerella mixture- and sprilke the bacon bits on top - put on sheet pan and bake about 15 minutes at 350% oven- fill just before baking

pickle · December 2011

Debbie. Excellent. Thanks so much.

Holiday Recipes...please!

Comments

Ingredients

Direction;

Categories