"With each gathering this Christmas make sure there is gifts, laughter and most importantly FOOD!" JennLo 1stClassLadies
Ingredients:
-Strawberries
-Thickened Cream
-Chocolate
Method:
1. Cut the top off the strawberries (this is Santa’s hat)
2. Place whipped cream on top of the strawberries & place strawberry hat on top
3. Add tiny dot of whipped cream with a skewer on the strawberry base as buttons
4. Dab two melted chocolate dollops with a skewer or alternatively use mini choc drops.
Ginger Bread Man
Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon of ginger1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:1.In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
2.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.
COOK 10 mins
READY IN 30 mins
Snowball
Ingredients
3 ounces 1921 Tequila Cream Liqueur
3 drops of vanilla
crushed ice1 ounce of evaporated skim milk
1/2 ounce Kahlua
cinnamon powder
cinnamon stick
Directions:
Pour all the ingredients – except for the cinnamon powder – into a blender. Blend for about ten seconds. Pour it into a wine glass or brandy snifter. Sprinkle cinnamon powder on top and stick the cinnamon stick down in the glass for garnish.
Cranberry Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
Thin strips of zest from 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, crushed
Pinch of coarse salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups seltzer
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cranberries into a large, high-sided skillet; set aside. Bring syrup, wine, brown sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, lemon zest, peppercorns, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, whisking occasionally,
2. Pour over cranberries. Cover tightly with foil, and bake until cranberries are soft but have not burst, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a bowl; cover with 1 cup cooking liquid. Let cool completely.
3, Bring 1/2 cup cooking liquid and the granulated sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, whisking until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to low; simmer until liquid has reduced and barely coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a medium bowl; let cool completely. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 3 days.
4. Reserve 40 cranberries. Puree remaining cranberries and liquid in a blender.
5.To serve, place 10 reserved cranberries on each of 4 decorative skewers. Pour 1/4 cup puree and 1/4 cup syrup into each of four 12-ounce glasses; stir to combine. Add skewers, and fill glasses with ice. Top with seltzer, and serve.
Shrimp-Stuffed Calamari with Polenta
Ingredients
For the Calamari:
18 4-inch calamari (about 2 pounds), cleaned, tentacles separated (ask your fishmonger to do this)
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Sauce:
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 or 3 stalks fresh basil, plus chopped leaves for garnish
For the Polenta:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oilKosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup yellow polenta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Directions:
Prepare the calamari: Rinse the bodies and set aside. Dice the tentacles and the shrimp into 1/4-to-1/2-inch pieces. Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the diced calamari tentacles and shrimp, the breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, basil, lemon zestand juice, anchovies and garlic. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and mix until combined.
Using your fingers, stuff each calamari body about two-thirds full with the shrimp-breadcrumb mixture and close with a toothpick. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Sear the calamari in batches until browned and opaque on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes, and transfer to a plate.
Make the sauce: Lower the heat, add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, then add the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the pot. Boil until the wine is almost evaporated, then crush the tomatoes into the pot with your hands and add the juices. Add 1 cup water, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the basil stalks. Arrange the calamari in a single layer in the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the calamari are tender, about 40 minutes. Uncover and cook until the sauce thickens, 10 to 15 more minutes.
Meanwhile, make the polenta: Place 4 1/2 cups cold water in a separate pot over low heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the bay leaf. Whisk in the polenta in a slow, steady stream, then increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat and cook at a bare simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese.
Divide the polenta among shallow bowls. Discard the toothpicks and place the calamari on top of the polenta. Remove the basil stalks and spoon the sauce over the dish. Garnish with the chopped basil and more parmesan.
Total Time: 1 hr 45 min
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 hr 15 min
Yield: 4 servings *All recipes 1stclassLadies use are courtesy of Marthastewart.com, allrecipes.com, and foodnetwork.com*
