Happy Thursday friends! The official countdown to Christmas has begun! With a little less than a week till Christmas, I wanted to put together a menu guide. Whether you are hosting Christmas, going to a Christmas party or need something to bring over for Christmas Day, I have you covered! In this guide, I included everything from drinks, appetizers, sides and desserts. I hope this guide is helpful and gives you some inspiration in the kitchen. Enjoy the rest of the week!
Cranberry Orange Aperol Spritz
Serves: 1
Ingredients
2 ounces Aperol Liquor
1/4 cup frozen cranberries (you can use fresh cranberries)
1-2 orange wedges
1 small bottle of Prosecco or champagne
1 ounce sparkling water
Directions
Fill a large wine glass with ice. Add the cranberries and orange wedges. Next, add the Prosecco or champagne, whichever one you would like to use. Lastly, add sparkling water and stir well. Feel free to add an extra orange wedge and cranberries for garnish.
Cranberry Orange & Onion Whipped Ricotta Dip
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 container ricotta cheese
Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Cranberry Orange and Onion
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Directions
In a food processor, add ricotta, extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Process until mixture is velvety smooth. In a shallow bowl, add ricotta mixture. Spoon a dollop of Crunchy Chili Cranberry Orange and onion in the middle over the ricotta. Spoon a little of the cranberry orange oil in a circle over the ricotta. Garnish with parsley and serve with crostini or crackers.
Winter Apple Walnut Salad with an Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1/2 container arugula
1/2 shallot, thinly sliced
1 apple, cut into cubes ( I used a gala apple)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Salad dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons apple cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Directions
In a small mixing bowl or mason jar add in all the ingredients for the salad dressing. Whisk or shake all the ingredients together. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Set dressing aside. In a large salad bowl, add arugula, shallots, blue cheese, walnuts and apples. Pour dressing over salad and toss until salad is coated in dressing.
Sautéed String Beans with Shallots, Mushrooms and Bacon
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
1 bag string beans, washed and trim stems
1 shallot, sliced
1 container cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced
5-6 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
Oil
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning (I used Vik’s Garlic Fix Spice Blend from The Spice & Tea Exchange)
Directions
In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add oil. Let the pan heat up a little and then add shallots. Stir until fragrant or firm about 1-2 minutes. Add in string beans and mushrooms and continue to stir. Add thyme and all-purpose seasoning to mixture. After the veggies are coated in seasoning, add in cooked bacon and stir. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Take pan off heat and serve in a bowl.
Festive Bark
Serves: 12
Ingredients
2 bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup oreos, crushed
1 cup pretzels, coarsely chopped or broken into small pieces
1 cup mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 cup M& M’s
1/2 cup decorative sprinkles (add more if needed)
Directions
Measure out all ingredients. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scatter Oreos, pretzels, mini peanut butter cups and M&M’s. The ingredients should be touching, but not overlapping; set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl add chocolate chips and melt on high power for 30 seconds. Stop to check and stir. Reheat in 15 second intervals until chocolate is completely smooth. Evenly drizzle chocolate over ingredients on baking sheet. Before chocolate sets, evenly sprinkle with decorative sprinkles. If you have any extra dry ingredients you can use the rest of those as well. Place tray in freezer for about 30-45 minutes. If bark is too soft leave it in the freezer for an additional 10-15 minutes. Cut bark into pieces and enjoy! Keep bark in cool place or refrigerator. * Note: when you are ready to serve bark take it out 15-20 minutes prior to serving.
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Serves: 12
Ingredients
1 pie crust, store made or homemade
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups semi- sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a pie plate.
Using and electric mixer, beat the eggs in a medium bowl until foamy, about three minutes. Add the flour, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla, beat until combined. Add the butter and continue beating until combined, but it will not be smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Press your pie crust into the prepared pie plate. Drizzle half of the sweetened condensed milk over the bottom of the crust. Spoon in half the filling. Drizzle the remaining sweet milk over the filling. Spoon in the rest of the filling. Transfer to the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Mare’s Favorite Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Serves: 20
Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups All-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs and 1 egg yolk, 1 at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. Roll the dough into 1/4 cup size balls. Place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake another 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Store in an air tight container.
Photo credit: Kristi Hill
In the Kitchen with Mare 