Day 11: Christmas Brunch Menu Ideas

Day 11 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration continues with a some menu ideas for Christmas brunch.

Menu
Spiral Cut Ham
Vegetable Strata
Fruit Salad
Assorted Muffins or Crumb Cake
Tangerine or Pomegrante Mimosas

For the spiral cut ham all you have to do is make sure you heat it through. Most hams have heating instructions on the outside package.  Adding a ham glaze is always a good option.  If you are having your brunch a little later in the day you can always put out some Parkerhouse rolls and assorted mustards in case people want to make a ham sandwich.

I always find a fruit salad with canteloupe, honeydew, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and mango to be delicious.

In an effort to save time I usually just go with a muffin mix that comes in a box.  Betty Crocker or Krusteaz Lemon Poppyseed muffins are always a good option. Another great option is Krusteaz Cranberry Orange muffin mix. If you want to go the crumb cake route you can't go wrong with Krusteaz Cinnamon Crumb Cake mix.

Vegetable Strata
I got this recipe from In Style magazine, it's from the January 2005 issue.  I use to love when In Style had the party guide/entertaining section of the magazine; I collected a lot of great recipes over the years when they had it.

1 loaf (12 oz) day old French bread
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
10 eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 can (13 3/4 oz) artichoke hearts, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Spray 13" x 9" x 2" glass baking dish with cooking spray. Slice bread in half length-wise; butter and cut into cubes. In nonstick skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and mushrooms; saute 4-5 minutes.  In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. To assemble, place bread in single layer in baking dish.  Top with vegetables, artichokes and half the Monterey Jack cheese.  Pour egg mixture over; top with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

For the mimosas, Domaine Chandon Brut Classic is always a good bubble option. If you go the tangerine juice route you can always finish off the mimosa with a splash of Grand Marnier.  Otherwise pomegrante juice is another great option and quite festive from a holiday color perspective.

If you don't like mimosas, you can always do a bloody mary bar.  I really enjoy the Zing Zang bloody mary mix.  Don't forget your celery spears, stuffed olives and celery salt.  If you are in the Chicago area and can find Twisted Spoke bloody mary mix that is another great option.

Happy planning!

Day 10: Egg Nog Parfait

Day 10 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration continues with a holiday dessert idea, the Egg Nog Parfait. This is a very quick and easy recipe and works great for parties.

Ingredients
1 quart Egg Nog
1 12 oz container of Cool Whip
1/2 cup of Bourbon or Cream Sherry
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

Directions
Pour Egg Nog into bowl and fold in Cool Whip. Add Bourbon and Nutmeg. Pour into parfait glasses and freeze. Let stand at room temperature before serving.  Add additonal Cool Whip on top. If you are looking to add color you can always decorate the top of them with a few festive colored sprinkles or peppermint chips.

Serves 10-12

Day 9: Holiday Party Appetizers

Day 9 of the Twelve Day of Christmas Celebration continues with a couple Holiday appetizer ideas.  Last night we went to a Christmas party that some friends from work had.  They have it every year and it's always a blast. Jen made some delicious appetizers (my favorite are the bacon wrapped dates), so I thought today rather than posting more cookie ideas I would post some of my favorite appetizer recipes. These are all dishes I have come across over the years so I am not sure where they all came from originally.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

12 strips bacon, cut in half crosswise
24 pitted dates
1/4 pound Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, cut into small chunks

1.  Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until it has rendered some fat and begins to turn translucent; don't let it brown at all. Remove from pan and drain thoroughly on paper towels.

2.  Make a slit in each date (you can also pop out the pit very easily if you couldn't find pitted dates!) and stuff with a small piece of cheese.  Wrap in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Place wrapped dates in a baking dish.

**At this point, you can cover and refrigerate up to 36 hours.

3.  Preheat oven to 375 and bake the date until the bacon is crisp, 10-12 minutes  

 

Lump Crab Dip

This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make and it's always a big hit.

1 container of lump crab meat

1 8oz package of cream cheese,softened (I usually use the light)

1 jar of cocktail sauce

Place the block of cream cheese on the platter  Pour some cocktail sauce over the cream cheese you want a good amount on these so that everyone gets some of the cocktail sauce with the spread; I would say 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Place lump crab meat (drained if there is any liquid in the container) over the top of the cream cheese/cocktail sauce.  Eat on crackers, surprisingly enough Ritz crackers are the best with this. You can even by the ones that look like snowflakes if you want to be more festive.

Artichoke Dip

1 can artichoke hearts, drain and chop

1 cup mayo (I use light)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix everything together and place in an oven safe dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with crackers.

Caprese

I always find a tomato and mozzarella salad to be a great holiday party appetizer not only because it's tasty but it has the colors of the season.

Slice tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls and place on a platter alternating the slices of tomato and mozzarella.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil. Add a little fresh ground pepper.

And I am always came for an antipasto platter with fine cheeses and meat, marinated olives and mushrooms. Served with assorted crackers and breads.