If you have guests who enjoy their cocktails and champagne, and are worn out from the nights festivities, make sure you have room for them to spend the night or get some taxis to escort them to a hotel for a good nights sleep and they will be safe from driving. Maybe everyone can meet up the next morning for a delicious breakfast or brunch.
I hope you enjoy the recipes listed below and however you bring in the New Year's Eve I wish you a very happy, healthy, prosperous, blessed 2013!
Appetizers
Delicious Mushroom Stuffed Puff Pastry
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, soft
1 package fresh crimini mushrooms, chopped
2 scallions, finely minced including green part
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbl. fresh rosemary, minced
1 shallot, finely minced
1 egg
1 (17.3 oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of salt
butter
In a saute pan, add 1 Tbl. butter and drizzle of olive oil. Add mushrooms and shallots sauteing until golden and soft, stir in fresh rosemary. Remove from heat, drain on paper towels and cool slightly. In a bowl add cream cheese and with electric mixer beat until smooth. Stir in cooled mushroom mixture, scallions, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the egg and 1 Tbl. water in a bowl. On a lightly floured work surface roll 1 puff pastry sheet into a 16x10 rectangle and brush edges with egg mixture. Fold each pastry half lengthwise over filling and pinch edges to seal. Cut pastries into 10 pieces each and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining puff pastry sheet, egg mixture and cream cheese mixture.
Dates with Bacon (love these)
1 (10 oz.) package pitted dates
1/2 lb. thick cut bacon, sliced into quarters
In a saute pan, cook bacon until partially cooked, but not brown. Remove from pan and place onto paper towels. Wrap each date with a strip of bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick. Place dates on broiler pan and broil until bacon is nicely browned and cooked, turning dates on all sides so bacon cooks evenly. Remove to paper towels to drain and place on serving platter.
Yummy Goat Cheese Log
1 (10.5 oz.) goat cheese
1/3 cup honey
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)
Press goat cheese log into pine nuts thoroughly covering cheese including ends. Arrange cheese on an attractive serving platter and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle on raspberries. Serve with toasted baguette slices or crackers. Add a sprig of green on the platter for garnish.
Spicy Shrimp
48 large raw shrimp
Mojo de Ajo sauce (see below)
24 (6-inch) wooden skewers
Lime wedges
Fresh cilantro
Peel shrimp leaving tails on, clean. Make Mojo sauce and combine shrimp and Mojo tossing to coat; let stand 1/2 hour. Soak wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes. Remove shrimp from sauce and discard marinade. Thread 2 shrimp onto each skewer. Heat a grill and add skewered shrimp cooking until pink.
Mojo Sauce
1 cup olive oil
4 to 5 whole guajillo chilies
3/4 cup minced garlic (YIKES, but it works and tastes great)
7 Tbl. fresh lime juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil in saucepan to 350 degrees. Using tongs submerge 1 chile into oil and cook 6 seconds; remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining chilies. Remove and discard stems. Process chiles in food processor for about 1 minute. Cook garlic in hot oil in same saucepan over medium; stirring occasionally 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly golden. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in minced chiles, lime juice, salt and pepper. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days if not planning to marinate shrimp immediately. To serve; arrange Mojo grilled shrimp onto a platter and garnish with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.
French Bread with Gorgonzola
2 pears, cut lengthwise into thin slices
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
24 (1/2-inch thick) French bread slices (cut on long diagonal)
2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
6 tsp. milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled or you can use pancetta
Toss pears with lemon juice and set aside. Place bread slices onto baking sheet and broil both sides until lightly toasted. In a bowl stir together cheese and milk until smooth; spread evenly on 1 side of toasted bread. Sprinkle with some walnuts and top with a pear slice and bacon.
Festive Christmas Salad - this is one of my favorite creations I just love it
2 handfuls baby arugula
1 bunch of mixed salad greens
3 tangerines, sectioned (I like the Sweeties brand)
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
1 pomegranate, seeded
2 Haas avocados, peeled, seeded and sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled or feta cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted
Vinaigrette
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 tsp. tangerine or orange zest
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I also like champagne vinegar)
1 Tbl. Dijon
1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a bowl, add pomegranate juice, zest, red wine vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper and whisk in oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. On a large beautiful platter, arrange greens including parsley (mix together), layer on red onion, tangerines, avocados, cheese and hazelnuts. Sprinkle over pomegranate seeds. Whisk dressing again and pour over salad. Add croutons if desired.
Artichoke Chicken
8 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
3 tsp. paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbl. butter, divided
olive oil
2 (14 oz.) cans whole artichoke hearts, drained well and halved (pat dry with paper towels)
3 scallions, chopped including green part
1/4 cup sherry (good quality)
2 Tbl. cornstarch
2/3 cup chicken stock (good quality)
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
fresh parsley (garnish)
Rinse chicken in cold eater and pat dry. Sprinkle each breast well with paprika, salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, melt 2 Tbl. butter and drizzle in a little olive oil. Add chicken, do not overcrowd you might have to cook in batches. Cook until golden brown on each side and remove from pan. Melt remaining butter in same skillet, add artichoke hearts and scallions, saute 2 minutes. In a bowl, stir together chicken stock, sherry, cornstarch and rosemary. Add to artichoke mixture. Return chicken to saute pan and bring to boil. Cook for about 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Place chicken on serving platter and pour sauce over top. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Lemon Couscous
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 3/4 cup chicken stock (good quality)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups instant couscous
3/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained - optional but I love them
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
In a large saute pan over medium heat add 2 Tbl. of the olive oil. Add onion and red bell pepper cooking until softened. Add garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Add stock, salt and freshly ground black pepper, bring stock to boil. After stock is boiling, turn off heat and add the couscous and blend with a fork, cover with lid and remove from heat to stand for 5 minutes (if adding chickpeas add them now). Fluff the couscous again with a fork and stir in the almonds, lemon juice, parsley and remaining olive oil. Toss in Parmesan cheese gently to combine, taste and adjust seasonings. Note: you can also stir in some black Kalamata olives (pitted and sliced in half) love that briny taste.
Sage Green Beans
2 lbs. haricot vert
4 Tbl. butter
olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock (good quality)
4 Tbl. white wine
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
Wash and drain beans in cold water, remove ends. In a pot of boiling salted water add beans and cook about 5 to 7 minutes or crisp tender. Drain well and plunge into an ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain well and set aside. In a large saute pan, melt butter and add drizzle of olive oil. Add fresh sage and saute 1 minute or until crisp and dark green. Remove with slotted spoon onto paper towels. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes. Bring to a boil and stir in stock, white wine, Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper, let sauce reduce by over half. Add green beans and toss to coat cooking for about 2 minutes to heat through. Stir back in cooked sage leaves. Remove to serving dish or platter.
Luscious Chocolate Mousse with Orange Whipped Cream
1 (4 oz.) package dark chocolate baking bars, chopped
4 (1 oz.) packages semi sweet chocolate baking bars, chopped
1/4 cup orange liqueur
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Place chocolate and orange liqueur into a double boiler. Cook and stir until chocolate melts. Cool to lukewarm. In a bowl, add whipping cream and beat with electric mixer until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar to form medium peaks. Fold about one-fourth of whipped cream into melted cooled chocolate then fold in remaining whipped cream. Spoon evenly into individual ramekin. Chill.
Orange Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tbl. powdered sugar
1 Tbl. orange liqueur
Orange Whipped Cream; beat all ingredients with electric mixer until almost stiff peaks. Chill then place billowy dollops onto mousse. Serve with wafer thin chocolate cookies.
Banana Fudge Cake (this is so easy you'll thank me for it) This is a recipe Brittany gave me. I don't use the prepared cream cheese frosting, but make my own. I also add chocolate curls onto the top of the cake using a chocolate baking bar
Filling
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbl. butter
1 1/2 cups firm ripe bananas, finely chopped
1 tsp. rum extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Cake
1 (18.25 oz.) package Devils Food cake mix (see I said it was easy)
1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding and pie filling
2 eggs
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream (not light)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate mini morsels
Frosting - I usually double the frosting
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 (16 oz.) container cream cheese frosting - I make my own cream cheese frosting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray three 9-inch round cakes pan with non stick cooking spray. Combine brown sugar and butter in saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is combined (do not boil.) Add bananas, rum and cinnamon; stirring. Cool completely.
In bowl of electric mixer combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water, beating on medium until well blended. Pour about 1 1/2 cups batter into each pan. Sprinkle each pan evenly with chocolate mini morsels. Bake for 20 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Frosting; heat heavy cream in a microwave bowl on high for 1 1/2 minutes or just until boiling. Add morsels and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth; cover and cool 20 minutes.
On a serving platter place one cake layer. Spread half the cream cheese frosting on 1 cake layer. Spread half the banana mixture to 1/2 inch of edges. Top with second cake layer. Spread with remaining cream cheese frosting followed by remaining banana mixture. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread chocolate frosting over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate cake until set. Note; I always add a wooden skewer cut to fit to the middle of cake so it doesn't slide. If you have any cake left, cover and refrigerate.
Bon Appetit
"Nothing is impossible with God" - Luke 1:37
"All glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us to
accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20
