Want to wow your party guests without spending hours in the kitchen? Then turn to a party classic, shrimp cocktail: elevate the shellfish dish with a trio of flavorful dipping sauces that are so addictive, your guests will want to double-dip.
The dish may sound involved, but thanks to a few pantry staples — think barbecue sauce, coconut milk, garlic chili paste, and the like — pulling off this elegant hors d'oeuvre is easier than you think. Keep reading for the shrimp cocktail recipe.
If you're hosting a party this holiday, bring the Winter wonderland to your home with a snowy layer cake that's sure to dazzle any sweet tooth. Just don't let your guests in on how simple this dessert is to make. Without any oven time, and only five ingredients, the candy-cane-tinged layers come together in less than 30 minutes of active prep. The hardest part? Waiting for the cake to set!
See the recipe for this delicious and festive dessert.
I don't know where I was or what I was looking for, but I stumbled upon a Joy the Baker recipe that sent my heart in a flutter of wild palpitations. It involved puff pastry, brie, and preserves, and I knew I had to create my own version.
Instead of puff pastry, I opted to use pie crust. I envisioned creating little Pop-Tarts pastries, filled with brie and fig preserves. Rather than cut the rectangular shapes by hand, I used a round cookie cutter, because it makes for an easier, faster prep than measuring and hand-cutting the dough squares.
Pie dough thaws fast, so you really need to cut it quickly and throw the pieces back into the fridge to firm up before stuffing and closing them.
The round shape, fork crimping, and "X" on the top give the impression that these are miniature pies! Upon biting into the flaky, layered crust, the salty brie and sweet fig preserves ooze out. It was everything my fluttering heart had hoped for, and these bites disappeared quicker than they were made. Now it's your turn to make these adorable brie bites.
No one likes taking down Christmas decorations, because that means having to wait a whole year before they grace your home again. But there are ways to make them last until New Year's Eve, if not past that, and give them a thriving post-Christmas life.
The Bubbly Poinsettia is a Christmas-appropriate cocktail if there ever was one. The vivacious red cocktail gets its color from pomegranate liqueur, maraschino liqueur, and Rosé Champagne, and gin gives the tipple a spicy kick. Lighten the stiff drink with lemon juice and a generous splash of bubbly. Learn how to make a poinsettia-colored Champagne cocktail.
Mama can never go wrong with pancakes! Kids love them, and they're quick and easy to make — so why not prepare a very special holiday-themed pancake breakfast for Christmas morning? From Santa, snowmen, and reindeer to peppermint-flavored pancakes, we've rounded up nine festive Christmas pancakes kids will love. They're all so fun and creative, mama might love these sweet morning treats even more than the kiddos — if that's possible!
Red lentil terrine might not elicit a delicious food reaction for you, so think of the vegetarian appetizer this way: it's like combining Japanese condiments with red lentils. The mixture is baked until it sets, which makes it a terrine; once it's cooled and served, the red lentil terrine spreads upon crackers like a pâté.
Unlike brown or French lentils, red lentils cook into a puree, so don't be surprised when the lentils transform into an orange mush. Caramelized onions and mirin, or Japanese rice wine, add a natural sweetness to the earthy spread, while umeboshi plum paste and miso contribute to the savory umami flavors. Toasted walnuts, processed into a nut butter, thicken the mixture, ensuring that the terrine bakes into a sliceable loaf.
For parties, opt to serve the whole loaf, or for smaller gatherings, cut a one- or two-inch slice and save the rest for another occasion. Serve the terrine with the crackers of your choice, although I especially love it with either Japanese rice crackers or Mary's Gone Crackers Black Pepper Crackers. Take a look at the recipe.
Editor's note: The following is a guest post written by Annabel Karmel, the British children's chef and kiddie cookbook author. This week Annabel shares her favorite recipes for kids to make and eat throughout the holiday season.
The traditional foods that are served on Christmas day can sometimes be too much for your little ones with all the rich meat and stuffing. To avoid tears or upset tummies, here are a few Christmas alternatives that are sure to be popular with the wee crowd. Most of these can be made in advance so you can avoid adding another meal to your long list of dishes!
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and that there are no disasters in the kitchen!
Happy Cooking!
If your holiday happenings would be made merrier with the addition of Christmas-themed cake pops, you've come to the right place. Get inspired by these 15 decadent dessert ideas that are sure to delight kids and adults alike. From smiling elves to glistening ornaments and everything in between, we've found some of the best baked pops out there. What could be sweeter?!
I had this genius idea of making the 12 Days of Christmas from Jello. It turned out to not be my best idea. I think I had a plan for two of the 12 days, but after that it was a blank!
My first brilliant idea was to create a Jello pear (for a partridge in a pear tree) by making a mold out of a balloon and masking tape. It worked beautifully when I tested the shape with water from the tap, but when I tried to use a calpol syringe to force the Jello into the ballon it all back fired– I stood there with Jello spirting up my nose and all over my clothes! For lords a leaping I tried to make Jello mustache lollies, but they fell straight off the sticks.
In my attempt to photograph the Jello (quite difficult as the light really bounces off it), I decided to make a Jello plinth. (Well, I filled some tupperwear with Jello to use as a stand.) I placed it on a larger piece of tupperwear and lit it from underneath with a camping head lamp. It all seemed like a good plan until it all started to collapse. While I took the photo there was Jello everywhere!
At one stage, my days seemed consumed by making Jello. The fridge was full of different shapes and flavors... until Jellogate. One morning, the alarmed was raised when the Jello turtle doves and two of the four colly birds I made had gone missing. As I interrograted the kids, my husband wandered into the kitchen looking guilty. "It could well have been me," he confessed later. "I just can't really remember." Classic passive aggressive behavior, my friends diagnosed.
One of my kids was in seventh heaven with all the Jello testing, the other has vowed not to eat another mouthful of the stuff ever again. The Jello was becoming an issue, so I decided to step away from it... but not before I'd diversified to include chocolate and cookies.
It's all done now, and I haven't made Jello since. Maybe one day I'll be able to get back into Jello... small steps!
Image Source: courtesy of Niamh Farnon
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, POPSUGAR.
