Christmas Cocktail Party!
For a Christmas cocktail party, I tried to stick with as much red and green as I could. This took about 3 days in advance to prep everything but turned out great :)
Caprese Pop Christmas Tree: This was pretty simple. I did it a day in advance and wrapped it in plastic wrap so it wouldn't dry out. All you need is a container of grape tomatoes, a package of basil, and fresh Mozzarella balls. Arrange them on toothpicks, then stick the toothpicks into a Styrofoam cone.
Red Peppers and Hummus
For this dish, I simply cut red peppers and put two different flavors (jalapeno and garlic) hummus on. Then used sugar snap peas for a little extra color.
Caramel Grapes
I found these yummy snacks on Pinterest and had to make them. I put grapes on toothpicks, melted caramel with a little cream, and dipped the grapes in them. Then of course rolled them in chopped peanuts. I didn't use any specific amounts, I just made them until I was out of grapes.
Brie Cranberry Bites
1 Bag of cranberries
1/2 C. Cran Cherry Juice
2 Tbsp. White Sugar + Extra
2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
1 Stick of Brie Cheese, cut into slices
Mint Leaves
Package of plain crackers
Heat the cranberries, crancherry juice, sugar and maple syrup on medium heat in small sauce pan. DO NOT mix. This is because the bottom cranberries will pop from the heat and you want the top ones to slightly cook, loosing some of their tartness, all while staying whole for presentation. Cook cranberries for about 15 minutes. Once you hear some of the cranberries beginning to pop, spoon about 40 of them from the top off and place in a bowl with extra sugar. Shake until they are completely coated. Crush the remaining cranberries left in the pan and let cook until becomes almost jam like. Set aside to cook. Place one slice of brie on each cracker. Spoon about 1/2 Tbsp. of the cranberry jam over the brie. Place three sugar coated cranberries on each cracker, and then a mint leaf for garnish.
Santa Hat Cupcakes
Yet another Pinterest idea. What would I do without it?! Here we made homemade cupcakes and homemade frosting. Then placed strawberries upside down to make them look like little Santa hats!
Watermelon with Balsamic Reduction
This was a very simple dish.
1/2 Watermelon
Package of mint leaves
1/4 C. Flavored Balsamic (I used a cranpear)
1/2 Tbsp White Sugar
Cut watermelon into cubes and use a melon ball scoop to scoop a small hole (without going all the way through) into the watermelon. Wrap watermelon into paper towel and let dry out for 30 minutes. Place mint leaves on plate for garnish and place one watermelon over each mint leaf. Heat the balsamic vinegar on medium high heat. Add sugar and mix. Let reduce until it forms a thick, syrup like mixture. Let cool. Place about a half of a spoonful (or how ever much will perfectly fit) of the balsamic reduction into the watermelon.
Pan Fried Tofu with Peanut Sauce
For the Tofu:
1 Package of Tofu
1/2 C. Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Tsp. Ginger
1 Tsp. Dried Garlic
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
Cut tofu into small pieces (I was lucky enough to find a tiny Christmas tree cookie cutter!) Combine Panko, ginger and garlic. Roll Tofu in Panko mixture. Melt coconut oil on medium heat. Place tofu in pan and fry until golden brown. Flip, and repeat.
Shrimp Cups: Place 2 Tbsp. of cocktail sauce, two shrimp and some parsley for garnish in small plastic containers for an easy and convenient appetizer.
Bacon Risotto Stuffed Onions:
The trickiest part with this dish was cutting the onions down to the perfect size. Once I got them down to the desired size, I placed 1/4 Tbsp. butter in each. Then I baked them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. While they were cooking, I finished the risotto, stuffed the onions and placed them back in to the oven to keep warm until serving.
For the Bacon Risotto:
4 Tbsp. Butter + Extra
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp. Garlic, Minced
1 C. Arborio Rice
-Mushrooms and Onions Optional
4 1/2 C. Chicken Stock
2 Tsp. Fresh Chives, Chopped
1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
1 Tbsp. Green Onion, Chopped
1 Tsp. Salt
3-4 Thin Slices of Bacon, Cooked until brown
1/2 C. White Wine (I chose Riesling for this dish)
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
Heat butter and olive oil in large pan at medium heat. Add garlic and rice and cook until golden brown. Add any mushrooms/onions if choosing to do so. Add one cup of chicken stock, chives, rosemary, green onions, and salt. Let cook until rice has soaked up the stock. Continue adding stock 1/2 C. at a time. After the fourth cup of stock has been added, add bacon and white wine. Mix and let rice soak up wine before adding the last half cup of stock. When last bit of stock is left, add about 1/2 Tbsp. of extra butter and Parmesan cheese to ensure it is nice and creamy.
Jello Shots with Pop Rocks:
This jello was prepared as according to directions, but half of the water was substituted with Three Olives Loopy Vodka. We then sprinkled red and white pop rocks over the top- This should be done right before serving to avoid all of the candies from popping before they get into anyone's mouths!
Caprese Pop Christmas Tree: This was pretty simple. I did it a day in advance and wrapped it in plastic wrap so it wouldn't dry out. All you need is a container of grape tomatoes, a package of basil, and fresh Mozzarella balls. Arrange them on toothpicks, then stick the toothpicks into a Styrofoam cone.
For this dish, I simply cut red peppers and put two different flavors (jalapeno and garlic) hummus on. Then used sugar snap peas for a little extra color.
I found these yummy snacks on Pinterest and had to make them. I put grapes on toothpicks, melted caramel with a little cream, and dipped the grapes in them. Then of course rolled them in chopped peanuts. I didn't use any specific amounts, I just made them until I was out of grapes.
1 Bag of cranberries
1/2 C. Cran Cherry Juice
2 Tbsp. White Sugar + Extra
2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
1 Stick of Brie Cheese, cut into slices
Mint Leaves
Package of plain crackers
Heat the cranberries, crancherry juice, sugar and maple syrup on medium heat in small sauce pan. DO NOT mix. This is because the bottom cranberries will pop from the heat and you want the top ones to slightly cook, loosing some of their tartness, all while staying whole for presentation. Cook cranberries for about 15 minutes. Once you hear some of the cranberries beginning to pop, spoon about 40 of them from the top off and place in a bowl with extra sugar. Shake until they are completely coated. Crush the remaining cranberries left in the pan and let cook until becomes almost jam like. Set aside to cook. Place one slice of brie on each cracker. Spoon about 1/2 Tbsp. of the cranberry jam over the brie. Place three sugar coated cranberries on each cracker, and then a mint leaf for garnish.
Yet another Pinterest idea. What would I do without it?! Here we made homemade cupcakes and homemade frosting. Then placed strawberries upside down to make them look like little Santa hats!
Watermelon with Balsamic Reduction
This was a very simple dish.
1/2 Watermelon
Package of mint leaves
1/4 C. Flavored Balsamic (I used a cranpear)
1/2 Tbsp White Sugar
Cut watermelon into cubes and use a melon ball scoop to scoop a small hole (without going all the way through) into the watermelon. Wrap watermelon into paper towel and let dry out for 30 minutes. Place mint leaves on plate for garnish and place one watermelon over each mint leaf. Heat the balsamic vinegar on medium high heat. Add sugar and mix. Let reduce until it forms a thick, syrup like mixture. Let cool. Place about a half of a spoonful (or how ever much will perfectly fit) of the balsamic reduction into the watermelon.
Pan Fried Tofu with Peanut SauceFor the Tofu:
1 Package of Tofu
1/2 C. Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Tsp. Ginger
1 Tsp. Dried Garlic
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
Cut tofu into small pieces (I was lucky enough to find a tiny Christmas tree cookie cutter!) Combine Panko, ginger and garlic. Roll Tofu in Panko mixture. Melt coconut oil on medium heat. Place tofu in pan and fry until golden brown. Flip, and repeat.
For the Peanut Sauce:
1/2 C. Creamy or Chunky Peanut Butter
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 Tsp. Coriander
1/2 Tsp. Paprika
1/4 C. Peanuts, Crushed
1/2 C Water (If needed to thin)
1/2 Tsp. Paprika
1/4 C. Peanuts, Crushed
1/2 C Water (If needed to thin)
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Serve with Tofu.
Shrimp Cups: Place 2 Tbsp. of cocktail sauce, two shrimp and some parsley for garnish in small plastic containers for an easy and convenient appetizer. 
Bacon Risotto Stuffed Onions:
The trickiest part with this dish was cutting the onions down to the perfect size. Once I got them down to the desired size, I placed 1/4 Tbsp. butter in each. Then I baked them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. While they were cooking, I finished the risotto, stuffed the onions and placed them back in to the oven to keep warm until serving.
For the Bacon Risotto:
4 Tbsp. Butter + Extra
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp. Garlic, Minced
1 C. Arborio Rice
-Mushrooms and Onions Optional
4 1/2 C. Chicken Stock
2 Tsp. Fresh Chives, Chopped
1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary
1 Tbsp. Green Onion, Chopped
1 Tsp. Salt
3-4 Thin Slices of Bacon, Cooked until brown
1/2 C. White Wine (I chose Riesling for this dish)
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
Heat butter and olive oil in large pan at medium heat. Add garlic and rice and cook until golden brown. Add any mushrooms/onions if choosing to do so. Add one cup of chicken stock, chives, rosemary, green onions, and salt. Let cook until rice has soaked up the stock. Continue adding stock 1/2 C. at a time. After the fourth cup of stock has been added, add bacon and white wine. Mix and let rice soak up wine before adding the last half cup of stock. When last bit of stock is left, add about 1/2 Tbsp. of extra butter and Parmesan cheese to ensure it is nice and creamy.
This jello was prepared as according to directions, but half of the water was substituted with Three Olives Loopy Vodka. We then sprinkled red and white pop rocks over the top- This should be done right before serving to avoid all of the candies from popping before they get into anyone's mouths!
And the finished product!
