Christmas Catering Concoctions

Traditional Christmas Dishes from the countries my family originated from:
Ireland: Turkey with whiskey glaze - whiskey and honey together with a splash of orange will give an impressive and great tasting twist to the traditional bird.
Germany: The Germans tend to have a game feast on Christmas day, usually wild boar or venison. According to German tradition, partaking in a roast of pork dinner on Christmas Eve will prevent evil and promote prosperity in the New Year.

Martha Stewart KitchenAid Mixer

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE to cook. One of my favorite stress relievers is coming home and trying to make up a new dish out of whatever I have on hand (by the way the husband finds this very strange that I actually enjoy this but he can't complain as it means food for him). However, in the last 2 years several older ladies that I know have recognized this joy I get from cooking and have enlisted me to cater and/or assist with their Christmas parties. This is so fun for me because I get to try out a ton of new recipes and have tons of people to share them with when I'm done! Plus I absolutely love the preparation that goes into putting out really nice food for a party, so I get so much joy out of doing this. Last year I did a party for a very sweet lady and she asked me to come back and do this party again. Now hers is a little different as she orders several gormet finger sandwhiches and desserts from a local bakery so for her I make just a few simple side dishes that she requests but I thought I would share some of them as they are good and simple to help make your holiday party a feast!

Christmas Red Punch
Ingredients:
3 (3oz) packages of strawberry flavored jello
18cups boiling water
4 cups sugar
2 (46 fluid ounce) cans pineapple juice
2 cups lemon juice
4 (2 liter) bottles ginger ale
cranberries
mint leaves

2 days in advance:
Boil half of the water (9cups)
Stir in jello until dissolved
In another large pot boil the rest of the water (9 cups)
Stir in sugar until dissolved
Combine the 2 water mixtures in a very large pot (I had to use my roasting pan for this because it makes A LOT)
Add pineapple and lemon juices
Place in Ziplock bags or 2 silicon bunt pans and freeze for 2 days (will be too slushy after just 1 day)
Also freeze 2 handfuls of cranberries (don't worry this won't affect their appearance)

At the Party:
Dump half of the frozen mixture into a pretty punch bowl, add 2 of the bottles of ginger ale
garnish with the frozen cranberries and some mint leaves to give a festive appearance
ENJOY! Makes about 70 servings

Amazing Tropical Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
2 sticks of cream cheese (8 oz each) at room temperature
1 can of crushed pineapples
1/2 bottle of freeze dried chives
2 cups of chopped pecans

Drain the crushed pineapples very well
In a mixer whisk the cream cheese until it lightens up a bit
Add the crushed pineapples, chives, and 1/2 c of the pecans
Mix until combined well
On a pretty plate form mixture into a ball
Take remaining pecans and press into top and sides
I like to let this sit in the fridge for a day or overnight so the flavors really come together. The best way to do this is to place plastic wrap around the ball portion tightly then cover the entire plate with wrap (this way it keeps its form and keeps other odors/tastes out)
Serve with crackers



Enjoy your holidays and don't forget to try to help those around you that don't have a home or meal... remember all it would take for you to be in their position would be a few missed paychecks or a little misfortune... you never know who you're helping!