Holiday Recipes

Some Christmas Dinner Ideas

2009-12-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas day is near. Wherever we go, we hear Christmas jingles playing; we see colorful and extravagant decorations everywhere. Shopping malls are a hit and the spirit of giving can be felt through exchanging presents. If you travel around the world during Christmas Eve, I'm sure you'll notice that every family celebrates it by preparing special and delicious foods. This is true regardless of our race, location and status in life, we will have something on our dinner table to share with our families and friends.

Italy is a dominant Catholic country. Catholic Italians in certain parts of the country have the tradition of abstaining from red meat during Christmas Eve. And because of that, they have fish for dinner. This is also known as the 7 Fishes dinner. If you are on a seafood diet, Italy (on a Christmas Eve) is the place to be. Or even if you are not a seafood lover, you might still want to change the menu and have a different course on top of your dining table. After all, fish is high in protein and a very healthy food to eat.

Let's move over to central Europe. Germany. A traditional German Christmas dinner is also a top candidate if you want to try a different approach towards preparing your Christmas dinner. Traditional German Christmas dinner is held during Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day itself. It usually consists of dishes such as stuffed Christmas goose, potato dumplings, red cabbage, and baked apples for desert. Aside from those I've mentioned, there is a wide variety of delicious dishes that Germany has to offer. Choose what suits your taste, time and budget. You can ask your family and friends to help you prepare the dish that you chose and maybe spend a little time together at the kitchen. Sounds fun?

If Italian and German cuisine is not your taste, another popular choice is UK. It's a bit closer to home than you think. Christmas favorites in UK include dishes such as roasted turkey, Brussels sprouts, dressing, roasted potatoes, and of course, pudding pie! If you want to add a little color to your dinner, you might want to decorate the table with Christmas crackers, (consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in bright colored papers) wherein you could place some goodies inside.

One interesting dish to prepare this Christmas dinner is a Mexican dish. Most Americans are familiar with Mexican cuisine and having one this Christmas will definitely be a hit to your family. You may add a little decoration to your dish to make it special. Remember; always have fun preparing as much as having fun eating! Labor of love adds flavor to the food you cook.

Even if some countries do not traditionally celebrate Christmas like Thailand, China and India, their delicacies will surely be a prime candidate on your Christmas dinner menu. They have plenty of delicious dishes that would tickle your taste buds. The trick in preparing the right food to eat is that you choose something that is easy to prepare. We are all busy this Holiday season so we don't have ample of time to allot for cooking. You wouldn't want to clean a messy kitchen this Christmas! The most important thing in a Christmas dinner is not what you eat but the people you are sharing the food with.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe at Every Family Events

2009-04-04T03:54:00.000-07:00

This is our families’ secret and easy dessert recipes. We have a large family so this one makes over 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies. You can experiment with most cookie recipes to adjust to your own taste. Remember the more brown sugar you use the more chewy type cookie you create. I don't think this one needs much adjusting. First we will start with ingredients to our chocolate chip cookie recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4cup sour cream
3 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions to cookie recipe.
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together.
3. Sift cake mix, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
4. In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Stir the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
6. Stir in the sifted ingredients with sour cream.
7. Mix in chocolate chips.
8. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls cookie sheets.
9. Bake for until edges are starting to turn dark brown.

Enjoy these wonderful cookies at any occasion. They create very easy dessert recipes at family events. You might notice my secret ingredient. It is the boxed yellow cake mix. Cake flour gives the cookie a little more body than the regular unbleached flour. You may use any of your favorite brands. If you are making smaller cookies don't forget that the baking time goes down. Many ovens produce heat from the bottom of the oven, so as not burn the bottom of the cookies many times I will double pan the cookies before I bake them. Baking is similar to a gigantic chemistry experiment. The best way to get the experiment right is to keep experimenting. Once you have found the best combination's of ingredients and procedures, stick with it. Enjoy and you can use this on other holiday recipes!

Discover Chocolate Dessert Recipes at Raspberry Cake

2009-04-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

We make a 3 layer cake with 2 layers of raspberry cream filling and topped with a chocolate raspberry butter cream icing. Are you salivating yet? To make this cakes use your favorite chocolate dessert recipes or for the inexperienced baker just use 2 dark chocolate cake mixes this.

Mix with:

8 medium eggs

2 cups cold water

2/3 cup oil

Mix on medium speed until well blended, scrape bowl, and mix for 1 more minute. Pour in equal portions into 3 (10x2 inch baking pans). Bake at 350 degree preheated oven for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until done. Cool on rack;

remove from pans, level cakes by cutting off rounded tops.Purchase a good fruitful raspberry pastry filling (H&H) is the best, place about 1 pound of filling in a bowl and add whip cream to it (whip the cream first) now fold them together until you reach the desired flavor and thickness (don't make it too thin). Use any chocolate butter cream recipe that you like and add to the icing (black raspberry extract) until you some reach the desired flavor (if you make the icing too thin just add more 10x sugar). This is not just an easy dessert recipe because its take a time for decorating and putting filling but if you done in our Chocolate Raspberry Cake, you can use this to your thanksgiving dinner recipes and many events too.

Assemble the cake:

On the bottom layer put a dam of icing around the edge and your filling in the center and smooth to level, repeat for 2nd and 3rd layer, decorate as in picture, use shaved chocolate or chocolate jimmies in center of the top. Now it’s done! You make a moist chocolate cake. And you can serve it maybe on your next holiday recipes.

My top secret recipe at the Cheesecake Factory is Madeira Chicken

2009-03-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here’s my top secret recipe for one of my favorite places to eat, the Cheesecake Factory. Just about everything there is scrumptious but the Chicken Madeira in particular is wonderful.

I’m an advocate of entertaining at home. Save yourself a lot of money by being your own chef. Surprise your family and friends with these healthy chicken recipes the next time you have guests. It’s quick and simple.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets

8 asparagus spears

4 mozzarella cheese slices

Madeira Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

3 cups Madeira wine

2 cups beef stock

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover each chicken breast with plastic wrap then use a mallet to flatten the chicken to about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper.

2. Sauté the chicken fillets for 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until the chicken has browned just a bit. Remove chicken fillets from the pan and wrap them together in foil to keep the fillets warm while you make the sauce. Don't clean the pan. You want all that cooked-on goodness to stay in the skillet to help make the sauce.

3. With the heat still on medium, add two tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for about two minutes. Add the Madeira wine, beef stock, butter and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until sauce has reduce to about 1/4 of its original volume. When the sauce is done it will have thickened and turned a dark brown color.

4. As the sauce is simmering, bring a medium saucepan filled about halfway with water to a boil. Add a little salt to the water. Toss the asparagus into the water and boil for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your asparagus spears. Drop the asparagus in a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking. The asparagus should be slightly tender when done, not mushy.

5. Set oven to broil. Prepare the dish by arranging the cooked chicken fillets on a baking pan. Cross two asparagus spears over each fillet, then cover each with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Broil the fillets for 3 to 4 minutes or until light brown spots begin to appear on the cheese.

6. To serve, arrange two chicken breasts on each plate, then spoon 3 or 4 tablespoons of Madeira sauce over the chicken on each plate.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Now we can serve our Madeira Chicken, and we can also add this in our holiday recipes or any occasion or events too.

Learn How to Make a Spicy Chili Recipe in Chicken Wings

2009-03-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

We all love spicy chicken; and it’s probably a spicy chili recipe to make. Except if you are allergic or you just can't love spicy food. Being a chicken lover myself, I have collected 3 hot n' spicy recipes for you to try out in your chicken today or anytime you would like to treat yourself for a delicious meal; they make good family specials as well! Although they have similar names, they are very different. Perhaps their origins differ.

#1. Hot N' Spicy Chicken Recipe #1. Spicy Chicken Wings

- 1 lg. can Parmesan cheese

- 2 tbsp. oregano

- 4 tbsp. parsley

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. pepper

- 1 stick margarine

- 4-5 lbs. chicken wings

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Melt margarine in small pan. Cut up chicken wings. Discard tips. Mix all dry ingredients in bowl. Dunk chicken wings in margarine and roll in cheese mixture. Place on cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Serve warm.

#2. Hot Chicken Wings

Chicken wings

1/2 stick margarine

1 bottle Durkee hot sauce

2 tbsp. honey

10 shakes Tabasco

2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Deep fry wings for 20 minutes. Drain and dip and let set in sauce. Take out to dry and then serve.

#3. Hot-N-Spicy Chicken Wings

5 lbs. bag chicken wings (drumettes)

12 fl. oz. Louisiana Pre Crystal Hot Sauce

1-2 sticks butter

Fry chicken wings until golden brown and drain on paper towel. Mix hot sauce and melted butter and pour into deep pan or crock pot. Add chicken wings to sauce and heat thoroughly. Now you made an easy chicken recipe at home. But you can also use this on your holiday recipes to or in any occasional event too.

Fortunate Lemon Chicken for Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes

2009-03-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Delicious chicken meal one of the thanksgiving dinner recipes at home. The lemon sauce is fresh and tangy and somehow I always end up eating too much :-).

It takes a bit to prepare and is not the sort of thing you would want to cook each night of the week. However, it is worth the effort.

I usually make it once in a while as a special meal for my husband. And it always turns out great.

Fortunate Lemon Chicken

4 whole boneless chicken breasts, skin off

½ cup cornstarch (corn flour)

3 tbls water

4 egg yolks – gently beaten

Salt, pepper – to taste

Shallots – chopped

Lemon Sauce

½ cup lemon juice

2 tsp powdered chicken stock

2 tbls cornstarch (corn flour)

2 tbls honey

2½ tbls brown sugar

1 tsp grated ginger

1¾ cups water

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until it boils and then thickens.

Cut the chicken breast fillets into 3-4 pieces. Lay flat and pound slightly with a mallet or other heavy object.

Place cornstarch in a bowl and slowly add the water, and then add the slightly beaten egg yolks. Next add salt and pepper to your liking.

Dip the chicken pieces into this batter and ensure you drain well. Place a couple pieces of the battered chicken at a time, into deep hot oil and fry until lightly browned. Drain on absorbent paper. Slice chicken further if required. Arrange on plates of freshly cooked white rice. Sprinkle with shallots and spoon over hot lemon sauce. So enjoy the recipe! Now you made an easy chicken recipe this thanksgiving day. Then end the meal with home-made healthy chicken recipes that you can serve to your next holiday recipes.

Free dessert recipes - Lemon Meringue Pie

2009-03-07T23:10:00.000-08:00

Everybody wants free dessert recipes, Lemon Meringue Pie seems to say warm weather, maybe because it's as yellow as sunshine and has clouds of sweet meringue. Simple to love and even it’s not an easy dessert recipe it was a real challenge to make until now.

Here's a one of thanksgiving dinner recipes that's quick and easy but still has that homemade flavor you crave. Starting with a lemon bar mix gives it a luscious citrus flavor, while eggs and sugar make it taste so fresh and rich. And the crust? Golden, buttery and sweet.

Serve the pie warm from the oven for oohs and ahs, or for easy Lemon Meringue Bars, just make the recipe in an 8-inch square pan and serve chilled.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Pie:

1 package Krusteaz Lemon Bar Mix (1 pouch each lemon filling mix and complete crust)

3 whole eggs

1/3 cup water

Meringue:

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.

For Lemon Pie: Press full pouch of complete crust firmly into bottom of lightly greased 9-inch pie pan or 8x8-inch pan. Bake 8 minutes (crust will be pale). In medium bowl, whisk full pouch lemon filling mix, water and whole eggs together until well-blended. Pour over hot crust. Bake 22-26 minutes or until center does not jiggle when shaken and top begins to brown.

For Meringue: Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until frothy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. Spread over baked pie. Return to oven; bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve pie warm, or chill if served as a bar.

Makes 1 pie or 16, 2-inch bars and you can use this on your next holiday recipes too.

Healthy Chicken Recipes even on Holiday

2009-03-03T03:51:00.000-08:00

People strive to find easy chicken recipes that provide delicious and healthy food. Health-conscious people focus on preparing low-fat dishes that are delicious and easily prepared. Chicken is an excellent source of protein and at the same time low in fat. Using chicken recipes will significantly lower the blood cholesterol, thereby improving your overall health and fitness level. People love this versatile meat, which can be prepared in various lip-smacking forms.

Be it a healthy chicken salad or any other chicken holiday recipe, choosing the right chicken for your dish is very important .If you opt for the cheap battery-reared chicken, you will get a greasy and stringy dish with a flat taste. These chickens are fed on a high-calorie diet that gives them a lot of fat but no muscle. On the other hand, choosing an organic chicken will give you firm and full-flavored meat. Organic birds are raised on a better diet and roam free under better and more humane conditions. This chicken will obviously cost more but will give you better taste and quality.

To further decrease the level of fat, you can trim off some areas, especially on the thighs, and enjoy a healthier meal. You should never leave raw chicken at room temperature. To prevent contamination, always wash chicken with cold water. Store it in the coldest part of the refrigerator and use within two days. Similarly, cooked chicken shouldn’t be left out for more than two hours. Frozen chicken can easily sit in your freezer for one year without any harm.

A little creativity in your kitchen can whip up new low-fat and healthy chicken recipes for your entire family. If you cannot find a particular ingredient, try replacing it with some substitute and see the all-new dish prepared exclusively by you. While preparing food to your holiday recipes follow basic safety rules and avoid accidents in your kitchen. This will ensure you safely prepare tasty meals for everyday consumption focused towards a healthy and long life.

Delicious and Easy Dessert Recipes – Chocolate Fondue

2009-03-01T03:41:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know how to make easy dessert recipes this holiday? Doesn't even saying the words out loud, "Chocolate Fondue" make you want to swoon with ecstasy?
I mean, really! Who wouldn't love this decadent dessert? Forget the diet! And who says you have to wait for dessert? Treat yourself once in a while and have it to make thanksgiving dinner recipes! Why not? Life is short.
Since the Swiss take all the credit for making up this wondrous invention of fondue eating... it only stands to reason that continuing the practice would carry over to dessert.
I love chocolate dessert, and anything that you can mix with it. So, learning how to make chocolate fondue for my friends and family was a real treat for me. And the idea of melting chocolate, adding things like nuts, or marshmallows, or fruit, or cake just sends me over the moon! And when you dive into these recipes for this dreamy dessert, you'll be joining me on the other side of that old' moon.

Here's how to make chocolate fondue that will melt any chocoholic’s heart:

What you'll need:
- 1 cup premium cocoa powder (ex: Scharffen Berger), sifted
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup plus 5 Tbsp heavy cream
- 5 oz 62% Scharffen Berger (premium semi-sweet chocolate), chopped
- Pound cake and fruit (ex. bananas, apples, strawberries, plums), cut into bite sized pieces

First, sift the cocoa into mixing bowl and set aside. When I was learning how to make chocolate fondue, I found out that sifting the cocoa is the real trick to making this recipe work. It helps create the smooth creamy texture that you want for serving.
Then, place the water, sugar, and corn syrup into a pot and bring to boil. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes until sugar solution has reduced by about 30%. Pour the cocoa powder a little bit at a time into the solution and blend with a whisk until nice and smooth.

Next, return the chocolate mixture to the stove and continue cooking over medium heat. Add the heavy cream, bring it to a boil and allow simmering for five minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in your chopped chocolate. Pour it all into a ceramic fondue pot or one appropriate and keep warm until ready to serve.
Presenting your fabulous chocolate fondue dessert with cut up pieces of cake and fruit is a wonderful way to end your evening with a bang! It’s rare to find someone who doesn't enjoy eating chocolate fondue. Here are one more super easy dessert recipes to salivate over:
I cannot get enough of this traditional Swiss chocolate fondue dessert. This recipe is very easy to make and you truly will swoon when you try it. Makes for a really good time whether it is for a dinner party dessert, or for some other festive occasion. Enjoy every little drop!
What you'll need:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
- Teaspoon vanilla
First, heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until hot for about 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the chocolate and stir until the consistency is smooth and the chocolate has melted. Stir in vanilla and transfer to a warm ceramic fondue pot.
Some great dippers for chocolate fondue are;
- Apple slices
- Sliced bananas
- Flavored biscotti
- Strawberries
- Pound cake or angel food cake
- Lady fingers
Try some of these variations for slightly different flavors:
You can substitute 2 to 3 Tbsp of kirsch, brandy, rum, or orange liqueur for the vanilla.
And it’s done! Now you can add it on your holiday recipes list for the next for the next holiday.

Cheesecake Recipe For Holiday Occasion

2009-02-28T16:09:00.000-08:00

This is a cheesecake recipe that I have been making for over 20 years,if you follow the recipe to the “T” you won't have any problem, to your thanksgiving dinner recipes and it is also colorful as well as the most wonderful piece of pastry that you ever put in your mouth.

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter or margarine melted

2 pounds cream cheese

1cup sugar

8 ounces sour cream

2 eggs

1cup flour

¾ cup heavy whipping cream

2 cup in total chopped candied cherries red and green raisins, walnuts, candied pineapple

½ cup small chocolate chips

In a 5 quart mixing bowl place 2 pounds of cream cheese and 1 cup granulated sugar and mix on low speed until cream cheese is softened and smooth, place in bowl 8 ounces sour cream and continue mixing until well blended, at this time add 2 eggs, mix for 2 minutes then add 1 cup flour, and 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, mix on second speed until your cheesecake batter is smooth and creamy. At this time your cheesecake mixture should be fluffy like ice cream as it comes out of the ice cream machine.

Add the candied fruit, raisins, walnuts, pine apple, chocolate chips, fold everything together.

Prepare your 10 inch x 2 inches spring form pan, in a large bowl place your graham cracker crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar, and your melted butter or margarine, then with a wire whisk, whisk them together until well combined, brush onto the sides of your spring form pan a little softened butter so the crumbs have something to hold to, place the crumbs on the sides and bottom of the pan.

Now you add slowly to the pan your cheesecake mix as not to disturb the crumbs too much, now you should have a full pan.

The total weight of the cheesecake with the crumbs on the sides should be 5 to 5-1/4 pounds if you have some batter leftover just chill it, put some whip cream on it and enjoy.

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees and not more, when your oven is hot place the cheesecake in it and bake for 55 minutes then shut off the oven and let it in there for 3 hours, at the end of this time you should have the most beautiful cheesecake you ever seen, let the cheesecake on the table for 1 1/2 hours then place it in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours. Now remove it from the pan and it’s done. But you can serve these simple and easy dessert recipes in any occasion or maybe at your kids at home.

Pumpkin Pie Recipes on Thanksgiving Day

2009-02-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin pie recipes are traditionally considered a holiday food and are a staple in our kitchen pantries and freezers during that festive time of the year. However, did you know that pumpkin now heralded as one of the ‘Super Foods?’

According to Dr. Steven Pratt, author of Super Foods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, “Well, pumpkin is one of the most nutritionally valuable foods known to man. Moreover, it’s inexpensive, available year round in canned form, incredibly easy to incorporate into your holiday recipes, high in fiber, low in calories, and packs an abundance of disease fighting nutrients.”

What exactly makes pumpkin so super? The powerful antioxidants known as arytenoids give this food its super status. Arytenoids have the ability to ward off the risk of various types of cancer and heart disease, along with, cataracts and macular degeneration. Dr. Pratt mentions many other disease fighting super foods in his book as well, but we are most interested in pumpkin recipes because of the year-round availability and ease of use in canned form.

How can we add this wonder food to our diets throughout the year? Take advantage of the benefits and great taste of pumpkin pie with the following delicious Pumpkin Pie Recipes.

Any day Pumpkin Spiced Muffins

2-1/2 cups flour

1 cup of buttermilk

1 tsp. salt

2-1/4 tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup of pumpkin

Measure flour into bowl and add dry ingredients. Stir in buttermilk and add pumpkin. And Mix them well. Cook on hot griddle or skillet until golden brown.

Pumpkin Spiced Muffins

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

1/4 cup milk

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl cream butter with brown sugar. Beat in eggs, then

Pumpkin and milk. In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, spices, salt and baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

And it’s done! Now you can use these pumpkin pie recipes in your next holiday cooking.