Poinsettia Cocktail
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup Champagne
1/2 cup cranberry juice
Crushed ice
2 strips orange zest, each about 1/4-inch wide and 2 inches long
Combine the vodka, Champagne and juice in a large-stemmed red wine glass. Add crushed ice and stir until the mixture is well chilled. Twist the orange strips over the glass, drop them in, and serve.
courtesy of FoodNetwork
Fudge Wreath
Unsalted butter, softened
12oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
14oz can sweetened condensed milk (save the can)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8oz walnuts, plus more for topping
½ cup raisins or dried currants
Candied red and green cherries (optional)
Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with softened butter. Pour the chocolate and butterscotch chips, condensed milk and vanilla into a medium saucepan. Put the pan on the stove and turn the heat to low.
Cover the empty condensed-milk can with plastic wrap and put it in the center of the round cake pan.
Stir the chips and milk until they melt together, about 3 minutes. Have a GH (Grown-up Helper) move the pan off the stove if it’s too heavy. Place the pan on a pot holder so it does not burn the kitchen counter. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
Scoop the fudge into the cake pan all around the plastic-covered can in the center to form a wreath or ring shape. Let it be all bumpy and funky on top. Keep pushing the can back to the center if the fudge moves it away from there.
Cut the red cherries in half with scissors and the green cherries into quarters. Use the green pieces to make leaves and the red to make holly berries. Decorate the fudge with several groups of holly berry sprigs made from the cherries and garnish with walnuts between the sprigs. (The fudge looks good left plain, too!)
Put the fudge in the fridge and chill until firm. Remove the can from the center, then loosen the sides and bottom of the fudge with a spatula. Cut the fudge into thin slices to serve.
courtesy of Kat Jensen
This Years Holiday Cocktail Search
The search is on for our holiday beverage of choice for this year.
We are going to a party for New Years, (who isn’t) and want to bring the minimal amount of ingredients. It has to be refreshing, since get together’s and alcohol tend to make you rather warm, and no sweet drinks.
So its a toss up between Gingerbling , Poinsettia Cocktail, tried and true Cosmopolitan , and my ALL time fav Lemon Drop Martini
Now its off to the store to buy the ingredients and give them a test run before the party
