Holiday Cocktails

Hope you are in festive spirits this holiday season. Passing along a few recipes for fun and celebratory cocktails. Enjoy.

Christmas Jones

5 fresh strawberries
1 part vodka
2 teaspoons superfine sugar
5 ounces of pineapple juice
Lime-flavored soda
Mint sprigs for garnish
In a blender, whiz the vodka, strawberries, sugar and pineapple juice together. Pour the mix equally into two champagne flutes. Top with 7-Up, and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Grinch
3 ounces of Midori
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon simple syrup (equal parts of water and sugar simmered together)
1 maraschino cherry for garnish
Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Mistletoe Martini

3 ounces of vodka
2 ounces of orange juice
3 ounces of cranberry tea, chilled
3/4 ounce of lemon juice
3 teaspoons of sugar
Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into two chilled cocktail glasses.

Candy Cane

1 ounce of berry-flavored vodka
3/4 ounce of Peppermint Schnapps
3/4 ounce of white Crème de Cacao
1/4 ounce of grenadine
Half and half
Soda water
Pour the vodka, Peppermint Schnapps, white Creme de Cacao and grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Pour into a cocktail glass rimmed with crushed peppermint candy (but don't let the ice get into the glasses). Fill with half and half and top with soda water.

Tasty Holiday Recipes for a Cozy Evening In

Hope you are enjoying the splendor of the holiday season, and have the time to step back and take a breath when you need it too. Wanted to pass along recipes for a few tasty treats that are all easy to prepare and quite tasty - enjoy.

Fig, Gorgonzola and Rosemary Bites

8 to 12 dried figs

3 to 4 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese, in crumbles

2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the stems of the figs and make a slit in the side of each fig. Push a piece of Gorgonzola into each fig. Place in a bowl and toss gently with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Heat in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cheese melts, and enjoy. Fabulous paired with a nice Pinot Noir.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

2 pounds small-medium Brussel sprouts

6 slices bacon

1 teaspoon butter

Kosher or sea salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse Brussel sprouts in a large colander and drain. Trim off the small stem on the bottom of each sprout and cut into halves. Cook bacon in medium frying pan until fat is rendered and the bacon is browned but not quite crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Once the bacon has cooled a bit, cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat. Return pan to medium high heat and add butter to the bacon fat. Add the halved Brussel sprouts to the frying pan and toss to coat in the oil. Add the bacon to the Brussel sprouts and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to toss and cook on the stove for another 2-3 minutes until the sprouts start taking on a bit of a golden brown color. Transfer into a 400 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes or until sprouts are golden brown and slightly soft. Delicious with an unoaked Chardonnay or a lighter-body red wine.

Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cinnamon and Cardamom
1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom spice
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 cooking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons dried cranberries or raisins
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pork tenderloin in a roasting pan or casserole dish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir. Spoon the apple mixture around the pork tenderloin. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and spoon the apple mixture over the tenderloin. Return to the oven and bake without a cover for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until pork tenderloin is browned and cooked through.

Grilled Peaches

4 peaches

4 tablespoons of lemon juice

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Peel and halve peaches, and place in a plastic bag with one tablespoon of lemon juice and set aside. Boil remaining lemon juice with vinegar and sugar on medium high, until reduced by about half. Place peaches cut side down on a grill pan or rack which is lightly coated with cooking oil spray. Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn over and baste with lemon mixture. Cook 3 minutes on second side and serve. Great with ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Tasty Sides for a Fun and Festive Thanksgiving

Hope you have some fun Thanksgiving plans to look forward to. My favorite holiday of the year, I certainly am quite excited about it. Either way, wanted to pass along a couple of my favorite sides dishes. Please enjoy.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta (Italian Bacon)

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces paper-thin slices pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Partially cook the Brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 4 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Butternut Squash with Pecans and Gorgonzola Cheese

4.5 pounds butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 stalks fresh thyme or

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup pecans, roasted in a dry pan for 4 minutes on medium heat

1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Halve the squash, leaving the skin on, and scoop out the seeds, then cut into 1-inch cubes; you don't need to be precise just keep the pieces uniformly small. Put into a roasting tin with the oil and strip about 4 stalks thyme of their leaves, sprinkling over the butternut squash. Roast in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes or until tender. Once out of the oven, remove the squash to a bowl and scatter over the pecans and crumble over the cheese tossing everything together gently. Check the seasoning and add the last couple of stalks of thyme torn into small sprigs to decorate.

Cranberry and Goat Cheese Side

2 cans of jellied cranberry sauce

1 8 ounce log of good goat cheese

Chopped walnuts, roasted

1 teaspoon of good olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

Arugula for garnish

This dish really couldn't be simpler, but the flavor combination really works well. Arrange the arugula on a long serving dish. Sprinkle with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Slice the the cranberry jelly in each can into 10 slices. It can be easier to start from the middle and slice your way toward the sides. Arrange on a long serving dish. Slice the log of goat cheese into thick but uniform slices, and put one piece of cheese in between each cranberry slice. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet for a few minutes on medium heat, until you can smell their aroma. Roughly chop the almonds and sprinkle over the dish. Enjoy.