’Tis the Season for Entertaining
As December gatherings and festivities bring the year to a close, people find a special spirit in the cusp of winter. Time spent together may include gift giving, musical selections, movie watching, thanksgiving, holiday parties, spirits and of course, delicious foods. Here are some recipes to bring magic to seasonal celebrations.
Savory Sausage Bites
1 box Red Lobster Biscuit Mix or 2 cups Bisquick
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add the biscuit mix with seasoning pack to a mixing bowl along with ground sausage and freshly grated cheddar cheese. You can use a masher or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the mixture, but it’s best to utilize disposable gloves and mix by hand to ensure everything is well incorporated. Work the mixture until it is fully combined. It may take some time, but it will come together perfectly. Grab a small bit of the ingredients and roll it in your hands to create small 1 ½" balls that are well-formed and compacted.
Line your sausage balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet about ½ inch apart. They will puff up just a bit, but you can still place them fairly close together. You should end up with around 32 cheddar bay sausage balls, which means you may need two trays. Bake for 20–25 minutes
VARIATIONS
Sausage Balls with Cream Cheese – Elevate your sausage ball game by adding 4 ounces of cream cheese to the mixture to make the sausage balls extra cheesy.
Spicy Jalapeño Sausage Balls – Turn up the heat with a spicy variation by adding ½ cup of diced jalapeños to the mix. This version brings a kick of heat to the savory sausage balls, adding a zesty and flavorful twist to your usual snack.
Maple Glazed Sausage Balls – Add a touch of sweetness to your sausage balls with a maple glaze. 2 Tbsp. melted butter and ¼ cup maple syrup creates a sweet mixture to brush over sausage balls after they come out of the oven.
Elegant Gouda Pinwheels
2 sheets (1 package) of Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry
8 slices of gouda
12 thin slices of Boar’s Head Honey Maple Ham
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2–3 Tbsp. fresh spinach minced in food processor
½ cup finely shredded mild cheddar
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a glass bowl, microwave or melt butter and set aside. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Prepare a flat counter surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out two sheets of puff pastry side by side. Brush 1 tsp. of Dijon mustard onto each. Place six slices of ham on each sheet. Cover with four slices of gouda over the ham. Sprinkle the spinach over the gouda. Then sprinkle ¼ c. mild cheddar over each of these. Roll into a log lengthwise and cut into 1" pinwheels. Place pinwheels on a prepared baking sheet and brush each pinwheel with the butter. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Shortbread Jingle Bells
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature (plus more to butter the pan)
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp. almond or vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
4 tsp. Christmas-colored nonpareils
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8-inch pan, then line with parchment paper, pressing the sides and corners to stick. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and extract at medium speed until creamy, about 1–2 minutes. Add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed until well mixed. Stir in the nonpareils until evenly distributed.
Use your hands to knead 4 to 5 times to form a dough ball. Transfer the dough to the lined pan and press evenly into the bottom. Use the parchment paper to lift the dough from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the dough into ½-inch square pieces (a pizza cutter works well). Place the squares ½ inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet; discard parchment paper. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until bottoms just begin to brown.
Notes: If the dough is too dry, add a splash of milk until the mixture comes together. Don’t add too much. Make sure your butter is at room temperature. Too soft, and the cookies will spread. Too cold and the dough will be too dry.
White Christmas Margarita
2 oz. 100% apple cider
2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 ½ cup Jose Cuervo gold
¾–1 oz. Grand Mariner or Cointreau
Sea salt for the rim of glasses
Lime wedge to rim glasses for salt
Cinnamon sticks for garnish
Note: Can be easily doubled or quadrupled for a group to enjoy
Pour sea salt onto a small plate. Swipe a lime wedge along the rim of each cocktail glass, turning glass upside down and gently pressing into the plate salt. Scoop ice in the glasses so they are about ¾ full, and squeeze the rest of the lime wedge over the ice. Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shake filled with ice; shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain ice and pour the Friendsgiving Margarita into the prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with a whole cinnamon stick.
Irish Caramel Coffee
1 oz. caramel vodka
2 oz. Irish Cream (Baileys or St. Brendan’s)
6 oz. freshly brewed coffee
Whipped cream topping
Smucker’s or Ghirardelli caramel to drizzle over the whipped cream
Pour caramel vodka in a coffee mug or tall glass. Add the coffee and Irish Cream. Top with whipped cream. Lightly drizzle the caramel over the whipped cream topper.