Just Christmas | Holiday Resources » Holiday Food

Christmas Resources – Cherry Shortbread Cookies Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:26 +0000

This festive shortbread recipe uses diced cherries in the recipe. The addition of cherries brightens up these buttery cookies and makes them look perfect for holiday giving. Reviews mention using 3/4 of a cup of butter instead of a cup of butter. If you don’t have fresh cherries try dried cherries or dried cranberries, always delicious in baked goods, use them dried or soak in juice to plump them back up before dicing.

Christmas Resources – Cherry Shortbread Cookies Recipe

Christmas Article: Creating The Most Moist Herb Roasted Turkey

XMaspirit — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:00:30 +0000

Every year TV chefs come up with new ideas for the Christmas Lunch, and we lap these up, willing to try anything that will add an extra sparkle to our turkey and make this year’s feast the best one yet.

However not all are successful, sometimes tradition is best, and as chefs search for new twists, we ruin what could have been a perfectly good dinner by following their lead.

Tried and Tested

Here are little bits from each combined, invented, tried and tested by Martina Mercer, not just over the Christmas season but over the entire year to ensure that you feel safe in the knowledge that you will have the best turkey this year, and that turkey will be moist and delicious, not dry and hard to swallow.

The first tip is to buy the bird. Although many people advise against cheap frozen birds in this economic climate, a lot of us can’t afford to splash out on a free range Norfolk black turkey that costs more than our car tax. This recipe will ensure that no matter what bird you use, it will be tasty succulent, and so moist that there will be no leftovers for a turkey stew. (This can be a good or bad thing).

If frozen allow 3 days before Christmas for the turkey to defrost thoroughly. Pick the coldest room in the house, or even the shed if it keeps frosts away, and take a big DIY bucket.

Fill with ice cold water (don’t freeze the turkey again, fridge temperature is best) and then plonk the turkey in.

Now for the Fun

Using herbs from the garden pick as many as are in season as possible, add them to the water along with some fallen apples, pears, anything the garden has left behind. (Make sure they’re thoroughly clean).

Add spices from the larder too, such as star anise, garlic, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg, then leave the turkey to bathe in the cold water for at least twenty four hours.

On Christmas morning remove the turkey and dry thoroughly. Make a herb butter and mix in a good dollop of mascarpone. Add favourite flavour combinations such as lemon and thyme, sage and chive, or rosemary and garlic, and then gently poke under the skin making sure the whole turkey has butter covering it.

Turkey Treat Time!

Give the turkey a treat and massage well as you would a partner, don’t worry about splitting the skin as it’s much tougher than chicken.

Then sit your turkey in a roasting tray on a bed of celery, onions, carrots, garlic and parsnips. Fill will boiling water to the top of the veg (not touching the turkey) and bring to the boil on a stove.

Cover with foil and cook according to taste, remembering to baste every 30 minutes.

When cooked, bring out of the oven and leave to rest for at least an hour, allowing all those lovely juices to permeate and the herbs to do their magic.

You will see that this is the best turkey every created, and guests will want your recipe. It’s up to you whether you share the Martina Mercer secret or not!

About the author: This blog post was written by Martina Mercer. When she is not cooking or tending to her herb plants she can be found at her desk writing about both!

Christmas Resources – Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:00:20 +0000

This mushroom appetizer recipe is ideal for Christmas parties, brunch, or just for your own holiday celebration. The mushroom appetizer also classifies as a vegetarian dish, if you need one this is it. The appetizer recipe calls for stuffing the mushrooms with diced garlic, neufchatel, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses and topped with bread crumbs. With lots of melty cheese paired with mushrooms your guest will eat up this tasty appetizer.

Christmas Resources – Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Christmas Resources – Mushroom Sausage Strata Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:00:32 +0000

Need a hardy brunch dish for the holidays? This mushroom sausage strata recipe will satisfy your guests and make the cook happy too. This recipe can be assembled ahead of time, making your life easier. If you prefer using fresh mushrooms instead of canned mushrooms, slice then cook the mushrooms up in a little olive oil and butter until they carmelize and are no longer watery, cool, then add to your recipe.

Christmas Resources – Mushroom Sausage Strata Recipe

Christmas Resources – Eggnog Ice Cream

XMaspirit — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:00:25 +0000

There are so many things to love about Christmas that it’s hard to narrow it down to a handful of “favorites.” Nevertheless, if we did have to decide which things rank highest on our list, eggnog would certainly be in at least the top ten–if not the top five or less. That thick, creamy beverage just screams “holiday” and brings a smile to the face of everyone who drinks a glass.

While you can generally buy eggnog in the stores only around the holidays, you can enjoy eggnog any time of the year with Eggnog Ice Cream. This tasty treat combines the goodness of eggnog with the yummy-ness of ice cream. Check out the recipe at Annie’s Eats.

Christmas Resources – Eggnog Ice Cream

Christmas Resources – Candy Bar Fudge Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:00:35 +0000

This fun candy bar fudge recipe will make everyone happy during the holidays! The recipe calls for cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar, milk, peanuts, and semisweet and milk chocolate chips. The fudge can be made in the microwave, adding layer after layer of flavor until the fudge is ready to chill and eat.

Christmas Resources – Candy Bar Fudge Recipe

Christmas Resources – Baked Corn Pudding Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:00:45 +0000

This Christmas side dish would be ideal paired with turkey and all the trimmings. The recipe uses whole corn kernels, a can of creamed corn, eggs, sour cream, and Jiffy corn bread mix. Just mix the ingredients, bake in a dish, and serve. This recipe freezes well for leftovers (if you have any), or as a make ahead dish.

Christmas Resources – Baked Corn Pudding Recipe

Christmas Resources – Holiday Layered Dip Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:00:21 +0000

This easy to make dip is colorful for Christmas parties and you can make it ahead as well. The dip uses sour cream cream cheese, pre-fab guacamole, pre-fab bean dip, pre-fab salsa, and olives to make a red and green dip that goes perfectly with tortilla chips.

Christmas Resources – Holiday Layered Dip

Christmas Resources – Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:00:34 +0000

This hot cranberry cider drink is a perfect choice for warming up on cold holiday nights or at your next Christmas party. The recipe calls for apple cider, cranberry juice, and brown sugar, heated with spices like cinnamon stick and whole cloves. The cranberry/apple combination will make this a hot drink to remember during the holidays.

Christmas Resources – Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider Recipe

Christmas Resources – Chocolate Mint Cookie Recipe

XMaspirit — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:00:10 +0000

This chocolate mint cookie recipe is easy and delicious. The yummy cookie recipe calls for dark brown sugar, semisweet chocolate chips, and green mint wafers. If you’d like, use the added recipe to make your own peppermint chocolate for these cookies. Try melting the chocolate on low in short spurts in the microwave to speed up the baking process.

Christmas Resources – Chocolate Mint Cookie Recipe