What are some simple holiday foods that my guests will think are amazing?

Question

Last year was the first year I did anything "holiday" away from my family. All of my guests really loved what I did, but I'm afraid this year will be exactly the same. I need something other than chease cake and toffie. New candy recipies would be great, and anything that looks really neat, but that someone without a tone of kitchen equipment can do.

Answer 1

Try a oreo truffel. Take a package of oreo cookies and but them in you food processor until they are fine crumbs then add 8 oz of soft cream cheese. It will form the center of your truffle. Melt semi sweet chocolate morsels. Roll the truffle center into the chocolate and put in the fridge. I use this recipe alot when I need something quick but special.

Answer 2

The easist thing in the world to make a holiday meal look elegant and impress your guests is to serve a veggie in a hollowed-out orange rind cup. Just cut an organge in half, and scoop out all the pulp. This can be reserved for flavorings for other dishes. Then you can use a paring knife or grapefruit knife to scallop the edges. If necessary to stabilize it on the plate, you can also trim a little off the bottom, but try hard not to pierce the rind all the way through.

I think the prettiest variation is to fill with buttered peas and garnish with an orange twist on top. You could also fill with a spiced, pureed sweet potato or winter squash (with some of the organge pulp and maybe a dash of maple syrup mixed in) and top with toasted hazelnuts or pecans. Or fill with buttered corn and top with some chopped scallions. The possibilities are endless, and it takes no time or special kitchen equipment at all...

Answer 3

This is a quick and easy recipe for Fantastic Fudge Pie.
1 stick margarine melted, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup self rising flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup walnuts. Mix all ingredients and pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. This is great by itself, or served with a scoop of ice cream, and can also put some chocolate syrup on the ice cream to make it like a hot fudge cake. It is so good and easy to make!

Answer 4

Depending on the holiday, use colored sprinkles for a more festive look.

ESTHER's FUDGE BALLS:
2 1/2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, made into crumbs
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Chocolate Sprinkles
Crush vanilla wafer cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or process in food processor into crumbs and set aside. Stir chocolate chips in a bowl over hot water or use a double boiler; until melted. Stir in corn syrup. Add vanilla, evaporated milk, confectioners sugar, cookie crumbs and nuts and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll into chocolate sprinkles to coat. Place on wax paper to set.

Answer 5

Take a wheel of brie and slice it in half (horizontally). Melt butter, add some finely minced onion and finally flour to make a roux, add a bit of milk and some of the brie (scrape it from the top or bottom of the piece you cut) and stir, add a package of frozen spinach and fresh minced garlic. Wrap it in a Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheet and bake according to the directions.

Answer 6

what I do for is to crunch up a couple of sweet biscuits (eg digestives) at the bottom of each dish, add two balls of icecream then drizzle a little liqueur on top (eg Baileys). The liqueur soaks into the biscuits. It is up to you to choose the flavours of icecreams and suitable liqueur.

another trick is to take vanilla icecream into a large bowl and mix it with a soft jam using a fork, serve with wafers or as above.

fan-shaped sweet wafers make a simple icecream look very neat.

Answer 7

Make rice krispie bars, but use cornflakes and some green dye. Shape them in wreaths, with red-hots for the berries.
Little weenies are always a hit:

melt equal amounts of chili sauce and grape jelly with a couple packs of little smokies. Plus, you can do in crockpot to keep warm.
Another good one is soy-sauce wings:
cook wings (or "drummies) in mix of half soy sauce & half water. Great in crockpot or oven. Good luck!

Answer 8

People are always impressed with home made sushi and its really easy. You could vary the ingredients to make them traditional red and green ie red peppers, cucumbers, avacado, nori - seaweed paper is green ,,,, you get the idea

I have had parties where I prep the nori with rice and have an ingredient bar and allow people to roll thier own and its always a big hit

Answer 9

I always make small cucumber sandwiches...buy a loaf of small dark rye bread, you know the the little ones? Then spread a piece with creem cheese add a slice of cucumber and garnish with a little salt and dill!

Answer 10

dips a layered taco dip the recipe is on the label of Ortega's refried beans or get a platter of subs do the hot wings the recipe is on the bottle of franks wing sauce