Christmas Menu Ideas

!±8± Christmas Menu Ideas

Do you need Christmas menu ideas? The festive season can be a lot of fun, especially with all the delicious Christmas chocolates and gourmet foods that are available at this time of year but sometimes it can be hard coming up with an inviting menu that's not going to make you a slave to the kitchen on the big day.

First of all, you need to decide if you want a traditional feast or a modern one. Of course, you can do a mixture of both, if you know your family and guests will enjoy it. That way, there's something for everyone to enjoy, whether it's roast turkey straight from the oven or barbequed prawns and a festive salad.

Cold ham is a delicious yet useful menu item. It's easy to prepare it the day before with a special glaze, such as ginger, maple syrup or cranberry sauce. A glazed ham will definitely have the wow factor and best of all, you won't have to do anything with it except serve it on Christmas Day.

A traditional menu might look like this:

• Roast turkey with stuffing and gravy
• Glazed ham
• Goose fat or duck fat roast potatoes
• Roast pumpkin or parsnip
• Honey roast carrots
• Cranberry sauce
• Christmas pudding with ice-cream

A modern menu might look like this:

• Barbecued prawns
• Festive salad
• Glazed ham
• Gourmet cheese
• Pavlova or tiramisu

Even if you're having a traditional dinner, you may like to swap the pudding for something lighter, such as chocolate mousse, pavlova, or tiramisu. All these desserts are special enough to enjoy on the big day.

Don't forget the nibblies! Think mince pies, spiced nuts, ginger cookies, Christmas cake and home-made truffles.

If you want to give your guests a healthy option, then why not consider making a fresh fruit platter?

The only problem with supplying your guests with delicious gourmet food before the festive lunch or dinner is that they might inadvertently fill up beforehand and then won't be able to do justice to your beautiful meal.

One way to stop this happening is to limit the amount of appetisers available until afterwards. Then you won't feel that your guests were too full to appreciate all your hard work in the kitchen!

If you're lucky, your guests may give you a wine gift. This can come in handy in case you run out of wine while you're entertaining them! Sometimes it can be difficult to work out how much alcohol you'll need: some people may drink more than others, while some guests will limit themselves to one glass of wine.

It's a good idea to cater for people who don't drink alcohol - a non-alcoholic fruit punch may even tempt the drinkers!

If you give yourself plenty of time to plan the menu for your festive lunch or dinner, then you'll find that it won't be so stressful to cater for your friends and family on the big day.

Christmas Menu Ideas

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Brownie Recipe for Chocolate Lovers

!±8± Brownie Recipe for Chocolate Lovers

This is an easy brownie recipe you are sure to make again and again. These brownies are very rich and chocolatey and not too sweet. They are bound to win any chocoholic's heart.

If you prefer your brownies a bit on the sweeter side, increase the amount of sugar to 2 cups.

Makes 20 to 24 brownies

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray or grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

Place the chocolate and the butter in a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on 80 percent power for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If the chocolate is still lumpy after a minute of stirring, microwave again in 10-second increments, until it is completely smooth after stirring.

Add the sugar, then the eggs and vanilla, stirring thoroughly to make sure the eggs are completely incorporated. Stir in the salt, then the flour, just until the flour is completely incorporated.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the brownies no longer look wet in the center.

Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely, then cut into bars.

Brownie Recipe for Chocolate Lovers

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Wisconsin Wildlife Breakfast Heirloom Gift Basket

!±8±Wisconsin Wildlife Breakfast Heirloom Gift Basket

Brand : Wisconsinmade
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Post Date : Dec 03, 2011 08:02:46
Usually ships in 2-3 business days

Enjoy a northern Wisconsin breakfast with this Wisconsin Wildlife Breakfast Basket. The 10 inch Heirloom gift basket is filled with Pure Wisconsin Maple Syrup in a unique etched deer bottle 8.45 oz, all natural Buckwheat Pancake Mix 6 oz, all natural Raspberry Pancake Mix, fresh roasted Headwaters Blend Coffee 8 oz. and Maple Sugar Candy 1.75 oz. We roast our coffee as it is ordered, one pound at a time. Now that is fresh! This Heirloom gift basket is hand-woven by skilled Wisconsin artisans using maple wood from the great lakes region.. This would be a great gift for dad. On rare occasions, or during warm weather, a product of equal or greater value may be substituted if a listed product becomes unavailable or is unsuitable for shipping.

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