Christmas Party Recipes

Arrange watercress on a serving platter.
Christmas Theme Ideas
Thinly sliced white, wheat, or rye bread (crust removed). Cut bread into fancy shapes ( stars, diamonds, circles, bells, etc.) with cookie cutters. Spread with cream cheese or cheese spread, top with one of the assorted seafood's. Garnish with additional cream cheese put through a pastry tube. Add bits of pimiento, green pepper, or ripe or stuffed olives.

Assorted seafood's ( whitefish, smoked salmon, salmon caviar, sardines, pickled herring, cooked lobster tail, or king crab).

Holiday Punch Recipes

Lime Punch

4- 6 oz. cans frozen limeade concentrate
4 bottles (12 oz. each) lemon-lime soda, chilled
6 cups water
2 cups lime sherbet

Mix limeadee concentrate, cold water in large punch bowl. Slowly add lemon-lime soda. Spoon scoops of sherbet into bowl. Serve immediately. About 30 1/2 cup servings.

Cranberry Punch

2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
1 can ( 6-oz.) lemonade concentrate (thawed)
1 quart sparkling water, chilled

Combine cranberry juice cocktail and lemonade concentrate in large punch bowl, gradually add 1 quart sparking water, just before serving. Stir. Serve immediately. Makes about 25 1/2 cup servings.

Decorating Holiday Cookies

Prepare dough as directed for your favorite Sugar Cookies recipe. After rolling out dough, cut into assorted shapes with cookie cutters or cut around a pattern traced from a coloring book page. If desired, cut small appliques of dough and press on cookies. Cookies can be decorated before baking using this Baked On Decorators' Frosting or afterwards with a Creamy Decorators' Frosting. Use colored sugars, sprinkles and nonpareils and your imagination!

Baked-On Decorators' Frosting

Mix 1/3 cup all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened, until smooth. Stir in 1-1/2 tsp. hot water and, if desired, 2 or 3 drops food color. Place in decorators' tube with #3 writing tip. Outline, write or make designs on unbaked rolled cookies. Bake cookies as directed in recipe. Cool; store carefully, separating layers of cookies with waxed paper. Enough for 2-3 dozen cookies.

Creamy Decorators' Frosting

Beat 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and about 1 tablespoon water or 1 to 2 tablespoons half-and-half until smooth and of spreading consistency. Tint with food color if desired. Enough for 3-5 dozen cookies.

Vegetables

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cooked (hot)
1 8 - oz. pkg. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt

In large mixer bowl, mash hot potatoes until all lumps are removed. Add cream cheese in small pieces. Add butter. Beat well until cheese and butter are melted and completely mixed. Mix in sour cream. Add eggs and salt to the milk, then beat into the potato mixture until light and fluffy. Place in greased casserole dish.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 8 to 12 servings. Can be made ahead and frozen so there is no potato fuss on the day of a special meal; adjust cooking time. Note: To make this recipe low-fat, use nonfat cream cheese, skim milk, low-fat sour cream, low-fat margarine and use only the egg whites or egg substitutes.

Tips and Recipes to Ease Meal Planning During Holiday Hustle and Bustle

(ARA) - Whether tackling last-minute shopping, trimming the tree, baking sugar cookies for your kid's classroom, or heading off to a company holiday party, the festive, yet hectic, holiday season is upon us. Cooking homemade meals can certainly be a challenge during these busy times - and it's tempting to order in pizza or race through the drive-thru in between the holiday pageant rehearsal and your aunt's annual cookie swap.

However, by adhering to some simple tips and keeping a collection of easy recipes at your disposal, you and your family can enjoy delicious meals round-the-clock while allowing you to slow down and enjoy the special holiday season with your family. King's Hawaiian, the nation's leading and original baker of Hawaiian sweet breads and dinner rolls, has developed the following tips and recipes for you to create "ease like an island breeze" when tackling the hectic needs of your holiday schedule.

* Create a Weekly Meal Planning Calendar - Each week, sit down and review your family's schedule, plan out your menu for the week and let your plan be the basis for your shopping list. You'll know that you have all the ingredients at your disposal to satisfy your family and friends' hearty appetites. And, you'll be able to put more money in your Christmas shopping fund as fewer trips to the store means less budget-hindering impulse buys!

* Keep a Well-Stocked Kitchen - Make sure that your kitchen is stocked with all the essentials - from eggs, milk, and cheese, to pantry staples such as pasta, sugar and holiday spices. Also, select recipes that only feature a few ingredients and take advantage of your pantry. King's Hawaiian offers an array of recipes at kingshawaiian.com that are six ingredients or less and require as few as three steps - make it easy on yourself!

* Know When to Use Convenience Foods - Supermarkets nowadays are filled with a variety of healthful convenience foods that can ease meal preparation. Stop by the deli and you'll find that most supermarkets have meal-deal programs allowing you to buy pre-cooked turkey, fried chicken or rotisserie chicken with side dishes and King's Hawaiian dinner rolls. For sweets, purchase some packaged sugar cookie dough, as well as red and green candies and icing - you'll be armed for any quick holiday dinner party dessert!

* Two-for-One Deal - In many cases, preparing one meal is just as easy as making two, so double your recipes for mealtime ease. For instance, if making spaghetti meat sauce one evening, use that same sauce in eggplant parmesan later that week. Or, shred tonight's leftover pork roast for spicy pulled-pork sandwiches, a fun Saturday lunch with the kids.

* Make Room for Nibbles - The holiday season is notoriously filled with late-nights and surprise drop-by guests. Stock your kitchen with easy-to-serve, but elegant, snacks, such as artisan cheese, marinated olives, quick bread mixes or frozen mini desserts. To pair with turkey or ham leftovers, keep an ample supply of King's Hawaiian dinner rolls for quick snacks or mini-sandwich platters (they're offered now in four flavors for different pairings: Original Recipe, Honey Wheat, 100 Percent Whole Wheat and Savory Butter).

King's Hawaiian bread and rolls are a holiday staple that is a delicious accompaniment or ingredient at any holiday gathering. To help in the holiday hustle, they've developed following quick and easy recipes using everyday pantry staples and only a few fresh ingredients, so that a delicious homemade creation can be prepared at a moment's notice. Whether it's an impromptu brunch, a late-night snack or a family Sunday dinner, these recipe solutions will steer you from "holiday humbug syndrome" to holiday island-style paradise.

King's Hawaiian Original Recipe French Toast
1 loaf King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Slice bread crosswise so that each slice is about 1-inch thick. Cut slices in half. Combine remaining ingredients. Quickly dip slices (do not soak) in egg mixture and cook on hot buttered or oiled griddle until golden brown on both sides.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

King's Hawaiian Grilled Aloha Ham Sandwich
4 (3/4 inch) center slices King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread
8 slices (4 oz.) cheddar cheese
6 oz. shaved deli ham
4 slices canned pineapple, drained

Place 2 slices of cheese side by side on 2 slices of bread; top with ham. Layer 2 pineapple slices side by side over ham, then add remaining cheese. Top with remaining bread slices.

Cook over medium heat on a grooved stovetop indoor grill until cheese is melted, turning once. Cut each sandwich in half; serve hot.

Makes 2 servings.

King's Hawaiian Island Coconut Bars
1 loaf King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Lightly coat cookie sheet with nonstick spray (do not use dark metal pan). Set aside.

Form bars: Remove crust from loaf. Cut loaf horizontally into 4 layers. Leaving layers stacked, make 3 vertical cuts down through loaf, about 2 inches apart. Turn loaf one-quarter and cut again vertically in half. Each resulting bar will be about 4 X 2 X 1/2 inches.

Pour milk and coconut into two separate shallow pans. Dip one cut side of bread bar into milk to coat. Press same side of bar into coconut. Transfer to baking sheet with coated side facing up. Repeat with remaining pieces.

Bake in center of pre-heated 375 F oven for 10 to 11 minutes or until top and bottoms are lightly golden brown; watch carefully. Immediately remove from pan and cool.

Makes 32 bars.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Holiday Banquet Basics

(ARA) - Gone are the days of scanning the barnyard for the fattest fowl on the farm. Nowadays, turkeys come frozen, thawed, pre-cooked, organic, smoked, fried, glazed, sliced and diced. Despite the luxuries today, the pressure's still on to plan ahead for a memorable, home-cooked holiday feast. Getting started, you'll want to make sure to have these essentials on hand:

Roaster

Need a roaster? Porcelain-on-steel or "Graniteware" roasters are easy to find, generally inexpensive and conduct heat evenly. Tests have shown these dark roasters help evenly brown your bird. As an added benefit, the roaster can be used again and again for many other meats. Check the measurement of your oven cavity so you can be sure the roaster will fit.

Cooking Thermometer

This is an inexpensive necessity to ensure everyone enjoys the meal and stays healthy. Most experts recommend serving the turkey after it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.

Baster

Basters can be found just about anywhere, though you'll need to look for one with a large bulb that will hold a large amount of fluids. A large, heavy-duty baster will help you save time, retain moisture and lock in the best flavors.

Serving Platter

There's no right choice for a serving platter other than personal choice. Platters come in many shapes, sizes and designs. Your platter, whether square, oval or round should be large enough to hold the turkey with some wiggle room and a sloped edge to hold already-sliced servings. Consider an oven-safe platter so that leftovers can be reheated easily.

Carving Knife

While knives are common in the kitchen, you'll need one that will work best with turkey. Serrated knives tear the meat, for example. An 8- to 10-inch carving knife with a thin, flexible blade will result in the most evenly cut slices.

Carving Board

Whether the cutting board is wood, plastic or other surface, make sure it has a deep gully around the board to catch juices. A textured cutting surface will keep meats from slipping as you cut.

Sauce Pan

"What, no gravy?" You'll need a sauce pan to take full advantage of all the tasty drippings from your fancy fowl. Make sure the lid fits properly to prevent too much pressure from forming inside a too-tight seal.

Gravy Boat

All aboard! You'll show your attention to detail by placing a gravy boat and saucer on your finely set table. It doesn't even need to look like a boat. You can improvise, too, with a small or medium pitcher that has an easy-pour spout.

Even if you're not planning a big holiday meal, these kitchen tools make great gifts for those who do the cooking! Ask your hosts if they need any of these items and you'll likely be on next year's guest list, too! Be sure to check www.cookware.org for more information on cookware, bake ware and other kitchen basics.

Courtesy of ARA Content