I'm excited to welcome the holiday season. No stressful shopping for me! I'd rather be at the grocery store collecting all of my goodies for holiday entertaining. The best gift I can give is a homemade meal made from the heart. It's a great feeling to create a festive ambiance along with a delicious meal for my guests. I love the all of the smells in the house while preparing the food and the warmth it brings. Whether it's a hosted dinner with friends or a Christmas brunch with your family there are a lot of ways that you can make the event special.
Start with a well thought out menu. My best advice is to prepare, prepare, prepare! Choose entrées that allow you to prepare most tasks ahead of time. This will be a huge benefit for you the day you are hosting. I added a recipe that is great for holiday entertaining...
Standing Rib Roast with Horseradish Chive and Mushroom Wine Sauce
You can't go wrong with a tasty beef dish for your guests. It makes a beautiful centerpiece and is easy to prepare. The recipe has two sauce options that can both be prepared before your guests arrive.
A great salad that goes well with a beef dinner is Caesar Salad. The home made dressing can be prepared up to two days before. The lettuce can be washed, dried, and chopped the night before and the parmesan cheese can be shredded and stored. The only task left to do the day of is to make the croutons and assemble the salad while your guests arrive.
Caesar Salad
A new recipe was added to the sweet cravings section. My favorite pastry of the Middle East...Baklava. Deliciously crisp and golden phyllo dough layers with a walnut center held together with a sweet syrup. Inspired by my grandmothers talent for making the world's best baklava I attempted to make it on my own. Don't be afraid of phyllo dough. If you handle it gently it will work with you. You may run into a few tears in the dough but don't worry, the butter will keep it together. Baklava can be made up to two days before and stored in an airtight container. Serve it with tea after dinner. Your guests will taste the difference in this homemade Baklava, it's a delight!
Baklava
Happy Holidays!