Holiday and Christmas Recipes:
New Year's Eve Buffet

Nan's Slush
Champagne Punch
Reuben Dip
Roasted Olives with Garlic and Fennel
Fondue-Style Cheese-Stuffed Puffs
Sausage Bites
Just About Everything Cheese Ball
Raspberry-Camembert Spread
Crudite Tray
New Year's Pretzel (sweet roll)

Nan's Slush

2 c. sugar
2 c. water
2 c. cherry vodka
12 oz. frozen orange juice
12 oz. lemon juice
Squirt (grapefruit soda) or 7-Up

Bring sugar and water to boil, simmer for 15 minutes. (Opt., add 4 tea bags, then remove.) Cool. Add juices, defrosted and undiluted. Add vodka and stir well. Pour into a 13x9" pan, freeze. When serving, fill glass 1/2 full of slush, fill up with soda pop.

Champagne Punch

This used to be served at most of the Junior Woman's Club Christmas parties.

Champagne Cocktails

6 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 large can unsweetened pineapple juice
1 bottle Rhine wine
2 bottles extra dry champagne
Orange slices
Maraschino cherries
Ice

Refrigerate all ingredients so that they are well chilled. Combine lemonade, pineapple juice and wine in punch bowl. Add a block of ice or ice ring. Pour in champagne; garnish with fruit. Makes 50 cups.

Can also put fruit in the ice ring.

Reuben Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. sour cream
12 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
15 oz. can sauerkraut, drained
8 oz. corned beef, chopped

Mix all ingredients, combining well. Warm on medium power in microwave until cheese melts (but is not too hot). Serve with rye crackers or pumpernickel or rye party bread.

Roasted Olives with Fennel and Lemon

8 oz. imported black olives such as Alfonso, Gaeta or Kalamata
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 lemon, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 c. olive oil
A pinch of crushed red pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F. In an 8" baking pan, spread the olives, lemon, and garlic. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the fennel seeds and red pepper.   Bake for 45 minutes, stirring the olives at least 3 times. Serve warm, or refrigerate. This will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Note: I omit the red pepper, and have been know to add a few orange slices with the lemon... Also, I go to our Strip District (produce district heaven outside Pittsburgh...<G>) and buy a couple lb. all sorts of Greek olives etc. for this. Even folks who don't like black olives will eat this and ask for more.

Fondue-Style Cheese-Stuffed Puffs

3/4 c. water
1/3 c. butter (NO substitutes)
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. flour
3 eggs
1/3 c. finely snipped dried tart cherries
5 oz. Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Line two baking sheets with foil; grease foil. Set aside. Combine water, butter, garlic salt and nutmeg in medium saucepan. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball.

Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating dough well with a wooden spoon after each addition until smooth. Stir in cherries. Drop dough by small spoonfuls into 48 mounds on prepared sheets.

Cut cheese into 48 cubes, each about 1/2" square. Place a cube in the center of each mound, pressing in slightly. Bake at 400F, about 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 48.

To make ahead: Prepare and bake as directed. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Place in freezer containers and freeze up to 1 month. To reheat, place frozen puffs on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350F., 10 minutes, or until heated through. OR, prepared as directed by do not bake. Freeze cheese-stuffed mounds on baking sheets about 1 hr. or until solid. Remove from foil and place in freezer container. Freeze up to 1 month. To bake, place on baking sheets lined with greased foil. Bake at 400F., about 18 minutes, or  until golden brown.

Sausage Bites

1 egg, slightly beaten
1 lb. ground pork sausage
1/2 c. finely crushed saltine crackers
1/3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. vinegar
1 T. good soy sauce

In mixer bowl, combine egg, sausage, crackers, milk and sage. Beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Shape into 1 1/2" balls.  Mixture will be soft - wet your hands to shape easier.  In skillet, brown meat on all sides, shaking pan occasionally to prevent sticking. Pour off the excess fat. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the meatballs.
Cover and cook, simmer over low heat, 15 minutes. To serve, keep hot in chafing dish. Makes about 3 dozen meatballs.
This cheese ball recipe makes a LOT, goes a long way. Really different and delicious.

Just About Everything Cheese Ball

2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 oz. jar chopped pimentos, undrained
2 T. sweet pickle relish
10 slices bacon
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
Dash salt
Dash pepper
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
Crackers

Have cheeses at room temperature. Cook bacon, drain and crumble. In processor, beat cream cheese and sour cream until fluffy. Beat in Swiss and Cheddar, onion, pimentos, relish, 1/2 the bacon, 1/2 c. pecans, salt and pepper. Cover and chill until firm. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl. Turn cheese mixture onto a clean sheet of wax paper or foil. Roll cheese ball in mixture to coat. Wrap in foil and chill. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before serving with crackers.

Notes: If you use a mixer instead of a processor, make sure the onion is finely chopped. You can also make 2 small balls instead of one large. (I added too much relish one time, and ended up with a spread instead of a cheese ball - still tasted good.

Raspberry-Camembert Spread

10 oz. pkg. raspberries, thawed and drained
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed and softened
8 oz. Camembert, rind removed and cubed
1/4 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
pear and apple slices

Combine first 3 ingredients in processor with knife blade, process until smooth. Add nuts and pulse until well blended.  Spoon into serving crock or bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving with red and green pear and apple slices.

Hint: Dip fruit slices in small bowl of water and lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

New Year's Pretzels

2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
2 pkg. active dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
7 c. flour
2 large eggs
1 c. powdered sugar
1 T. water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
1/4 c. almonds or walnuts, chopped

 Heat milk and butter until very warm. Mix yeast, salt, sugar, and 1 c. flour. Slowly beat warm milk into yeast mixture. Beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs and 1 c. of flour. Beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and let rise again until doubled. (1 hour more). Divide dough in half.

Shape pretzel: Roll dough into a rope about 30" long and 1 1/2" in diameter. Cross the ends leaving a large loop in the center. Flip loop back onto crossed ends to form a pretzel. Repeat with remaining dough. Place pretzels on greased baking sheets. Let rise 15 minutes more. Bake at 375F.  for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Mix powdered sugar, water and vanilla to form a thin icing. Spread icing on pretzels and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Makes 2 large pretzels.