Holiday Apps

Shrimp Cocktail: Shrimp Cocktail does not need much explaining. After all, it's really just some fresh shrimp and cocktail sauce. The fun factor in serving shrimp cocktail is in the presentation. For our holiday party last night, I served it up with a touch of simple Christmas spirit. All you need is, shrimp, cocktail sauce (we bought a pre-made one from Fresh Market- very good!), crushed ice, cranberries, rosemary, margarita glasses, and a small serving dish for the sauce. The cranberries and rosemary are for garnish only. First, put some cranberries in the margarita glass to fill the neck of the glass, then add crushed ice to keep the shrimp chilled. Place the shrimp hanging over the edge of the glass. Then, add a couple sprigs of rosemary along with cranberries in the center of ice, for final touch.

BLT Bites: Last night, hands down, the absolute favorite of apps was the bread-less BLT bites. This is an easy recipe, looks cute, and people LOVE! All you need is one bag of pre-shedded lettuce (or shred yourself), 1lb of bacon, about 1 cup of mayo, 2-3 packages of campari tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the insides. Cook the bacon and chop or break up into small bacon bits. Mix the lettuce, mayo, and bacon all together. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Lastly, stuff the tomatoes and top with a sprinkle of the bacon crumbles. You may want to add a little more mayo depending on how much mayo you like. You will have enough filling for about 22 tomatoes. 

Cream Cheese Roll Ups: Cream cheese roll ups have been a favorite in the Bernard house for a long time. Another, very simple recipe to make. You can add more ingredients to this recipe to doctor it up a bit' more, but usually we stick to using a few ingredients. You need 1 package of cream cheese, one bunch of scallions or green onions (chopped small), 1 lime for juice only, and a pack of 8 large flour tortillas. Mix the cream cheese, lime juice, and chopped green onions all together. Spread over entire surface of tortilla and then roll tortilla. Cut the tortilla into about 3 or 4 pieces, then serve with side of fresh salsa. So easy!

Pasta Salad: Pasta salad is an easy app or side dish, year round. At Christmas, it is fun to make with holiday pasta. You can usually find at grocery stores, or even Homegoods, packs of tri-color festive holiday pasta. For this recipe you will need 1 bag of pasta, 1 bottle of Italian dressing, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes, 3/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, 1/3 lb of chopped Genoa ham, and 1 package of mini mozzarella balls quartered. After pasta is cooked and chilled, mix all ingredients together. Serve cold. The kids will love the Christmas tree or Santa pasta. It adds color and punch to the table of food. 

What is your favorite app to serve at the holidays? Would love more ideas for Christmas Eve!?? xo RCN

Brunswick Stew

It's tradition in the Nord household to cook Brunswick Stew following Thanksgiving. We use as many Thanksgiving leftovers as possible to make up this southern soup. The stew is absolutely delicious and flavorful in many ways. There is a little bit' of sweetness, spiciness, saltiness and smokiness. There are quite a few ingredients, but the meat, potatoes and corn come from leftovers, and most of the remaining ingredients are common kitchen spices. This recipe is also great to make following other holiday meal gatherings. The day after Christmas would be an excellent time to make Brunswick, assuming you may have some ham leftovers. You can freeze it, store it, and even ship it. Zach's Dad packed us up a frozen wrapped container to travel with us back to Miami after our Jersey Thanksgiving. No spills or leaks in the suitcase! It tasted just as wonderful, miles away from where it was originally crafted and cooked. There are many versions of the recipe out there online. Our stew recipe comes from Uncle Malcolm. Hope you enjoy! xo RCN

Brunswick Stew

In large pot, combine the following over low heat:

1/2 Cup Butter

3 Cups Chicken or Turkey

3 Cups Diced Potatoes

2 Cups Pork or Ham

1 Cup Diced Onion

2 Cans Swanson Chicken Broth

2 Cups Stewed Diced Tomatoes

1 Can of Corn (can be frozen)

1 Can of Peas (can be frozen)

1/4 Cup of Liquid Smoke

In a large sauce pan combine the following over medium heat:

1/4 Cup Butter

1 3/4 Cups Heinz Ketchup

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Yellow Mustard

1/4 Cup White Vinegar

2 Tbls Worcestershire

1-2 Tbls Tabasco

1 Tbsl of Liquid Smoke

1 1/2 tsp of Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp of Crushed Red Pepper

1 1/2 tsp of Minced Garlic

1 tsp of Black Pepper

Once the sauce is hot, pour into the large pot and simmer until potatoes are tender. Recipe makes enough for a large family, second helpings included.

Open Face Prosciutto And Pear Sliders

Not only is this recipe delicious, but super simple. You can double or triple as needed if you have a large crowd, or do what I do and serve this as is for a dinner for two.  Works great if you are feeding only a few people as an appetizer, especially if you are serving other apps on the menu.

What you need:

1/4-1/2 lb of thinly sliced prosciutto from deli (I love Whole Foods Market options)

1 Bosc pear

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 small bag or box of baby arugula (this will be more than enough)

Balsamic glaze

8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese (you will not use entire container)

1 French baguette

Ground pepper to taste

Cut bread into 1/2" slices.  Toast in toaster or conventional oven for a few minutes until the bread browns or feels crunchy to the touch.  While the bread toasts, cut the pair in thin slices from top to bottom and then halve them.  Place olive oil on medium heat in medium size saucepan.  As pan heats add pear slices until they cook and are softened.  Be sure to turn heat down to low as oil gets hot and be careful the pear edges do not burn too quickly- they do heat up fast! Remove pears from heat.  Spread a schmear of cream cheese on toasted baguette slices and then place 1-2 pear pieces on top.  Fold and fit a half slice of prosciutto.  You can always add a little more meat to each piece once you add the half slices to every piece of bread.  Top each slider with a few pieces of baby arugula and then drizzle the balsamic glaze on top.  I usually add the glaze in one direction and then add another drizzle on top in the other direction.  Lastly, add a crack of ground pepper to taste.  Yum! xo RCN