8 Easy Holiday Recipes

One of my favorite things during the holidays to do besides spending time with those I love is, EATING! This is a time where I have ZERO restrictions and ZERO regrets! With that being said my sweet friends, today I am sharing with you 10 of my favorite easy recipes! All of these are super simple and take little time.

Appetizer Recipes

Cheddar & Onion Cheese Ball

Ingredients

• 2 (8 oz) Blocks cream cheese, brought to room temp
• 1 ½ cups White cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tsp Onion powder
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 3 Green onions, minced (about ⅓ cup)
• ⅓ cup Dried minced onions, divided
• ¼ cup Chives, cup chopped

Instructions

1. In a food processor, blend cream cheese along with cheddar cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, salt and 2 tablespoons of the dried, minced onions. Blend until smooth. Add the green onions and pulse until green onions are just combined.
2. Scrape the cheese ball mixture into a plastic wrap lined, medium-sized bowl. Gather the plastic wrap tightly around the cream cheese ball mixture. Using your hands to shape it into a ball. Chill until firm, 4–12 hours.
3. Just before serving, toast the remaining dried minced onions in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown—about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. (This step is completely optional and is for the sake of color and a yummy toasted flavor.)
4. Spread the dried minced onions and chives in a pie pan or baking dish. Remove cream cheese mixture from refrigerator and form it into a ball with your hands. Gently roll the cheese ball in the minced onion-chive mixture, pressing lightly to adhere. Serve with your favorite cracker.

Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb ​Ground beef
• 1 lb Ground pork
• ¼ cup Flat leaf parsley, minced
• ½ tsp Ground allspice
• ½ tsp Ground nutmeg
• ¾ cup Yellow onion, grated (about 1 medium onion)
• 2 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Pepper, freshly ground
• 4 Cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup Panko
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Olive oil

Cream Gravy

• ½ cup Butter
• ½ cup Flour
• 4 cups Beef broth
• 1 tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Pepper
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• ¼ tsp Ground allspice
• ¼ tsp Ground nutmeg
• 1 cup Heavy cream

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix the beef, pork, parsley, allspice, nutmeg, grated onion, salt, pepper, garlic, panko and eggs until combined.
2. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out the meat mixture into roughly 35 (1.5 inch) balls.
3. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ½ of the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides. This takes about 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. When all of the meatballs are browned, pour off any excess grease in the pan, into a heatproof vessel. Lower the heat to medium and add the butter to the pan. When the butter begins to bubble, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef broth to the pan a little at a time.
5. Whisk the gravy until the broth is all incorporated. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, allspice and nutmeg. Whisk a few more times. Slowly add the cream.
6. Once the gravy begins to simmer, add the meatballs back into the pan.
7. Simmer until the gravy has thicken up a bit and the meatballs are cooked all the way through, about 8-10 minutes.
8. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or egg noodles, alongside steamed veggies and lingonberry jam.

Drinks + Cocktail Recipes

Peppermint Julep {Kid-Friendly}

New Years Punch

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Crushed Iced
• 1-oz of Peppermint Simple Syrup
• 2-3 oz of Cranberry Ginger Ale
• A sprig of Fresh Pine (or a sprig of fresh mint)
• Candy Cane for Garnishment

Instructions

1. Add 1 ounce of Peppermint Simple Syrup to the bottom of a glass.
2. Add the crushed ice.
3. Top off with the Cranberry Ginger Ale.
4. Add a sprig of fresh pine and a candy cane for holiday flair.

Ingredients

• 64 ounces cranberry 100% juice blend, chilled
• 32 ounces pineapple juice, chilled
• 32 ounces ginger ale, chilled
• 1 750 ml bottle aged rum (optional)*
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• For the garnish: 5 star anise, fresh or frozen cranberries, rosemary sprigs

Instructions

1. Add the cranberry juice blend, pineapple juice, and ginger ale to a punch bowl. Add the rum, if using. Garnish with orange and lemon slices, and if desired, cranberries, star anise and rosemary sprigs.

Notes

*Or, make it both alcoholic and non-alcoholic! Spike the drink after you ladle it out of the punch bowl: add 2 ounces rum to 8 ounces (1 cup) punch.

Dessert Recipes

Monkey Bread with Walnuts and Vanilla

Ingredients

• 1 cup Chopped walnuts
• 2 16 oz packages refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1 cup White sugar
• 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 cup Salted butter, cut into tablespoons slices
• 1 cup Packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with ½ cup of walnuts, set aside.
3. Mix the white sugar and cinnamon in a large zip top bag. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Place 10 biscuit pieces into the bag with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Shake until each of the pieces are completely coated. Add the sugar coated biscuits to the prepared pan. Topping with ½ of the remaining walnuts. Continue until all the biscuits and remaining walnuts are in the pan.
4. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, stir in the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until combined, but not long enough for it to separate, about 1 minute.
5. Carefully pour the brown sugar mixture into the Bundt pan over the biscuit pieces. Shake it back and forth a few times to ensure that the walnut pieces are well coated and don’t stick to what will be the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Loosen edges of the pan with a spatula. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate.

If you love to cook, then head over to this blog post that we did a couple of years ago. You will find more great recipes to put a smile on your friends and families faces.

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