A Christmas ensemble!

All Christmas  festivities are in full swing.  Including the the attendance of the annual Christmas parties. 
It was time to roll out the ideal attire for the evening.

I've narrowed my selection to a few possibilities.

 Simple chic,  
A sweetheart neckline,

with the perfect embellishment...

  an unfurled red sash.

PEACOCK FEATHERS! 
You can't beat these festive colors they

 scream P-A-R-T-A-Y! 

A skater skirt equals a sassy little number. 
Which will be convenient if the party is held at an ice skating rink. 

But, you can't beat the off the shoulder gown with a form fitting silhouette.
 It's the  classic  go-to for any special occasion.

 It's a tough decision but at least I've got my hat and

 heels picked out.

 



(All Googled images)

Whichever the choice....
 it's sure to be a show stopper!

Menu Monday

     

   LOW CARB CREPES
   

We've  finally recuperated from the tryphophan playoffs from the indulgences of  Thanksgiving.

 And now with Christmas around the corner,  no doubt there will be more confections to tempt us.
So, I thought it was time to throw in a couple lighter recipes into the mix.

This is a flourless low carb crepe with two ingredients.

2 eggs and 4oz. of cream cheese.

The batter is very thin and should be spooned onto your griddle by a measured teaspoon.
I poured approximately 3-4 teaspoons to form a petite crepe.
This size made a nice stack with the fresh berries.




They may be small....
but, they're packed with flavor enough to satisfy your french crepe cravings.
Fresh berries with a light dusting of powder sugar, makes for a divine Christmas favorite for a brunch or dessert.

EGG ROLL WRAP GRILLED CHICKEN  TACOS

These can be served as a entree or as an appetizer. 
With the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, to save on time I purchased a pre-cooked grilled chicken breast.




Combined the following fresh ingredients into a large salad bowl with the diced chicken chunks.
One bag of  (Dole) coleslaw,
 diced tomatoes, chopped green onions  and cilantro.

Toss together with a bottled Asian dressing,
or make your own.
There's a large selection of easy Asian dressing recipes on line.
The basic ingredients are,
sesame oil, vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.

The trick to frying the egg roll wrappers into taco shells is, 
first start by frying the wrap flat.
When it starts to crisp up you can bend it to form and keep the taco shell shape.  
Fry one side at a time. 
If you're making these as an appetizer use the (smaller) wonton wrappers.
Fill and serve!

Here's just a little peek at the supplies from  my next projects in the works.

(Googled Images)

PING PONG BALLS, 
CHRISTMAS  COOKIE CUTTERS &  RUBBER STAMPS!!
Stay tuned  this week!

Menu Monday

CHIA SEED PUDDING 

WITH MIXED FRUIT

I prepare the Chia pudding the night before.

This recipe is very flexible and calls for simple ingredients.

Combine/stir in 1 cup of milk or any liquid of choice,  with 3 Tbls. of chia seeds.

Refrigerate, 

 after 20 mins or so whisk thoroughly  preventing the seeds from clumping.

Refrigerate over night or until set to a pudding consistency.  

If it's too thick just add a little liquid to reach the  desired thickness.

Combine Chia pudding with a few Tbls. of  yogurt to taste.

My new favorite is the....

Vanilla Cupcake!

Who said you can't have dessert for breakfast!?

Top  chia pudding with a variety of fruits and nuts.

This is a nice meal or snack any time of day.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

  I find it much easier roasting the butternut squash whole rather than peeling and dicing.  And the outcome is the same with either process. 

I check the squash for tenderness by inserting a knife through the thickest section.

When it's tender I slice the squash in half  lengthwise,

first scooping out and discarding  all the seeds.

Then the remaining squash is scooped out and placed in a stock pot with,

 1 box of organic chicken broth, plus 1-2 Tbls of...

BTB chicken base.

For added richness, add a splash of....

and 4 Teaspoons of....

I puree the soup until it reaches a  creamy consistency.

When I serve it up I place a dollop of any of the following...mascarpone, cream cheese or sour cream.

 Scatter a few nuts,

 pine nuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds, are great options.

For an extra touch in presentation, garnish the soup with a cheese crisps.

Pan fry 3-4 Tbls. of cheese until crisp and brown.

To achieve a lacy pattern leave small spaces between the cheese strands while keeping it connected.

Gently lay the cheese crisps across the dollop of 

mascarpone.

Unfortunately,
I'm still experiencing difficulties with Bloggers editing format.
Please bare with me as I work through the issues.

Mummy's Gone Batty!

As fall and Halloween quickly approaches, so does my excitement!

It's a huge event around my house, from the

 decorations to creating the treats.

I think Mummy's and Bats will surely set the mood with

goodies for all ages!

 Although our costumes have changed considerably,  

whenever I see this picture...

it brings back memories of.....pillowcases for our candy haul, walking with a group of friends for miles with a mask you couldn't see through.

As for those ventilated masks, by block two there was so much steam brewing underneath those masks it felt like a sauna.

They were eventually cast to the bottom of the pillowcase, left with a gooey candy coating by nights end.

One of our favorite family activities in my childhood and carries over to this day is, watching old scary classic movies.

Staring Vincent Price and Boris Karloff.  

They had us shivering in our boots!

What better treat to snack on while watching

The Mummy?

Well, Mummy's and Bats of course. 

Supplies:

Head~donut holes

 (preferably Entenmann's pumpkin pop em's)

       Body~ Twinkies or  rolled cake

(non-frosted)

pretzel sticks

8"lollipop~sticks

white candy melts or

almond bark

 candy eyes

  

Follow package directions for melting the white candy melts. 

Skewer the white chocolate dipped pretzel stick into the donut hole.  Connect both head  and Twinkie body. Push dipped lollipop stick through the bottom center of the Twinkie, about half way.

Brush and coat the entire domed front, add candy eyes. 

I like working with

candy melts and or almond bark because it sets quickly.

Follow up with coating the flat back side.

**I always use small paint brushes that are strictly  for food purposes only**

Drizzle white chocolate melts in a criss cross motion covering the mummy forming his cloth wrappings. 

I use a plastic baggie as a pastry bag, by cutting a small slit on the bottom corner.

That's a wrap!

 Wherever there's a mummy in a cave....

a bat is sure to follow.

Supplies:

Head~donut holes

Wings~dark chocolate cookies

Fangs~candy bone sprinkles

 candy eyes 

Halloween themed paper straws 

or lollipop sticks

chocolate or black candy melts

Cut chocolate cookie in half and with the small point of a pairing knife notch out bat wing points.

 

Dip straw or lollipop stick into melted chocolate.

Poke straw or stick into the donut hole, continue with a 

 dunk of the entire donut.

Let excess drip off before placing on Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Place eyes and fangs on face.

I took a toothpick when the chocolate started to set and pulled peaks out to form the bats ears.

Make sure the wings are touching and brush the back of the bat head  generously with the melted chocolate.

Lay bat on top of wings, set aside to dry.

They're ready for the party!