The weather is getting colder and the days are growing shorter. It's Christmas once again. Preparations are taking up people's time as houses get decorated and wardrobes get cheerier with patterned sweaters and colorful bonnets. But perhaps the most important preparation of all - one that takes weeks just to get sorted on paper - is the dinner that will be the center of the yuletide feast.
The following is a sample menu where everything is considered: ease of preparation, practicality and cost, and of course, great taste. This will serve as a guide and should give you a good idea of what to prepare.
- Salmon steaks - These make a delicious appetizer and are easy to prepare. Buy some salmon steaks - one for each diner - and then make a sauce from lemon juice, dill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour the sauce on the salmon steaks and leave for a few hours before grilling or broiling. Voila! You have the perfect appetizer with minimum preparation.
- Beef Stroganoff - This is a really easy main dish to make, especially if you are a very busy mom. All you need as tools are essentially a chopping board and a crock pot. The ingredients are: stewing beef cubes, carrots, onions, garlic, oregano, salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, beef broth, apple juice, water. All you need to do is throw this into the crock pot and leave it to heat for 8-10 hours on low or for 4-5 hours on high. This recipe tastes great over hot egg noodles.
- Endive pea and avocado salad - a light side dish will balance out all the rich dishes so you must not forget to serve some salad. Prepare some peas, endives, scallions, and avocados and toss it with a sauce made from olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley.
- By now you will be very full, but you will still need a dessert. There is no need for any heavy gateaux or tortes. Instead, how about some cupcakes for Christmas, served with coffee, tea, and maybe a light liqueur? These are very easy to make and can look very professional. All you need is a basic cake batter: sugar, eggs, oil, salt, flour, vanilla essence, and margarine. Mix all of this together and then pour into the little cake cases. These will not take too much time to bake, and then the fun begins. Due to the wealth of cupcake frosting recipes that are up there, you have many possibilities. With just a little creativity, you can make anything from a snowman cupcake to an elaborate message to your guests wishing them a "merry Xmas." You can do that by making a batch of the little cakes and icing a single letter on each one of them. Put the cakes together in order on a tray and you will be able to see the whole greeting. The only things that you may need for this are some confectioner's sugar, fondant icing, marzipan, glace cherries, raisins, dried fruit, marshmallows, and other little accessories that can make these cupcakes look very professional.
The following is a sample menu where everything is considered: ease of preparation, practicality and cost, and of course, great taste. This will serve as a guide and should give you a good idea of what to prepare.
- Salmon steaks - These make a delicious appetizer and are easy to prepare. Buy some salmon steaks - one for each diner - and then make a sauce from lemon juice, dill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour the sauce on the salmon steaks and leave for a few hours before grilling or broiling. Voila! You have the perfect appetizer with minimum preparation.
- Beef Stroganoff - This is a really easy main dish to make, especially if you are a very busy mom. All you need as tools are essentially a chopping board and a crock pot. The ingredients are: stewing beef cubes, carrots, onions, garlic, oregano, salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaf, beef broth, apple juice, water. All you need to do is throw this into the crock pot and leave it to heat for 8-10 hours on low or for 4-5 hours on high. This recipe tastes great over hot egg noodles.
- Endive pea and avocado salad - a light side dish will balance out all the rich dishes so you must not forget to serve some salad. Prepare some peas, endives, scallions, and avocados and toss it with a sauce made from olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley.
- By now you will be very full, but you will still need a dessert. There is no need for any heavy gateaux or tortes. Instead, how about some cupcakes for Christmas, served with coffee, tea, and maybe a light liqueur? These are very easy to make and can look very professional. All you need is a basic cake batter: sugar, eggs, oil, salt, flour, vanilla essence, and margarine. Mix all of this together and then pour into the little cake cases. These will not take too much time to bake, and then the fun begins. Due to the wealth of cupcake frosting recipes that are up there, you have many possibilities. With just a little creativity, you can make anything from a snowman cupcake to an elaborate message to your guests wishing them a "merry Xmas." You can do that by making a batch of the little cakes and icing a single letter on each one of them. Put the cakes together in order on a tray and you will be able to see the whole greeting. The only things that you may need for this are some confectioner's sugar, fondant icing, marzipan, glace cherries, raisins, dried fruit, marshmallows, and other little accessories that can make these cupcakes look very professional.
About the Author:
Anya is undoubtedly an skilled baker who is currently writing authoritative articles complete with recommendations and also tricks for producing cupcake decorations as well as edible dove cake topper.
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