TIP OF THE DAY: Tree & Wreath Christmas Crudités

Give the crudités some Christmas spirit. Top photo courtesy Superhealthykids.com; bottom photo courtesy MomEndeavors.com.   Recently we showed how to Christmas-ize your breakfast, lunch and dinner. But we saved the crudites for last. At any holiday gathering, it’s a good idea to have a raw vegetable platter (the French term, crudités, pronounced crew-dee-TAY, sounds much…
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Christmas Cupcakes From Scratch Or Decorate Store-Bought

December 15th is National Cupcake Day. When a holiday like this falls right before Christmas, there’s only one way to go: Christmas eat cupcakes. You can turn the food holiday into a seasonal holiday party, with a DYO (decorate your own) cupcake party, with holiday flavors and garnishes. Whether you bake them from scratch or…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Cranberry “Mistletoe” Kissing Ball

You don’t need to buy mistletoe to encourage people at holiday get-togethers to kiss. Instead, substitute this “holiday kissing ball” from Ocean Spray. First head to the crafts store, then pick up fresh whole cranberries. You can pick up an extra bag or two for a Valentine Kissing Ball (and if you prefer, a foam…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Freeze Your Hot Appetizers

TOP PHOTO: Homemade cheese straws, made in advance, frozen and heated in the oven. Photo courtesy Cabot Cheese. BOTTOM PHOTO: Stuffed mushrooms. Photo courtesy GoodCook.com.   If you want to serve hot hors d’oeuvre on Christmas, New Year’s Eve or other party times, here’s a tip we learned years ago from our friend Carol’s mother,…
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RECIPE: Christmas Cheese Balls & Dessert Cheese Balls

[1] Cheese balls decorated like >ornaments for holiday festivals (photo © Kraft) [2] What’s inside the cheese ball? In this recipe, it’s red and green bell peppers (photo Claire Freierman | © THE NIBBLE). [3] Cream cheese is the base in Recipe #1, goat cheese in Recipe #2 (photo © Philadelphia Cream Cheese).   Turn…
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