Ugly Christmas Sweater PJ Party

Best Party Theme Ever... the Ugly Christmas Sweaters are purely enteraining and hideous while the PJs are comfy, festive and fun!

Most did one or the other, some did neither (party poopers) and the most clever did PJS pants and a sweater wooo!

We decorated the room with lot's of red, green, gold and foil based items. We dimmed the lights and used candles and bar spotlights.

We had a gift table for our gift exchange game and a table for sitting, eating, socializing.

We also had the bar stocked with booze, mixers, and some special features including a pitcher of special eggnog and some spiced apple cider.

We used apple cider, apple juice, apple smirinoff vodka and cinnamon sticks in a large punch bowl. There were no measuremeants for a recipe, I just added what I thought would work.. half bowl cider, quarter apple juice and several cups of apple vodka.

Delicious!

Here are a few pics from the party last night.

This is the sweater I made for my husband, who did not end up wearing it - so my girlfriends boyfriend wore it - - - wooo!

Good Times!

The Best Egg Nog Ever

My most favourite holiday egg nog mix is this:

-Just over Half a glass of Egg Nog (I use store bought)
-quarter glass of 2% milk
-a shot or two of Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum
-dash of nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)

The thing about Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum is that it is the perfect mixture of flavour. I think it's that carmel flavour but who knows. It is absolutely, by far (and I have tried many rums) the BEST rum to mix with egg nog.

Last year I posted some home made egnog recipies and other delicious ways to make egg nogg drinks. Click here to see.

Go - Try it!

Cheers

Left Over Turkey

We usually do Turkey at my parents and don't have left-overs, which is a shame, because I love left over turkey dinner food... you can do so much with it - here are some suggestions...

Sandwich

Turkey (I prefer white meat personally) with stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy... delish!

Soup

This is really simple, you can make your own broth using the turkey bones or use canned and add your meat, veggies and whatnot... Mmmm

Casserole

Bake turkey, stuffing, gravy and veggies and top with cranberry sauce... you can also add rice or potatoes to this... do it in layers works best, but a mix-mash is ok also.

Sometimes I will add veggies to the casserole for some variety (I mean, how many days can you really eat yams, turnips and brussell sprouts? honestly, I can't even eat them one day, I dislike ALL of those veggies and those are the ones my momma makes, so typically I make carrots, corn, green beans... but to each their own)

If you want unique ideas try This Website with a ton of recipes for you and your left-over turkey dinner.

Boxing Day

If you are American you may not know what this day is about... heck, if you are Canadian you may not know the REAL meaning behind this day... but let me enlighten you ;)

No, it has nothing to do with fighting...

Today, it means the day after Christmas, in which there are major sales and everyone goes shopping.... think "Black Friday" in the USA.... though not as good.... I always score amazing deals Black Friday and Boxing Day, well, I don't even bother going out anymore, the sales are good, but never that great in my opinion....

Wikipedia states:

Boxing Day is a bank and public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Switzerland, Germany, Greenland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. In South Africa this public holiday is now known as the Day of Goodwill. Though it is not an official holiday in the United States, the name "Boxing Day" for the day after Christmas has some currency among Americans, particularly those that live near the Canada – United States border.

As for the term "Boxing" Day.. there are several ideas on where the term came from...

The most prevelent of course is that after Christmas Day, people would take left overs of food and other items in "boxes" and give to the poor and needy. Those who had not had such a glorious feast or celebration on Christmas Day. In old times servents had the day off and would celebrate with meals they prepared earlier, often buffet style, which is why many still to this day have buffet brunch on Boxing Day (we often do with any family who was with the in-laws instead of with us on Christmas Day)

Wikipedia states:

The traditional recorded celebration of Boxing Day has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes were placed outside churches used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.

So there you have it... Boxing Day... December 26 every year....

Happy Holidays from Martini Mandy!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope to bring you many more fun drink recipes and fun party tips in the New Year!

Simple Truffles

They are so easy....

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate cut in bits

2 Tblsp unsalted butter

3/4 cup heavy whipped cream

2 Tblsp booze (Cognac, Grand Marnier, Rum, Kaluha etc.)

Put chocolate bits in a bowl (Stainless steel medium sized) Bring Cream and Butter to boil in a pot. Pour boiling cream over the chocolate and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add Booze. Cover in the fridge until firm. (Usually over night, or all day)

Place toppings on a plate. Make balls with the mixture (hands or melon baller) Roll on plate in toppings (I like coconut, but you can use crushed nuts or anything you'd like) then place on wax paper on cookie sheet. Cover and put in the fridge until firm. Eat whenever, for long lasting truffles you may Freeze for a couple months or refridgerate for a couple weeks. They taste better at room temperature so plan ahead if you are preserving them for later.

Experiment with different booze and toppings. You can use a drizzle on them with liquid toppings or roll them in various dry toppings.

Makes Great gifts in a decorative tin or baggie with ribbon.... <3

Christmas Parties

Last year I tried to go to 3 holiday parties in one evening and made it to one. A mixture of alcohol and snow prevented me from getting to all of them in one evening.

This year I limited myself to two an evening. Weekends are busy and December only has a few weekends before the holidays, so they get pretty packed.

There are different kinds of Holiday Parties I attended this year, work, friends, family, acquaintences.... bars, houses, halls, resturants..... large, small, intimate, professional..... but all had amazing food, delicious drinks and great company.



Here are some things I look for at Holiday Parties:

Star Cookies - My friend Sarah makes these tiny gingerbread star cookies. She sandwiches them together with home-made carmel and they are delicious! Every year she saves me some, even if I can't make her annual shindig (I did make it this year!!! and was rewarded with EXTRA star cookies - SCORE!)

Fondue - fondue parties are so much fun... I am lucky to have a bunch of fondue stuff but haven't hosted a fondue party (yet). The first one I went to was the best a couple years ago they had three tables of fondue set up with everything you can imagine. I will do a fondue party post soon I promise.

Music - I like classic Christmas Music playing softly in the background, nothing loud or overpowering, my fave part of holiday parties (besides great food and drink) is mingling and chatting with people.

Festive Decor - I am not saying go nuts, but if it's a holiday party, we need some lights, greenery and red or gold colour themes people!

Naniamo Bars - Any home-made version of this is amazing, store bought is ok the rest of the year, but at Christmas, home-made it is.

Artichoke & Asiago Dip - I go crazy for this stuff.

Spinach Dip & Sourdough - What can I say? I am a dippy girl... I love dips, fondue, sauces.... Spinach Dip is a classic appie but I can make an AMAZING dip that an old friend taought me years ago. I will post the recipe soon.

Eggnog - Holiday Must. Avec Booze.

Alcohol - I like a wide selection. If it's a bar or restaurant it's all good, house parties should have a variety of booze or let guests know to BYOB. I often Bring a bottle of my fave when i go to a dinner party or house part, or if I host I plan a feature drink and have a wide selection of alternatives... I also tell people to bring a bottle for the bar that way we have even more variety and everyone can help themselves. Beer Drinkers... you are outta luck, I am not a beer drinker, I usually have a case in the fridge for my hubby and that's that.

Tarts - A typical dessert but if done right are memorable and a sweet treat & easy to serve at parties, less mess than cake or pie or other desserts.

Meat - Sausage Rolls, Swedish Meatballs, boneless wings, anything bite-size and hearty... I am all for vegetarian alternatives but we need to keep the carnivores happy also. I was a vegetarian for 10 years, but now, meat is on the menu always.

Safe Ride Home - If it's a small party, spare rooms, DD's or transit/cab ride home should be available or planned. Larger parties I think cab vouchers are a great neccessity, though I hope everyone is responsible enough to plan ahead and plan a safe way home.

I know that's fairly random and broad but those are the things I like most and/or need from Holiday Parties.

Egg Nog is Good, Egg Nog is Great...

Part of the Holiday Season for me involves Egg Nog [that and Mandarin Oranges]

My mother makes her own home-made Bailey's Every Year which is always a great addition to Egg Nog... along with Rum... I prefer Spiced Rum and my new fave this year is Sailor Jerry Rum.

It is the perfect blend and mixes so well with Egg Nog. If you like sweet, this you will love.

Other Sweet Egg Nog drinks include:

Butterscotch Schnapps and Eggnog

Coffee Liqueur and Egg Nog

Kaluha and Egg Nog

Brandy, Creme de Cacao and Eggnog

....the list goes on and on and on....

Martini Mandy loves... well.. Martini's... and here is an Egg Nog Martini... [I usually don't like creamy drinks but this one at Christmas is acceptable]

Egg Nog Martini

1 1/2 ounces Dark Rum

1 ounce Captain Morgan’s spiced rum

1/2 ounce Stoli Vanilla vodka

3 ounces Eggnog [ I often do 2 oz Egg Nog and 1 oz Milk ]

1/4 ounce Simple syrup

Prepare Chilled Martini Glass Rim by dipping in honey and then crushed graham Cracker Crumbs. Set Aside. Mix dark rum, spiced rum, Vodka and Eggnog/Milk with a dash of simple syrup with Ice in Shaker. Shake well. Strain into Prepared Martini Glass. Garnish with a cinammon stick.

I've never made my own Egg Nog, I usually do store bought and even dilute mine with about 50% Egg Nog and 50% Milk (but I don't like the thickness of eggnog and grew up with a mother who liked to make things last with 4 kids so she would mix a 4L jig [or gallong] with hald milk and half Egg Nog.... Side Note - don't bake a cake using Egg Nog instead of Milk... it leads to a rubbery substance in the cake... I won't go into details on how I learned THAT lesson....

Anyways, I searched online and found this great post and recipe for Home Made Egg Nog:

This year I finally decided to give homemade eggnog a try. I searched through countless recipes and tried quite a few to limited success. I ruled out anything that involved cooking the eggs, since I already knew that wasn't what I wanted. I did not like the recipes that needed multiple bowls for beating multiple components. Since I never exactly wanted to indulge in eggnog in the first place, I didn't want an overly indulgent recipe, either.

Finally, I came across this recipe, which I liked because I wouldn't have to separate and independently beat the eggs and because there is no cream to make it too rich. After a few tries, a few eggs and a few modifications, I had eggnog. And it wasn't bad!
This eggnog is very easy to make and is relatively low in fat. You can use any kind of milk, though I recommend low fat. The resulting nog is creamy and slightly eggy, without having a trace of store-bought taste. It reminds me of a thin, but enriched, milkshake. The vanilla and nutmeg really compliment eachother. The alcohol is entirely optional and you can substitute bourbon or rum to suit your tastes.

Homemade Eggnog
2 eggs, room temperature
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg, plus more for serving
2 cups low fat milk
2 oz. brandy (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until light in color and sugar is dissolved. Whisk in vanilla, nutmeg, milk and brandy, if using. Strain into a small pitcher and chill.
Pour into glasses and sprinkle with additional nutmeg.
Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

Personally....

This whole Raw Egg thing makes me uncomfortable... I guess with store-bought I feel assured it's been "taken care of" to be healthier and that I could always sue a ton of people if it made me sick... but home made - well, pretty much it's all up to you....

Personally, I like sticking to store-bought (diluted with milk) and adding a variety of booze to it for kick....

But you do as you wish ;)

Minty Martini's

Christmas is coming and candy canes are a beautiful garnish for martini's. Great for stirring, sucking, swirling, and just making a martini look pretty.



Remember you can use chocolate syrup, candies, candy canes, whatever you want to garnish your glass and drink to make it festive. Just wait til after my holiday party to see photos of the things I do to my drinks ;)

Here are a few recipies:

Martini Stinger

-2 parts Gin
-1 part creme de Menthe

Pour and Shake on Ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with mint leaf or candy cane.

After Eight Martini

-1 part vodka
-2 parts bailey's
-1 part creme de menthe (green)

Pour and Shake on Ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with mint leaf, After Eight Stick or candy cane.



Chistmastini

-1 part vodka
-1 part white creme de cacao
-1 part creme dr menthe (green)

Pour and Shake on Ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with shaved chocolate or candy cane.

Grasshopper Martini

-6 parts vodka
-5 parts creme de cacao
-1 part creme de menthe



Pour and Shake on Ice. Strain into chilled martini glass.

Raspberry Choco tini

-2 parts vodka
-2 parts chocolate liqueur
-1 part white creme de cacao
-1 part irish cream
-1 part raspberry liqueur

Rim martini glass with melted chocolate and put in freezer to chill and harden. Pour Vodka and Creme de Cacao into shaker. Shake on Ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Now mix Chocolate Liqueur, Irish Cream and Raspberry Liqueur into shaker with ice. Slowly Strain into martini glass to create a layer onto of vodka/creme de cacao. Garnish with chocolate shavings and raspberries.