Recipes for Holiday Gatherings

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The holidays are a time for giving, family gatherings, fun-filled festivities, and savoury, seasonal meals. Creating a warm and welcoming ambience for all aspects of your holiday celebrations can be done with style and panache using artfully placed floral decor including bouquets of fresh flowers, festive wreaths and grand centrepieces.

Perfect Recipes for Having People Over

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The holidays are a joyous time for gathering with family and friends, and delicious food is sure to bring life to the party. Whether you are hosting a get together of your own or bringing a dish to a party at a friend’s house, unique, flavourful recipes don’t have to take hours to prepare.

If you want to spend more time enjoying your party and less worrying about the menu, one option is to take advantage of the wonderful holiday offerings available at your local grocery store. For the main dish, there are pre-made turkeys and spiral hams complete with all the fixings available. You can also find a wide variety of pre-made appetizers such as shrimp rings and spreads - pâtés; flavoured cream cheese with salmon; tuna, chicken and ham salad.

Whether you’re serving a pre-prepared spread from your grocery store or something you’ve made yourself, it’s sure to be a hit with your guests if you’re serving it with the right cracker, such as Triscuit Rosemary & Olive Oil crackers. The flavour combination of rosemary and olive oil baked into the cracker will add instant zest and festivity to any appetizer.

If you’re looking for some easy recipes for the holidays, here are a few delicious ones from Triscuit you can whip up in a matter of minutes:

Spinach Tomato and Feta Melt

(The spread can be mixed up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake as directed).

Prep: 10 minutes/Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1/2 cup Breakstone’s or Knudsen Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup Athenos Crumbled Reduced Fat Feta Cheese

Triscuit Rosemary & Olive Oil Crackers

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except crackers until well blended. Spoon into lightly greased 2- to 2-1/2-cup heatproof crock. BAKE 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.

SERVE as a spread with the crackers.

Makes 16 servings, 2 Tbsp. spread and 6 crackers each.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 140 calories, 4.5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate, 4g dietary fibre, less than 1g sugars, 5g protein.

Apricot & Almond Cheese Log

Prep: 15 minutes/Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 container (8 oz.) Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese Spread

1/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots

1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel

1/2 cup Planters Sliced Almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

Triscuit Rosemary & Olive Oil Crackers

Directions:

MIX cream cheese spread, apricots and lemon peel until well blended. Shape into 6-inch log.

ROLL in almonds until evenly coated on all sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

REFRIGERATE at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve as a spread with the crackers.

Makes 12 servings, 2 Tbsp. spread and 6 crackers each.

Special Extra: Bringing this colourful cheese log to a holiday party? Remember to pack a copy of the recipe. You're sure to get requests!

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 190 calories, 9g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium, 24g carbohydrate, 4g dietary fibre, 3g sugars, 5g protein.

Roast Beef, Arugula and Blue Cheese Toppers

Prep Time: 10 minutes/Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

12 Triscuit Rosemary & Olive Oil Crackers

12 baby arugula leaves

3 thin slices deli roast beef (about 2-1/2 oz.), quartered

1 Tbsp. Kraft Light Done Right! Roka Blue Cheese Reduced Fat Dressing

3 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions:

TOP crackers evenly with remaining ingredients.

SERVE immediately.

Makes 4 servings, 3 topped crackers each.

Creative Leftovers: Prepare these easy appetizers using thinly sliced leftover cooked London broil or flank steak.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 110 calories, 4g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 120mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate, 2g dietary fibre, less than 1g sugars, 7g protein.

Triscuit crackers are available in eight delicious varieties, all baked with 100 percent whole grain. For additional information about Triscuit crackers and to get other great recipes and snack ideas, log on to www.nabiscoworld.com or www.kraftfoods.com. Courtesy ARA Content.

Kitchen and Cuisine