This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.
‘Tis the season for holiday hosting! I’ve rounded up some tips and shortcuts to make the prep for your holiday gatherings just a little easier this year. Whether you are a seasoned host(ess), or figuring it out on the fly, there are plenty of ways to cut down your prep time, while still creating an elevated experience for your guests.
Festive and Easy Appetizer Ideas
For holiday parties with friends, I like to keep it simple with cocktails and appetizers. My two go-to appetizer recipes for holiday hosting include a Spinach Dip Pastry Puff Christmas Tree and Cranberry Brie Pastry Bites. Both recipes are so simple thanks to Jus-Rol’s Puff Pastry Dough that is ready-to-bake, incredibly flaky and perfect for both sweet and savory recipes.
Cranberry Brie Bites are perfect for holiday entertaining. This simple dish is made with Jus-Rol’s ready-to-bake pastry puff dough, brie, cranberry sauce. and fresh thyme garnish. The flaky dough, creamy cheese and tart cranberry make a perfect combination for a festive appetizer!
Spinach Dip Pastry Puff Christmas Tree is another one of my favorite holiday appetizer recipes. See below for the full recipe!
Spinach Dip Pastry Puff Christmas Tree
Ingredients:
- One roll of Jus-Rol Puff Pastry Dough
- 1 egg
- One 8 oz block of cream cheese
- 2 tbs parmesan
- 2 tbs chopped onion
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 garlic clove (Dorot Garden’s fresh frozen garlic would work great!)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup half and half
- 4 oz frozen chopped spinach
- Fresh parsley garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix together cream cheese, parmesan, onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, half and half and chopped spinach.
- Unroll Jus-Rol Puff Pastry Dough and cut into a large triangle, save two half triangles for later.
- Evenly spread spinach dip mixture on top of the dough.
- Use the remaining half triangles of dough to create the top layer of the puff pastry Christmas tree. Pinch together middle seam to ensure dough stays together.
- Use a knife or pizza cutter to create horizontal cuts for the “tree branches” on each side of the triangle.
- Twist each branch two times.
- Whisk egg, and use a brush to give the top layer of the dough an egg wash.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Jus-Rol Puff Pastry dough comes rolled on parchment paper, and allows for easy recipe prep, consistent baking results and easy cleanup for holiday recipes like this. Visit https://jusrol.com to learn more about their products or click here for their store locator.
Another shortcut tip! Eliminate the need for peeling and chopping by using Dorot Garden’s pre-portioned fresh frozen garlic in this appetizer recipe. With a simple “pop” of the tray, you can effortlessly add fresh garlic flavor to the spinach dip mixture without the mess. Visit www.dorotgardens.com and follow Dorot Gardens on Instagram here to learn more about this ultimate kitchen hack, and to see more recipe ideas with Dorot Garden’s fresh garlic and herbs!
Ready-to-Drink Premium Cocktails
I wanted to serve a few premium cocktail options at my holiday party, but I didn’t want to spend all night mixing drinks, which is why I decided to stock up on Zing Zang’s ready-to-drink canned cocktails. The Zing Zang Bloody Mary with Vodka Canned Cocktail is made with bold seasonings, real vegetable juices and mixed with premium distilled vodka. I chose to serve the canned bloody mary cocktails with candied bacon skewers, fresh celery stalks, olive skewers, and cheese and salami skewers.
I wanted a second signature cocktail, so I also picked up Zing Zang Mango Margarita with Tequila Canned Cocktails. This authentic mango margarita is made with all natural ingredients and is an easy, and unique addition to a holiday cocktail party. I garnished the Zing Zang Mango Margarita with fresh limes and jalapenos.
To find a store that carries Zing Zang Canned Cocktails near you, click here.
Digital Invitations with Style
When it comes to entertaining made easy, online invitations are a must! I rely on Punchbowl for all of my digital invites because I love their stylish designs, and simple platform that allows me to easily customize and manage all of the details of my party on-the-go. I used their Pine Forest invitation design for my holiday cocktail party, which perfectly complimented my neutral, earthy Christmas home décor this year. Be sure to visit Punchbowl to check out their creative online Christmas Party Invitations, and learn more about their powerful party planning features such as a potluck list, gift registry, guest polling and much more!
Get Inspired with Creative Cocktail Pairings and Bar Bites
Level up your holiday cocktail hour at home with recipes from Bar Menu, a stylish recipe book featuring more than 100 crave-worthy bar bites and cocktail parings. Bar Menu is the ultimate guide to entertaining at home with creative cocktails and sophisticated, yet easy-to-prepare dishes. Learn more about this recipe book, and get your own copy of Bar Menu here.
Simple, Wholesome Holiday Snacks
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, you never quite know who might drop by unexpectedly, so I like to always have a few staples on hand to make sure I am prepared to entertain on the fly. Recipe 33’s flavor infused almonds are a must-have snack to add to a seasonal charcuterie board, on top of a salad, or simply to enjoy with cocktails. Recipe 33 has five unique flavor combinations to choose from, but my personal favorites are Black Truffle infused almonds and Garlic Dill infused almonds. Best of all, I love that since the flavor is infused that there is no sticky, salty mess that typically comes with eating other seasoned nuts on the market. Visit this link to learn more about Recipe 33 infused almonds, and use the code TryRECIPE33 to save $2.00 on any 4 oz bag.
I am always on the lookout for products and kitchen hacks to help make entertaining a little easier, and hope you found these tips, tricks and resources helpful. Happy hosting this holiday season!
parti malzemeleri says
they look incredibly tasty!