Ingredients

Directions

1. On medium heat, melt butter & add flour.  Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to cook flour completely.
2. Add cream & broth together, blending well.  Add cheeses, parsley, garlic, & wine, stirring until cheese is completely melted.
3. Add salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Rinse the salmon well under cold running water & sprinkle inside the cavity with salt & pepper.
2. Stuff with half of the red onion slices, half of the lemon slices, & all of the parsley.  Lay the salmon on enough aluminum foil wrap to enclose fully.
3. Rub both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, & thyme.  Scatter the remaining onion & lemon slices on top & seal foil tightly around salmon.
4. Bake on baking sheet 40-45 minutes, adjusting time for size of salmon.  Cool salmon in foil on cooling rack, then remove onion & lemon slices.
5. Remove skin if desired & served baked salmon at room temperature.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Bake the two gingerbread mixes according to the directions on the package.
2. Prepare the pudding according to the package directions & set aside to cool.  When fully cooled stir in the pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar, & cinnamon into the pudding.
3. Pour ½ of the pudding mixture over one gingerbread & add a layer of whipped topping.  Repeat with the remaining gingerbread & pudding mixture with the whipped cream.
4. Sprinkle the top with crushed ginger snaps if desired & refrigerate overnight.

Chef’s Note: An optional serving method would be to place the layers in a punch bowl.

I will assign a rating to each review.  I call this the Star Fruit Rating System.  I’ll award the restaurant 0-1 star fruits based on how well I liked the restaurant as a whole.  Like this:

Then, of course, I’ll elaborate on why I rated the restaurant as such.

Want to submit a review?  Of course!  Just be sure to email info@foodaskew.net and include the following information:

• Restaurant Name
• Address
• Yelp Page URL
• Website URL
• How many starfruit do you rate it?
• Your written review.

A simple and tasty chocolate snowman shaped cake is easy to make and highly festive. Best with Dutch cocoa, you can use coconut flakes to create the coating. You can use black licorice sticks for the arms, black licorice drops for the eyes and peppermints for buttons with gum drops on top. For the mouth, you can use a piece of red shoestring style licorice. Fruit leather makes a great decorative scarf.

Alternatively, or in addition to, you can create a Christmas tree cake with equal festivity. By creating individual cake squares, you can stack these to create a tree-like shape with green frosting and other colored frostings to your liking. You can use candies for ornaments and smaller cake squares decorated with colored frosting to make presents under the tree.

Gingerbread houses are a classic way of creating decorative treats. However, there are more creative ways to make artistic gingerbread treats. One less known design is the gingerbread lantern, created by four rectangular pieces of gingerbread connected by frosting. You can cut holes in the pieces to let the light out, such as stars or hearts. Once settled, you can place candles inside these and use them as actual lanterns.

Another creative design is the gingerbread train. You have a great amount of creative license with this, in that there is room to decide how intricate you want to get with the design. However, there is a minimum amount of intricacy involved. The frosting is used for piping and a combination of circular and rectangular gingerbread cookies create the body. You can use candies, licorice and frosting to decorate it anyway you like. Gum drops work well to top the train while licorice works well for the pistons. You can also decide how long you want to make the train.

If you are looking to go more gourmet than flashy, you can make chocolate espresso snowballs with fair trade coffee. Using cocoa, pecans and sugar you can have a treat both decedent and decorative. There are plenty of ways to brighten up holiday cheer just with culinary creativity.

Plan Ahead

Instead of rushing around the day of your holiday dinner, plan ahead. Since most of the stores in your area will be closed on the holiday, make sure you have everything you need a few days in advance. This can include spices, vegetables, condiments and beverages.

Making a few dishes ahead of time can also save you the hassle of preparing them on the holiday. Baked dishes, like pies and rolls, for example, can usually be made a day or two before your holiday meal and stored in airtight containers. Dishes like mashed potatoes can also be made up to three days before your meal and stored in a refrigerator or freezer.

Keep it Simple

Remember that the most important thing about the holidays is family and friends. While a huge, fancy, extravagant holiday dinner is nice sometimes, ask yourself if it’s really worth the stress. Prepare the traditional turkey or ham, but keep the side dishes simple. If your dinner guests will be arriving early, a simple vegetable or cold cut tray can also be put out as an appetizer.

Also, don’t think you have to go it alone. If one of your guests offers to bring a dish or help out, by all means, accept the help.

Have Fun

It’s the holidays, so have fun. No one ever said that cooking a holiday meal had to be boring. Put on some festive holiday music and rock out! If your kitchen is big enough, try to get your family to join you. Not only will you get some free helpers, but you’ll also have a blast.

Count Your Dishes and Cutlery

This may seem like an odd festive cooking tip, but don’t dismiss it. Always make sure that you will have enough plates, bowls, platters and cutlery for your holiday dinner. Running out of clean silverware or not having an adequate number of plates for your guests can be very frustrating.

Stash Extra Chairs and Tables

Even if you’re expecting only six people at your holiday table, always plan for more. Any number of things could happen and there is always a possibility of unexpected guests showing up. To accommodate them, borrow or buy some inexpensive folding tables and chairs and keep them stored until they are needed.

Make Serving Easy

Forgo passing the dishes around the table this year and opt for a buffet-style holiday dinner instead. Set up a long table with plates at one end and the food spread out in a line along the table. Doing this allows your guests to choose their own food in an orderly fashion and it keeps messy dishes off your table. Most food can be kept warm with the help of slow cookers, electric roasters and electric skillets. If you are hosting a very large holiday dinner and do so frequently, you may want to consider purchasing or renting some catering equipment, such as chafing dishes and serving platters.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a bunt or tube pan.
2. Mix sugar & cinnamon in a large resealable plastic bag.  Cut biscuits into quarters.  Shake 6-8 biscuit pieces in the mixture.  Arrange the pieces in the bottom of the pan.
   
3. Sprinkle each layer with raisins & optional nuts. Continue the process until all biscuit pieces are coated & placed in the pan.
4. In a small pot, over medium heat, melt the margarine with the brown sugar. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over biscuits.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven & let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto serving dish/platter.

Chef’s Note: Do not cut the bread! It’ll pull apart easily!

Ingredients

Directions

1. In a medium to large saucepan combine onions, celery & potatoes. Pour clam juice over vegetables. Add enough water to barely cover vegetables. Bring to boil then reduce heat to medium & simmer until potatoes are tender (approximately 20 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt butter. When melted, add flour, blend & cook for 2 minutes. Add half & half & cook, stirring until smooth & creamy. Drain vegetables, reserving liquid. Return vegetables to saucepan. Add clams & sauce mixture. Heat thoroughly (add reserved cooking liquid to make consistency to your taste.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a large casserole dish or 9″x13″ baking dish.
   
2. Layer frozen french fries, broccoli & cubed ham evenly on the bottom of your dish/pan.
   
3. Mix soup, mayonnaise & milk together. Pour evenly over other ingredients in baking dish. Spread cheese evenly on top.
   
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until warmed thoroughly.
   

Chef’s Note: You can use plain or crinkle cut french fries.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Hard boil the eggs. When done, set aside to cool. This can be done ahead of time.
2. Lightly wash the unpeeled potatoes to remove any loose dirt. Place the potatoes in a clean plastic grocery bag. Loosely tie the bag once & cut a small slit in the bag about half way down. Cook the potatoes in the microwave for 15 minutes on high. When you think they’re done, stick a fork in and it should slide out easily and smoothly when done.
3. When the potatoes are done remove them from the bag carefully as they’ll be hot. Using a sharp knife, peel the loose skin from the potatoes. Cut up or dice the potatoes & place in a suitably sized bow.
4. Peel the hard boiled eggs & dice them finely. Add to the potatoes. Add salt & black pepper to taste. Add pickles, parsley, & enough mayonnaise to mix together with your preferred taste and moistness. Cover with plastic