Christmas 2022 Planning Document: Tapas on Christmas eve and Christmas day brunch

 Christmas Eve Tapas Planning Document

Favorites from previous years. I put my favorites in bold and at the top.

Hot Spiced Meatballs w/pineapple

Beef tenderloin.  Ordered from Borderland Meats in Norway, MI Rub the meat with salt and pepper, garlic and parsley.  I used this marinade approach  BEST EVER MARINATED BEEF TENDERLOIN.(Wrap in saran wrap and marinate for 2 days.)  Delicious.

Shrimp-Cilantro Lime (another Ruth Reichl recipe) I am going to capture this one. My new favorite way to make shrimp.  I love the sweet and spicy marinate/dip).  Excellent with a Rose. Served Revolver. OR Classic Shrimp cocktail!!!!!!

Fig Empanadas (Thanks Katie, for the recipe. Love, love love these)

Beet deviled eggs

Pat is bringing the ingredients for this appetizer: red fig jam on bruschetta with goat cheese, toasted almonds and pork belly bacon.

Claire suggested: blinis, cranberry Brie puff pastry bites,

WE ALSO NEED DESSERTS

Pat suggested chocolate covered toffee and snowman cookies

Best Toffee Ever - Super Easy

OTHER FAVORITES

Three Cheese Walnut spread w/apples and pears (this is amazing)

Crab Cakes via chef Patrick (Thanks Pat for sharing your recipe and coaching me from afar. I hope you are with us next Christmas.) served with corn relish.

Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Drizzle

Manchengo cheese slice topped with a dollop of Dianne's pepper jelly and an almond

Fondue Cheesecake Bites with Red Grape Relish

Definitely a Brie option:

• Baked Brie with honey pistachios and served with cranberries and apple slices.
• Brie with cherry jam and pepper jelly from Dianne.  We love this. A keeper. Be sure to have enough baguettes.
• The Best Wine and Brie Pairings

Two new appetizers: 

1. BUTTERNUT SQUASH, PEAR AND RICOTTA BRUSCHETTA WITH SAGE OIL  from The Floating Kitchen and  
2. Baked Broccoli Poppers with Honey-Sriracha Dipping Sauce from Oh My Veggies. The Butternut Squash app was a big success.  We used goat cheese instead.  The squash spread was incredible. We saved the broccoli app for January 2nd.  They were delicious.  I love the honey sriracha sauce and the peanuts. A little too spicy for Mike but it is a dipping sauce.

Christmas Day Brunch

• An egg dish:

Breakfast Egg Cups with Parsley Gremolata and Mushrooms

                    or

                     Sumptuous Egg Casserole

                    Christmas-Morning Casserole

• Cheese Potato Casserole

• Smoked Ham with Cherry Bourbon Glaze

                Purchased ham from Borderland Meats in Norway, MI

                Recipe for the glaze from Vindulge

• Need fruit and or a salad, some options

Mary Lou is brining:  Cranberry Spinach Salad and a Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

            Grapefruit salad with honey mint dressing

            PEAR POMEGRANATE SALAD. (NOTE: Claire made the pear pomegranate salad for the                 McGlynn's and it was a big hit)

• Rolls, especially for sandwiches later
• Mustard sauce
  
  
• Need dessert
• Here is what I am thinking Chocolate Truffle Raspberry Cheesecake.
• Almond Joy Bars
• 7 Layer Bars
• other possibilities
• Chocolate Pecan Pie
• Cheese Tart or Tarte au Fromage Blanc
• Cheese Cake

Save for a different day Red wine Braised beef short ribs

So many special moments this Christmas; like hugging Claire after her LONG travel, sipping sparkling wine while cooking up a storm with Claire. I couldn't have done it without you Claire. Singing carols at Cedars Edge Wine and Gift Shop, dinner at the Chippewa Club toasting Harry Parsley with his amazing wine, Christmas eve tapas and wine with Claire and Mike, watching the Packer Game with family and enjoying Christmas brunch, competitive euchre match with John, Claire and Lorraine, watching movies with Mike and Claire. 

The wine

TIMING

December 19th (Day 7) Monday

• make empanada filling
• boil eggs and add to beet infused water/vinegar
• Mustard sauce

December 20th (Day 6) Tuesday

• Make noodles and sauce for "Noodler Doodler"
• Cook bacon for bacon stuffed dates

December 21st (Day 5) Wednesday (drove to Green Bay and home again)

• marinated tenderloin

December 22nd (Day 4) Thursday. Drove to Rhinelander to get Claire. Plus Claire

• Enjoyed a pizza from Crispinas

December 23rd (Day 3) Friday. 

• Hash brown potato casserole
• egg dish
• pickled onions
• cut up cheddar cheese
• Stuffed bacon wrapped dates
• Make Empanadas dough

December 24th (Day 2) Saturday. Christmas eve

• Make Empanadas
• Marinated Moz ball, tomato on skewers
• Deviled egg filling and stuffing
• Meatballs

December 25th (Day 1) Sunday Christmas Day

• Prepare whisky Cherry glaze for ham
• Assemble egg dish

Christmas Eve Tapas Extravaganza! 2017

Note: Pre Christmas eve we enjoyed shrimp cocktail, and amazing beef tenderloin that had been covered in chopped garlic and fresh herbs and left to marinate for 24 hours. We enjoyed Champagne Salmon Selection Brut, and the Biale magnum. We also tasted a South African Moscato and Italian Moscato d' Asti provided by Jan.

First Course 

Cheese, sausage and olive tray
Fresh fruit tray
Beet deviled eggs

Wines for first course

• Champagne Salmon Selection Brut, 12% abv
• Weingut Donnhoff Schlossbockelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spatlese, 2007, Nahe, Germany
• We also sampled some cool beers brought buy Jan and Mike

Second Course 

Oysters Rockefeller. FANTASTIC new addition to the menu.

Baked Brie with honey pistachios and served with cranberries and apple slices.

Wines for second course

• Taburno Falanghina del Sannio 2015 DOC, 13.5% abv
• Cuvaison Ada Chardonnay 2015 Carneros, Napa Valley, CA 13.5% abv
• Fiddlehead Cellars 2012 Sta Rita Hills Lollapalooza Pinot Nior Fiddlestix CA 15.5%abv
• Les Clos Grand Cru 2014, France abv 13% (Sadly we opened this and did not serve it.

Third course 2016

Fig empanadas served with corn relish and chunk salsa. 
Gorgonzola stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. Always on the list.
Spicy meatballs with pineapple. My mom's recipe. I made them this year with ground buffalo which made them eve better.

Wines for the third course

• Robert Biale 2015 Sangiovese Nonna's Vineyard Oak Knoll District Napa Valley CA 14.8 abv
• Revolver Wine Co Premiere Barrique 2014 Cabernet Franc Napa Valley CA 15.2% abv
• Brandlin 2014 Mount Veder Bald Mountain Vineyard Zinfandel Napa Vally, CA 15.5% abv
• Staglin Family Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, CA 2010, 14.9% abv (NOTE: everyone of these wines was fantastic.  The Staglin was by far the best, in my opinion)

Dessert 2017
Almond joy bars 
(Side note regrading dessert. We are usually too full by this time to enjoy.  Next year think of something light, may flan?)

Dessert Wines
Prager 2013 Aria White Port Napa Valley CA 19.5% abv


NOTE: Pat makes delicious crab cakes so he puts them together for us to make and enjoy after Christmas. Crab cakes with lemon remoulade. Note Chardonnay is a great pairing with the crab cakes

Christmas Eve Tapas Extravaganza! 2016

First Course
Cheese, sausage and olive tray
Shrimp cocktail
Beet deviled eggs

Wines for first course
Bubbles, Champaigne
Fiddleshead Lalapaloza - Pinot noir, 2012
Chenin Blanc, Samatur from France

White Wines

Second Course
Appetizer from Jan. Cordon Blue: Swiss cheese, ham, cream cheese, mustard, chives on French bread.
Caprese pizza
Scallops prepared by Pat. Corn meal crusted jumbo scallops with Cabernet glazed shiitake mushrooms and Gorgonzola Demi cream. These were incredible and paired so well with the Shiraz.  Definiteley the hit of the night.

Wines for second course
Chardonnay from Robert James, 2014 Ocel
Shiraz - Viognier from Australia, Trelato & Chapoutier (2013)

Third course
To be honest, everyone was pretty full after the amazing Scallop dish.
Pork filled empanadas with corn relish. These are delicious anddefinitely worth the tme to make. They can be made ahead and then warmed up before serving.
Gorgonzola stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. Always on the list.
Spicy meatballs with pineapple. My mom's recipe

Wines for the third course
Revolver Vine/Vein, 2013
Pride Cabernet Franc, 2013. So delicious
Brandlin Cabernet Sauvignon (2013)
Artesa Cabernet Sauvignon (2012 Atlas Peak, single vineyard)

Red Wines

Dessert
Almond joy bars and other chocolates with Prager Port, 10 year, tawny Noble Companion

NOTE: Crab cakes with lemon remoulade was on the menu but we ended up not preparing them until Christmas Day.  This was an amazing pairing with the crab cakes. Chardonnay from Robert James, 2014 Ocel

Christmas Eve 2015 Tapas Menu

It was so much fun to have my brother Pat joined Claire, Mike and I for the holidays.  We had so much fun cooking together.  I especially appreciated that he made the crab cakes this year.  The lime remoulade was outstanding. 

The wine of fantastic. We started with white; a dry Riesling from Terra Valentine that Claire brought and the Salus Chardonnay for the two Mike's. The one wine missing from this photo is the Girasole Muscat Canelli included just for Jan.  We are so happy Jan and Mike Pitzo also joined in the fun on Christmas eve. The festivities start right after the 4:00 children's mass. Another highlight for me was singing in church with Claire. :)

• Meatballs with pineapple (Mom's recipe)
• Blue cheese stuffed bacon wrapped dates
• Shrimp cocktail
• Empanadas (Made for Thanksgiving and froze some. I will definitely do that again.) Great with the corn salsa
• Crab cakes with lime remoulade and corn salsa
• Spinach artichoke dip made by Claire was super delicious with toasted Asiago bread
• Salted almonds
• Popcorn with truffle salt
• A variety of cheeses (smoked Gouda, aged cheddar, Boursin, etc.) olives and wonderful deer salami from Mike.
• Large green grapes
• The port was delicious with the fudge made by Jan and the chocolate covered strawberries sent by my sister Jane. I also made almond joy bars, one of my favorites.

An extra benefit to this amazing feast is we have plenty of food for the next day. On Christmas morning I made an egg casserole served with a  grapefruit and mint salad with coffee cake along with mimosas.

After breakfast Claire and I go into movie and knitting mode and no more cooking happens.  Super fun holiday!

I forgot to serve the Fondue Cheesecake Bites with Red Grape Relish.  They are delicious.  I will make these and again and actually serve them

Christmas Potpourri

1/2 cup dried apples slices cut into small pieces

1/2 cup whole cranberries

4 cinnamon sticks

1 whole nutmeg broken into smaller pieces

2 Tablespoons whole cloves

2 Tablespoons whole allspice

Allow the apples and cranberries to air dry for several days.

Mix all ingredients together. Place 1/2 cup mixture and 2 cups water in a small sauce pans. Place over low heat and simmer for several hours.  As more water as needed.

I allowed to simmer while Claire and I watched movies, sipped wine and knitted.   Ahhh the magic of Christams.

Christmas Eve Tapas Menu

2012 (Mike, Beth, Claire, Lorraine, Katie, Reina) Wausau, WI

2013 Menu (Beth, Mike, Claire and Pat) Minocqua, WI

Blue Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates (one of our very favorites)

Hot Spiced Meatballs w/pineapple

Shrimp cocktail, great with the chardonnay

Three Cheese Walnut spread w/apples and pears (this is amazing)

Antipasto plate with various cheeses, olives, veggies, crackers (smoked gouda a huge favorite)

Herb dip

Roasted garlic, yum!

Rum Cake

We served Miner wine: Wild Yeast Chardonnay, Odessey, and Oracle.

Conversation went well into the night with a delicious port

Brunch on Christmas morning:

Egg dish

fresh baked cinnamon rolls

Grape fruit salad

Cranberry Kir Royale

NOTE: I had planned more food for an evening meal.  We were still too full a tired so leftovers were perfect while watching The Hobbit.