Holiday Happenings 2016

As usual the holidays were busy and full of family with an enormous amount of food. My jeans are definitely a little more snug around my waist but the journey was worth it! Of course there will be a change in how we will be eating post holiday.... a lot healthier and watching what kinds of food we will be eating. Even though it is now the new year 2017 I wanted to share with you some of my holiday happenings from December 2016! We had many family and friend gatherings that we attended usually with a plate of food in hand. My goal is always make it as simple as possible as long as you aren't sacrificing flavor! And as always the presentation is half of the battle.... make it look spectacular! 

We will begin with the simplest dish I took to our Small Group party. It was a going away party for some very dear friends and everyone was supposed to bring snacks and appetizers. It was on a particularly busy weekend so I went super simple. My husband had received a gourmet cheese and meat box from one of his vendors. I cut up a few varieties of cheese along with summer sausage then surrounded it with beautiful, fresh rosemary! I added the crackers on the cute mitten plates and voila! 

Every year I have intended to make the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for our neighbors. If you know me at all you know I am a superfan of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. So naturally these rolls are a part of Christmas! They are also convenient for a quick and delicious Christmas morning breakfast! I made 10 pans of cinnamon rolls and made deliveries to our neighbors mid-December. They were so delicious and now a tradition for our family! I will do the baking and my family can help deliver!

Recipe: Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

Each year since the kids have been born I have wanted to be diligent about making a Happy Birthday Jesus cake. Having a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Day makes it more of a focus for the kids. I want them to know the real reason for the season. Because I want them to know how special His birthday is I always make a cake from scratch. The effort and love put into this cake is how I hope they someday will love Jesus! 

This year I went to Tammy Maltby's Christmas Kitchen Cookbook. I made her Red Velvet Sugared Cranberry Cake with a few modifications. I knew time was of the essence that day so I substituted a simple powdered sugar/milk frosting in place of the cream cheese frosting. This cake not only tasted AMAZING but the presentation speaks for itself! Look at these beautiful sugared cranberries below! I had to restrain myself from eating them all before they went on the cake. What I love about Tammy Matlby's cakes are that they look so fancy and beautiful but they aren't as hard as you would think! 

Recipe: Red Velvet Cake with Sugared Cranberries

This year on New Years Eve my wonderful in-laws took the kids for the evening so we could have one last hurrah with our friends who have now moved to St. Louis. We had fancy appetizers and yummy drinks. I made a simple appetizer that looked pretty and tasted great. The best part was it only took 5 minutes! Place one cherry tomato on a toothpick with one mozzerella cheese ball. Sprinkle the platter with parsley for effect. I added a basil pesto sauce for dipping and YUM!!!! 

What were you favorite holiday recipes this year?