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Recipe Mutiny steals recipes from food blogs and recipe sites. Then we publish them. With credit (Naturally).
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
How to Host an Easy Holiday Brunch
Whether you pull off parties with ease or find yourself more frenzied than festive, we’re partnering with Cuisinart to get you all the help you need to pull off a stress-free holiday gathering this year!
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How to Make Cheese Balls That Will Wow Your Next Holiday Party
The mid-century design theme is currently taking over our offices, homes, and television sets. Our nostalgic craving for the swinging decades of yesterday moves from aesthetics and programming to cuisine with a throwback recipe beloved as much for its simplicity as for its flavor. The cheese ball is making a comeback and for good reason. This no-fuss appetizer is easy to make, can be prepared well ahead of time, has variations aplenty, and it’s likely to be the first thing to disappear at your next holiday party.
How to make a cheese ball:
1. Bring a cup of soft cheese such as cream cheese, goat cheese, quark, or mascarpone to room temperature. Once soft, stir it in a bowl with a wooden spoon until it’s slightly fluffy.
2. For additional flavor and texture, add a cup of shredded cheese such as Parmesan, Manchego, or Asiago. Stir until combined.
3. Stir in additional ingredients such as spices, dried fruit, fried bacon bits, sliced scallions, or herbs such as chives, parsley, or shredded basil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
5. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a work surface and roll the cheese into a ball.
6. On another sheet of parchment, scatter toppings such as toasted and chopped nuts, herbs, bacon bits, or whatever else your taste buds desire. Roll the cheese ball through the toppings until it is uniformly coated.
7. Refrigerate again until chilled.
To serve, place the ball at the center of a decorative serving plate and scatter crackers or vegetables such as sliced carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, or celery around it.
LUNAR Stainless Steel Cheese Knife Set, 6 for $27.87 on Amazon
Serve your cheese ball with the right knife to make spreading it easier.
Invent your own delicious combinations, or try one of these recipes.
Chocolate Moosey
This recipe is so simple it’s hard to believe how tempting it is. No one will be able to resist this delectable flavor bomb of cheddar, crunchy bacon, and garlic made even better with the addition of salty, buttery crackers. Get the Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball recipe.
Sweet and Savory by Shinee
This is a lovely recipe to kick off a holiday brunch party and it proves that even cheese balls can be elegant. Lemon and capers keep it bright while slivered almonds dress it up and add texture. Keep it simple and swap out the liquid smoke for smoked salmon and don’t shy away from the horseradish; it adds just the right amount of zing. Get the Salmon Cheese Ball recipe.
Chowhound
What could be better than one cheese ball? Multiple cheese balls, of course. We constructed a surprisingly delicious (and massive) version with several cheesy layers all nested within one another for a showstopping party centerpiece. Get our Turducken of Cheese Balls recipe.
Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen
If you’re looking for something completely unique for your next cheese ball creation then this is the recipe for you. It’s ideal for this season of merrymaking with its beguiling alchemy of pumpkin, maple syrup, pecans, and thyme. Serve it as a breakfast waffle topping or swap out pie for dessert and replace it with this unexpected finale of earthy sweetness. Get the Pumpkin Cheese Ball recipe.
Bacon Ranch Chicken Cheese Ball
Wildflour’s Kitchen
This cheese ball recipe has it all with bacon and chicken both coming to the party and ranch dip seasoning mixed in to make your next holiday shindig come alive. It’s absolutely addictive and sure to be the first appetizer to disappear. Get the Bacon Ranch Chicken Cheese Ball recipe.
The Girl Who Ate Everything
Bring the taste of the tropics to your next holiday party with this festive cheese ball recipe that includes pineapple, pecans, and green and red bell peppers to infuse the day with a convivial seasonal spirit. Get the Hawaiian Cheese Ball recipe.
Shugary Sweets
You might need to make two of these cheese balls; one for you and one for your guests. It’s that good and a guaranteed runaway dessert hit. It’s also completely decadent with its brown sugar, butter, mini chocolate chips, and caramel sauce but ‘tis the season for indulgence and extravagance. Get the Turtle Cheese Ball recipe.
Related Video: How to Make a Christmas Owl Cheese Ball
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Once Upon a Kitchen: When the Top 3 Chefs in the World Cook for a Taco Bell Girl
What happens when you put the world’s three best chef’s in a kitchen together? It’s a scenario that sounds so unfathomable I almost expect it to be the set-up to a joke, albeit one that’s been granted three stars from the Michelin comedy gods. But this sort of once in a lifetime, culinary tour-de-force is an actual reality. And in a stunning turn of events, it soon becomes my reality.
GR8 Productions
I find myself invited to the Gotham Hall, a legendary Midtown venue for a seven-course meal prepared by none other than Massimo Bottura, Mauro Colagreco, and Joan Roca. (Dessert came courtesy Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi.) Normally you’d have to travel to Italy, Spain, or France to even attempt to eat at each of their respective restaurants, but now for the first time ever they’re collaborating in the same space. The event is titled “Once Upon a Kitchen” and, in many ways, I’m living out a fairytale by gaining entry to such a heralded event. It’s an incredibly fancy affair. As a charity fundraiser with seats costing upwards of four digits a plate (the proceeds go to God’s Love We Deliver, an amazing non-profit which delivers meals to sick and needy individuals throughout New York City.) I find myself lost in a sea of tuxedos and cocktail dresses. I worry about feeling out of place in such opulence, culinary and otherwise. After all, the last meal I ate out was at Taco Bell. That’s not to say I don’t have a vast appetite or fine appreciation of food, but I normally don’t have access to a ballroom full of truffles and caviar. But I’m eager to dig in.
Mother of Pearl Caviar Spoon - $9.90 on Amazon
For when you're craving the finer things in life.
As I find my table, I notice the night’s menu next to my plate. Every course has a clever name and a meticulous, thorough description, with print finer than most contracts, as if to suggest these aren’t just meals, but works of art worthy of museum hanging status. Take this dish created by Massimo Bottura’s for instance, “Beautiful Psychedelic, Spin-Painted Veal, Not Flamed Grilled.” If the title doesn’t make it already make it clear, this is a creative enterprise on par with the work that inspired it –the colorful canvas’s of Damien Hirst.
GR8 Productions
Other courses like Joan Roca’s “Truffle Soufflé with Low-Temperature Cooked Veal Oyster Blade” and his “Prawn Marinated with Rice Vinegar” cited the architecture of Antoni Gaudi and Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory” as key influences. And they live up their lofty aspirations. After all you, don’t become one of the best chefs in the world by making plain old chicken fingers.
But the most stimulating aspect of the night wasn’t just in eating these dishes, but in watching them be made. Towards the front of the ballroom, all the chefs, sous chefs and a bevy of other assistants work tirelessly to cook, plate and ultimately pull off these magnificent creations. There are even giant screens overhead displaying the whole affair, so you can see the meticulous process from all angles. I spoke with one of the event’s managing director Ronnie Davis, to get a better sense of what it takes to pull off feeding a sold-out crowd some of the finest food on Earth. Planning, a lot of planning. Whether its sourcing the highest quality crapaudine beetroots or measuring potatoes down to the centimeter, not one detail is overlooked. While the entire night goes off without a hitch, I can’t fathom the pressure one must feel coordinating such a daunting undertaking.
GR8 Productions
As the night progresses I drink fine wines and even finer foods. Over the course of the four-hour meal, I never want to leave. Any reservations I have about using the correct utensils or mispronouncing ingredient names evaporates after the first bite of Parmesan melts in my mouth. All I need to do is embrace the salty cheese, because nothing except taste matters in this moment. It’s an exercise in living in and savoring the present. It’s a lesson I hope spills into other areas of my life.
But once midnight strikes and the evening comes to a close, I’m back out in the real world, like a modern day Cinderella scrambling to catch a train home. If I’ve leaned anything from the night, its that I not only have an appreciation for some of the world’s most amazing food, and the artistry that goes into it, but I’m actually pretty good at actively enjoy it.
Related Video: How to Buy Truffles
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Try These Traditional Christmas Foods from Around the World
While traditions can be more comforting than a mug of hot cocoa on a blustery winter day, re-creating the same meal every Christmas can get a little bland. So why not shake up your yuletide menu with some recipes from across the globe? Although some Christmas standbys like ham and fruitcake transcend international borders, we went searching for dishes that would add unique and festive twists to your holiday feast. Come along for the ride as we take a tour of traditional Christmas foods from around the world (no passport required).
Fulatronik on Twenty20
Tamales aren’t exclusively served at Christmastime, but they tend to be reserved for special occasions due to the time and effort required to wrap each one by hand. If you’re feeling ambitious, or if you can get some buddies on board for a tamalada (tamal-making party), try your hand at these staples of the Mexican Noche Buena (Christmas Eve). Get the recipe.
Granite Ware Tamale Pot with Steamer Insert, 15.5-Quart, $22.97 on Amazon
Make your own hot tamales!
Mommy’s Home Cooking
A variation of tamales known as hallacas can also be found at La Ceña Navideña in Venezuela. As for the porcine portion of the meal, don’t expect to see a honey baked ham. In fact, while you might initially mistake pan de jamón for a plain loaf of bread, inside, you’ll discover a sweet and savory spiral of ham, raisins, and olives. Get the recipe.
Nordic Food Living
The Danish enjoy a dessert of cold rice pudding topped with whipped cream, vanilla almonds, and hot fruit sauce. But there’s more to this tradition than taste alone. Similar to a baby figurine in a Mardi Gras king cake, one peeled almond is hidden somewhere in the pudding bowl. Whoever finds it wins a mandelgave (almond present). Get the recipe.
The Vintage Mixer
Everybody knows fruitcake’s Italian cousin panettone. But if you want to introduce party guests to a different Italian dessert, whip up torrone, a nougat candy made with sugar and/or honey, egg whites, and nuts. Get the recipe.
Easy Portuguese Recipes
Cod is a constant on Portuguese menus, and the holidays are no exception. The traditional Christmas preparation is a simple one that involves boiling the fish with potatoes, cabbage, and eggs. The next day, do as the Portuguese do and make roupa velha (“old clothes” or “dirty laundry”) by mixing leftover shredded cod with garlic and olive oil. Get the recipe.
Bratislava Food Tours
Fish also plays a major role in Slovak celebrations, where tradition calls for families to acquire a live carp a few days before Christmas. There are several explanations as to how this custom began, mostly relating to the cleaning and preservation of the fish. Regardless of the reason behind the ritual, the story ends the same way—with a breaded or fried filet on Christmas Eve. Alongside fish, it’s common to see kapustnica, a sauerkraut soup with mushrooms, meats, onion, garlic, and spices. Many family recipes also mix in apples and plums for some added sweetness. Get the recipe.
What’s Cooking in Your World
If you were to find yourself in Uganda for a Dec. 25 Sekukulu celebration, you might just be treated to luwombo—a dish of seasoned chicken wrapped in banana leaves and steamed with whole bananas. Get the recipe.
Ev’s Eats
Like tamales in Mexico, jollof rice makes an appearance at many West African occasions and gatherings, not just Christmas. This blend of rice, tomatoes, peppers, and spices is popular for parties because it’s a crowd pleaser that only requires one pot to prepare. Get the recipe.
Aleksandra
Dreading the post-holiday January blues? Celebrate Christmas again with the Orthodox Christians on Jan. 7! Get things started the night before with a bowl of Russian sochivo (also known as kutya) —a wheat porridge with poppy seeds, walnuts, and honey. Get the recipe.
Zestuous
In the Philippines, Simbang Gabi is a series of nine dawn masses—each one starting as early as 4 a.m.—beginning on Dec. 16. As congregants pour out of churches at breakfast-time, they’re likely to encounter vendors selling two rice and coconut-based treats: puto bumbong and bibingka. Get the recipe.
Recipe Tin Eats
Since Christmas falls during summertime in the Southern Hemisphere, prawns are common figures at yuletide barbies Down Under. As for dessert, Australians love their pavlova. Nicknamed “pav” for short, it consists of meringue cakes smothered in cream and crowned with seasonal fruits like passionfruit, strawberries, and kiwi. Get the recipe.
Cola de Mono (Chilean eggnog Christmas drink)
The weather is similarly hot in Chile, where locals enjoy a cool twist on eggnog called cola de mono. Literally translated, the name means “monkey’s tail” and comes with a handful of possible origin stories that you and your guests can entertain. While we can’t say which one is true, we can guarantee that this blend of milk, coffee, cinnamon, and brandy will cool things right down if the family dinner table conversation gets heated! Get the recipe.
With that, we’d like to raise a figurative glass of cola de mono and propose a holiday toast to you and your kin. No matter where you’re from, how you celebrate, or what language you speak, we wish you a happy holiday season full of friends and family and equally full bellies.
Related Video: This Is How Christmas Is Done in Cuba
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How to Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas Without Candles
There’s nothing quite like cozying up by the fire with a good book and a warm cup of cocoa. However, since I’m living in a Brooklyn apartment that might actually be equivalent in size to a fireplace, I’m forced to make do with candles.
I’ve made several attempts to winterize my space thanks to an array of scents: bonfire, vanilla, cranberry, evergreen. I’m swiping matches multiple times per day in order to capture the season, but not only am I running out of matches, I’m running out of candles.
Rather than head to the mom and pop store for a new scent, I decided to discover other ways to celebrate this festive time of year. There are plenty of ways to make your home smell like Christmas—without candles. If you’re looking for some alternatives, here’s where to start.
Step one: Take advantage of natural products.
Shutterstock
As lovely as cinnamon candles can be, nothing beats the real thing. Try boiling a pot of water with some cinnamon sticks to enhance a cozy vibe in your home. Lifestyle blogger Stephanie Gerber, the brains behind Hello Glow, is totally in favor of this option—for multiple reasons. “The boiling water releases moisture into the air in the form of steam; the same way as a humidifier,” she tells Chowhound. “The moisture in the air is great for the house—and [your] skin. To circulate the air, add a fan next to the stove to blow the air around a bit. Just don’t forget to keep adding water!”
Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks, Pure Ceylon Cinnamon 5 in Quills, $6.95 on Amazon
Stock up on the scent of the season.
Step two: Schedule wine o’clock.
Chowhound
Any plan that throws wine into the mix is obviously worth pursuing. Making mulled wine—complete with spices and citrus—not only warms a cold winter night with a bold flavor and scent, but it adds a little gusto to an ordinary dinner. While you’re boiling that pot of water and cinnamon, find a couple of extra sticks for your drink. Get our Mulled Wine recipe.
Step three: Get your Betty Crocker on.
Chowhound
There’s no substitute for warm gingerbread men or sugar cookies during the holiday season. Baking Christmas cookies fills your home with a festive aroma and provides a treat at the end of the process, so this is clearly a win-win option. Plus, with these tips, you’ll be baking like a pro. Get ready for your house to smell like Santa’s workshop.
Step four: Find a fun DIY project.
Alexandra Wolf
New York City-based floral artist Christy Doramus, founder of Crowns by Christy, highly suggests making a garland. Assemble pine, pinecones (you can find fragrant ones at Whole Foods) and roses, and you’ll have a lovely centerpiece for your Christmas dinner that’ll smell just as lovely as the meal you’re preparing. Grab the goods—in addition to garden shears and florist wire—and get started. Here are the instructions Christy provides to Chowhound. This garland is destined to be an annual project.
First thing’s first: Begin with one stem of greenery and twist one to two stems of your accents to the greenery stem with florist wire, wrapping the pieces tightly together three to four times around.
Secondly: Continue this process, wrapping stems to the growing strand with florist wire until you have one piece of garland that is half of the total desired length. Repeat with a second half.
Lastly: Once you have two halves completed, place the stem ends together and wrap them together tightly with florist wire in the center.
If you’re left with a few extra pinecones, take advantage with another craft that lets you decorate and utilize the fragrance. Visit Pinterest to get your creative juices flowing.
Step five: Find some festive reed diffusers.
Amazon
Though I might be partial to candles, there is always another way to access the aroma of Christmas. If you’re not too keen on keeping an open flame (totally understandable, especially if you have children and pets), reed diffusers can get the job done. Holiday Forest Pine and Cranberry & Woods are some delightfully festive options.
Related Video: German Mulled Wine
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Cooking as Meditation: Easing Your Stress This Holiday Season
Over the last couple days, I’ve noticed myself getting a bit stressed. First, I’m in the midst of a job search. If you’ve ever been there, you know exactly what I’m dealing with. If you haven’t, just know that it’s, as Jerry Maguire might say, “…a pride-swallowing siege that I will never fully tell you about.” Additionally, I have day-to-day stressors like laundry, dishes, traffic, deadlines, bills, doctor appointments, dentist appointments, my way-too-soft mattress making my joints ache, and the invariable childrearing messes to clean up. Then, top all that off with a healthy dose of, “Uh oh, the holidays are coming,” and I’m like Jerry Seinfeld after switching rooms with Kramer when the Kenny Rogers Roasters sign is too bright. “Oh, I’m stressed!”
So, today, after being stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes longer than my hour-and-a-half trip home necessitated, my head aching, and my eyes weary, my wife asked, “Do you want me to cook dinner tonight?” I looked at her without pause, and said, “No, I’m cooking.” See, in our house, I’m responsible for the meals, and that’s the way I like it. No, I’m not crazy or a control freak. I know plenty of folks out there would have jumped at the chance to get out of cooking duties for the evening. I’m just not one of them. For me, cooking is a way to re-center and relax. It’s a way for me to take all the stressors and push them aside. For me, cooking is meditation.
When I was a little kid, I distinctly remember being outside in our backyard shooting hoops when our neighbor Bob came by. I had a rough day at school and apparently it showed. Bob asked me what was wrong and I told him that I was kind of stressed out. He asked me, “Is that why you’re out here taking jumpers?” I replied, “Yeah, I think so.” He said, “Good. Everyone needs something. You know how I’m always riding or blading, sometimes for miles and miles?” I nodded my head. He continued, “I don’t do that just to stay fit. I do that because that’s what keeps me centered. It’s what I do when I have too much on my mind and need to refocus. It’s how I re-calibrate and refresh. Everyone needs that. Everyone needs their thing.” Obviously, I’ve always remembered that advice from Bob. And while shooting hoops has always been helpful, I no longer have easy access to a court. Luckily, I’ve found another “thing” in cooking. Since it’s something that most people do at least once a day, I’d like to offer some perspective on how it helps me unwind, relax, and refocus. Who knows, maybe it can help you do the same. Similar to my views on food, if you can take a chore and turn it into a treat, you’ve just improved your day!
You know what causes me a lot of stress? Me! That’s right, I cause a lot of my own stress. Here’s how: Instead of being occupied with what I’m doing right now, I’m thinking about the past, or I’m thinking about the future. I’m thinking of “already over” or “never were” scenarios. I’m thinking of possibilities. I’m consumed by “what ifs.” I’m not in the present. A state of being can often be interrupted by a state of thinking; a state of thinking that goes unchecked can morph into a state of rumination; and a state of rumination can translate into an anxiety state. I’m causing my own stress by not staying in the moment; by not being present. Therefore, to reduce anxiety, I need to find a way to take one thing at a time, and just be.
After doing some research, there’s a term in modern meditative practice that refers to being present. It’s called mindfulness. According to mindful.org, “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” In order to de-stress, this is my goal. I need to be in the moment, completely. I need to focus on being, not on thinking. I need to be mindful. This is exactly what cooking provides me.
When I cook, I am singularly focused on the task at hand. This starts with a precise goal: Make a restaurant quality meal for my family. This might sound nuts, but that’s my pursuit whenever I put on my apron and sling some hash. To be clear, just because I chase excellence or chase perfection doesn’t mean I always achieve it. However, I find having a goal is helpful in keeping me present. With it, the task has meaning and importance. Without the goal, it would be too easy to get lackadaisical, go through the motions, and wander off. Food is important. If I mess it up, someone is either going to be hungry, or they’re going to have a lesser experience than they could have. Does this put pressure on? Yes, I suppose it does. But for me, it’s not the same as stress or anxiety. It’s focus. This focus blooms further when I get into the act of cooking. Cooking is a practice. It’s something that one does. It’s not a consideration of an action. It’s not a thought about a result. It’s doing in the here and now.
Cooking requires my full attention. Take my meal tonight, for instance: pork chops, baked potato, and asparagus. Everything was perfectly timed, perfectly cooked, and well appreciated by my wife (my 17 month-old son ate PB&J and apples). The key: I had no time to think about anything but cooking. If I wanted to make sure this meal was done right and well, and for everything to be ready at the same time, I needed to be focused and present. There was too much going on for me to be worried about anything else. From searing, to flipping, to rinsing, to steaming, to setting the table, to plating, there was no down time. Thinking about the past: not an option. Ruminating about the future: not an option. Staying in the moment was the only play. Cooking forces me to be mindful.
Once I realized this about cooking, I started to really enjoy my time in the kitchen. I stopped viewing it as another chore, and viewed it as a mental break from all the other stuff that piles up in my mind. It’s one of the few things that fully engages my attention when I’m doing it. It keeps me square in the moment. Because of this, my worries and cares disappear, and I’m at ease. This holiday season, I encourage you to take advantage of the power of cooking to help you ease some of your tension. Instead of sliding some cranberry sauce out of a can, or making your stuffing from a box, or ordering in your turkey (all because you think it will be easier), take the time to make some from scratch and pay attention to being present throughout the process. Focus on the consistency, the heat, the flavor, the aroma, the taste, the coloring, and the timing. Focus on making that cranberry sauce, that stuffing, that turkey the best it can be. Do that and you won’t be able to worry about anything else. And for that brief time, you will have pressed pause on your stress, achieved some semblance of mindfulness, and recharged. Cooking does that for me, and I believe it can do that for you. It’s not a chore, it’s a gift. We just have to pay attention to receive it.
Related video: Holiday Appetizers and Drinks
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