Holiday Recipes

Hope everybody had a lovely holiday!!  I wanted to post some recipes that I made for my family on Christmas, including some app's, a side-dish to go along with our lasagna, and an amazing brunch recipe.

I found two appetizer ideas on a blog that I follow called "What's Gaby Cooking".  They sounded super easy to make and something my whole family would like (which they did).  First, I made Roasted Red Pepper Mozzarella Bites (http://whatsgabycooking.com/roasted-red-pepper-mozzarella-bites/).  All I did was wrap bocconcini (tiny mozzarella balls) in a strip of roasted pepper (my mom roasted some in the oven a few days ago) with a little strip of basil.

(Thanks Jenny for my pretty new plate!!)

Next, I made Crostini with Baked Brie and Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta (http://whatsgabycooking.com/crostini-with-baked-brie-and-heirloom-tomato-bruschetta/).

Since heirloom tomatoes are not in season, I quartered cherry tomatoes.  I mixed the tomatoes with basil, evoo, balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper.  I let the tomato mixture sit while I prepared my toasts.  I used a marble rye loaf because my mom couldn't find a plain italian baguette at the store.  I sliced the bread thin and topped each slice with a little brie.  I baked it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the brie was melted and the bread was toasted.  Then, I topped each toast with the tomato mixture.

Every year my mom makes stuffed mushrooms to go along with our lasagna.  We usually make some kind of roast too, but decided not to this year since we had 3 trays of lasagna.  I helped her make the mushrooms and they are soo simple and delicious.  I decided to spruce it up a bit by adding a touch of gorgonzola on half of them.  

To make them we wash and de-stemmed 14 large button mushrooms.  I minced most of the stems and mixed them with bread crumbs and olive oil.  We stuffed each mushroom with the stuffing and sprinkled paprika on top.  Here are the mushrooms before they went into the oven.  They take about a half hour in a 350 degree oven.

Every Christmas morning, my mom makes the same egg bake with maple ham.  I have never even really seen her make it before because she is usually up super early and makes it before I wake up.  This year I was up early and decided to help her make it.  

We put half a stick of butter in a large casserole dish and put it in a 325 degree oven until the butter melted.  Then, we swirled the pan around so that the butter coated the whole dish.  In the meantime, we whisked 18 eggs with 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of milk, 2 tsp. of salt, and 1/4 cup sliced scallions.  I poured the mixture in the casserole dish and baked it in the oven until the eggs set, about 40 minutes.  

We topped the casserole with slices of maple ham.  Here's a picture of my slice

We served the eggs with the beautiful fruit salad that I made.  It had a ton of fresh fruit from Delicious Orchards, including apples, pears, grapes, oranges, cantaulope, honeydew, kiwis, pineapple, and watermelon.