Recipes for festive occasions – TEAM Resources

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Published: June 27, 2002

With graduation coming up next week in many schools, I thought I’d pass

along a novel idea that our new in-laws brought to a convocation

supper, the cutest little dignified Tuxedo Grads.

You will need:

  • Decorative toothpicks.
  • Green pepper, cut into approximately 3/8 inch (one centimetre)

squares – for the grad cap.

form the white shirt.

  • Raw carrot peeled, sliced horizontally, and a pie-shaped wedge cut

out of each slice. The carrot slice forms the base or “feet” of the

grad. The pie-shaped cutout piece of carrot slice is inserted into the

olive head for the grad’s nose.

Each grad consists of a decorative toothpick, on which you skewer one

square of green pepper for the grad cap, an olive head, an olive body

stuffed horizontally with cream cheese (white shirt), and a carrot

slice to form the base for the grad to stand.

Tuxedo strawberries

I recently had strawberries dipped in melted chocolate for a tasty

little snack. Then I saw another idea at an honourary tea for home

economist and former Farm Living editor Liz Delahey, who is going to be

inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame Aug. 4, 2002.

The dessert chef used white and dark chocolate to decorate the

strawberries in little tuxedos, with the dark chocolate forming the

tuxedo and the bow tie whereas the white chocolate formed the white

shirt and tuxedo buttons.

Those of you with an artistic flair might like to try that for a

festive occasion.

Special occasion punch

4 cups pineapple juice 1 L

4 cups limeade 1 L

4 cups orange juice 1 L

4 cups orange pop 1 L

8 cups ginger ale 2 L

fresh orange slices

fresh strawberries

Mix all together, adding ginger ale last, in a large punch bowl. Float

orange slices and strawberries on top for a festive touch. Serves 30.

  • For an alcohol punch, add vodka.

Source: Winners from The Best of Bridge Publishing Ltd.

Fruit kabobs & sauce

Another idea for parties any time of year is a fruit kabob served with

a yogurt-based fruit dip or sauce. You can add cinnamon or lemon juice

to the sauce for flavouring, and icing sugar for sweetening, if needed.

Ideas for the fruit skewer are strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew,

kiwi, watermelon, papaya, mango, bananas, grapes, apples and oranges.

Remember that apples and bananas need to be either dipped in lemon

juice, sprinkled with ascorbic acid or sugar or prepared at the last

minute so they don’t turn brown.

Here’s another alternative for the dip/sauce.

Sauce for fruit

8 ounces cream 250 g

cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar, 50 mL

syrup or honey

1/2 cup orange juice 125 mL

Beat all ingredients together. Add more orange juice if needed to thin

the sauce. (Makes 2 cups./500 mL)

Source: Appetizers by Jean Pare, Company’s Coming Publishing Ltd.

Dilly dip for vegetables

This is my favourite raw vegetable dip, which adds calcium to the diet

for all ages.

1 cup creamed 250 mL

cottage cheese

1/2 cup plain yogurt or 125 mL

sour cream

2 teaspoons dried dill 10 mL

weed or 2 tablespoons

(25 mL) fresh dill

1 teaspoon lemon juice 5 mL

salt and pepper, to taste

Optional: 2 tablespoons (25 mL) green onion or chives, chopped.

In a blender, combine cottage cheese with yogurt; process until smooth.

Transfer to bowl; stir in onion, dill, lemon juice and salt and pepper,

to taste. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Serve with vegetables.

Source: Saskatchewan Dairy Foundation.

Flour-free cookie recipe

The following cookies were a real hit at a class wind-up party, but

would also be a good snack to take to the field, camping, or to a

sports day. This recipe contains no flour, and can be adapted for your

own or your family’s tastes and needs.

Monster cookies

Cream together:

11/2 cups peanut butter 375 mL

1/2 cup butter 125 mL

11/2 cups brown sugar 375 mL

Beat:

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL

1/4 cup corn syrup 50 mL

Add:

41/2 cups rolled oats 1.125 L

2 teaspoons baking 10 mL

soda

3/4 cup chocolate chips 175 mL

3/4 cup coconut 175 mL

(or other fruit, nut or

treat of your choice)

Form into balls and flatten on greased pan. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for

seven minutes.

Wedding tarts

June is a month for weddings. I came across this recipe for jam-based

tarts with a cakey filling, and made them using saskatoon berry jam.

Use small tart pans to make miniature tarts for a daintier look.

Maids of honour tarts

4 tablespoons 60 mL

raspberry jam

12 unbaked tart shells

Filling:

1/4 cup butter or 50 mL

margarine, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 mL

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 125 mL

1/4 teaspoon baking 1 mL

powder

1/4 teaspoon vanilla or 1 mL

almond flavouring

Put small spoonful of jam in each tart shell. Cream butter and sugar

together well. Beat in egg.

Add flour, baking powder and vanilla. Stir to mix. Put about one

tablespoon (15 mL) over jam in each tart shell. Bake on bottom shelf in

375 F (190 C) oven about 20 minutes until risen and firm. An inserted

wooden toothpick should come out clean. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Yield: 12 tarts

Source: Pies by Jean Pare, Company’s Coming Publishing Ltd.

Low-fat bran muffins

1 cup flour 250 mL

11/4 cups low fat milk 300 mL

11/2 teaspoons baking 7 mL

powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 mL

1/3 cup brown sugar, 75 mL

packed

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 mL

1/2 cup applesauce 125 mL

2 cups 100% 500 mL

All-Bran cereal

1/4 cup ground flax 50 mL

(optional)

Optional: raisins, chopped nuts, cut-up dried apricots, dates or other

fruit.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Mix cereal, milk, sugar, raisins and other fruit in another bowl and

let stand for at least five minutes. Then stir in egg and applesauce.

Add this second mixture to the flour mixture.

Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling each cup.

Doubling the recipe makes 24 muffins. When doubling the recipe, use

four teaspoons (20 mL) of baking powder.

Bake 22 minutes at 350 F (180 C).

Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of

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