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Party
Planning & Entertaining
 Holiday
Season Entertaining Tips & Recipes
(Family
Features) - It's time to celebrate the season best shared with
family and friends. Delicious recipes, which are surprisingly easy to
make, will impress guests without keeping you tied to the kitchen.
Add B. Smith's stylish entertaining ideas to the mix - then simply
sit back and wait for the doorbell to ring!
"Entertaining
shortcuts are a must, especially during the bustling holiday
season," said B. Smith, national style expert, who also is a
restaurant owner, cookbook author and radio host. "I'm a fan of
quick scratch recipes that start with convenience products. All the
makings for a memorable season are within reach with some planning, a
little prep and a lot of fun!"
 Holiday
Hints
B. Smith, the
maven of merriness, offers her top tips for the season:
Easy Elegance
At my restaurants,
I love dressing up plated food with a fragrant spice or herb sprigs.
This is easy to do at home, too. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon around
individual plates of apple pie, and dust the whipped cream or ice
cream à la mode. Use fresh herbs to add a splash of color and
aroma. Chives, rosemary, tarragon and sage make lovely garnishes.
Candle-Berry Votives
Place 10 to 12
cranberries in clear glass votive candleholders. Fill them with tap
water and top with a floating clear votive candle. Arrange these on
the table and light them just before guests arrive. Look for votive
holders in varying sizes and colors to match your table setting.
Wise Timesavers
Hosts know every
minute counts, so I like to make the most of convenience products
when streamlining. Pillsbury Frozen Dinner Rolls are favorite
timesavers that deliver restaurant-quality flavor and texture. They
store well in the freezer and can arrive hot from the oven to your
table in eight easy minutes.
For more great
holiday recipes, visit www.Pillsbury.com
Deviled Crab
and Cheese Biscuit Cups
This delightful
appetizer recipe is popular with B. Smith's guests when she
entertains at home.
3/4 cup whipped
cream cheese spread (from 8-oz container)
1 tablespoon fresh
lemon juice
1 teaspoon red
pepper sauce
1/4 cup finely
shredded mild Cheddar cheese (1 oz)
2 tablespoons
chopped green onions (2 medium)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup garlic and
herb bread crumbs
3 cans (6 oz each)
white crabmeat, well drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 can (16.3 oz)
Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
2 tablespoons
chopped fresh parsley
1. Heat oven to
375°F. Spray 16 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. In small bowl,
mix cream cheese, lemon juice, pepper sauce, Cheddar cheese, green
onions, paprika, bread crumbs, crabmeat and celery until well blended.
3. Separate dough
into 8 biscuits; then peel in half to make 16 biscuits. Press or roll
each into 5-inch round. Place 1 biscuit round in each muffin cup;
firmly press in bottom and up side, forming 1/4-inch rim over edge of
cup. Place 2 tablespoons crab mixture in bottoms of muffin cups.
4. Bake 12 to 15
minutes or until filling is set and edges of biscuits are golden
brown. Sprinkle each with chopped parsley; lightly press into
filling. Remove biscuit cups from pan; serve immediately.
16 servings; High
Altitude (3500 to 6500 ft): No change.
Brown Butter
Creamy Apple Pie
B. Smith's best
bet for holiday baking: jump-start your homebaked pies by choosing a
convenient premade crust that comes ready to fill, bake and thrill!
1 Pillsbury
Pet-Ritz frozen deep dish pie crust (from 12-oz package)
Filling
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups sliced
peeled Granny Smith apples (5 medium)
Streusel
1/2 cup
all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly
packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter
Topping
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon
powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1. Place cookie
sheet on oven rack. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. In
1-quart saucepan, cook 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until melted
and lightly browned, stirring constantly. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
3. In large bowl,
beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar and egg with wire whisk until light and
fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon
vanilla. Beat in cooled butter. Gently stir in apples. Pour into
frozen pie crust.
4. In medium bowl,
stir together all streusel ingredients except butter. With pastry
blender or fork, cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture looks like
coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Place pie on cookie sheet in oven.
5. Bake 20
minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and cover edge of
crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 to
50 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden
brown. Cool 2 hours.
6. In small bowl,
beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add remaining topping
ingredients; beat until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spoon onto pie.
8 servings; Hgh
Altitude (3500 to 6500 ft): In step 5, increase second bake time to
50 to 55 minutes.
Biscuit Bread Pudding
A rich,
old-fashioned custard dessert is made simple with frozen biscuits.
12 Pillsbury
Grands! frozen buttermilk biscuits (from 25-oz bag)
8 eggs
4 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup raisins
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
Caramel topping,
warmed, if desired
1. Heat oven to
350°F. Bake biscuits as directed on bag. Cool completely, about
20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile,
generously spray twelve 10-oz custard cups or twelve 4 1/2x1 1/4-inch
disposable foil tart pans with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat
eggs. Add milk, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla; mix well.
3. Cut baked
biscuits into 1-inch cubes. Add to egg mixture; mix well. Let stand 5
minutes. Divide biscuit mixture evenly among custard cups.
4. Bake 20 to 25
minutes or until set. With knife or metal spatula, loosen edges of
each pudding; slide onto dessert plate. Drizzle with warm topping.
Timesaving Tip:
Bake biscuits up to 2 days before preparing the pudding. After they
have cooled, store in a sealed food-storage plastic bag at room temperature.
12 servings; High
Altitude (3500 to 6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions on bag
when baking biscuits. Gradually stir 1/4 cup all-purpose flour into
ingredients in step 2. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
 Garlic,
Cheese and Tomato Bread Bites
Upgrade dinner
rolls by filling them with a delicious cheese blend.
10 Pillsbury
frozen soft white dinner rolls (from 12.4-oz bag)
1 container (6.5
oz) garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese
1 tablespoon diced
sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon diced
pitted kalamata olives
1 jar (8 oz)
marinara sauce, warmed
1 Heat oven to
375°F. Remove rolls from bag; thaw 10 minutes. With thumb, make
indentation in center of each roll.
2. In medium bowl,
mix cheese, sundried tomatoes and olives. Place 1 tablespoon cheese
mixture in each indentation. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 12 to 17
minutes or until tops are light golden brown. Serve with warmed
marinara sauce.
10 servings; High
Altitude (3500 to 6500 ft): No change.
SOURCE: General Mills
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