Pita Tree Appetizers

Pita Tree Appetizers

4 flavored or plain pita folds or pita (pocket) breads (about 6 inches in diameter)

16 thin pretzel sticks, halved

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 cup guacamole

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper blend

1/4 cup very finely chopped red bell pepper

Cut each pita fold into 8 wedges. Insert pretzel stick half into center of bottom of each wedge to form “tree trunk.”

In small bowl, mix sour cream, guacamole, parsley and garlic pepper blend. Spread about 1 teaspoon sour cream mixture on each pita wedge.

Blot bell pepper with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon bell pepper on each wedge or arrange to form a garland. If desired, cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving.

*For variety, use cilantro in place of the parsley.

Recipe and picture from Pillsbury.com

Sugar Cone Spruce Trees

Sugar Cone Spruce Trees

8 sugar ice cream cones

1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting, divided

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Green gel food coloring

Assorted candy decorations

Using a serrated knife, carefully score and cut ice cream cones to desired heights. In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup frosting and confectioners’ sugar; tint green. Set remaining frosting aside.

Cut a hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert star tip. Fill with green frosting. Pipe frosting in overlapping rows over cones. Decorate with candies.

When frosting on trees is dry, spread white frosting over a large serving platter to resemble snow. Arrange trees on frosted platter.

Recipe and picture from TasteOfHome.com

Cheese and Olive Appetizer Tree

Cheese and Olive Appetizer Tree

1 bottle (10 ounce) small pimiento stuffed olives

1 bottle (11 ounce) large pimiento stuffed olives

6 ounce pitted Kalamata or ripe olives

1 block (1 pound) Colby cheese

Rosemary sprigs, if desired

1 cone shaped (9 inches tall) green or white floral foam

Drain olives. But block of cheese horizontally into 2 pieces, each about 1/2 inch thick. Cut cheese with 1 inch star shaped canapé cutter. Cover cheese stars with plastic wrap.

Break toothpicks in half as needed; push each olive onto toothpick half. Starting at bottom of cone, insert toothpicks until they stay securely in place. Continue placing olives in random order on tree, varying sizes and leaving spaces for the cheese stars. (For stability of the tree, place most of the larger olives near the bottom.)

Push each cheese star onto toothpick half; insert into cone among the olives. Top tree with a cheese star that has been inserted horizontally on toothpick between points of star. Insert rosemary sprigs randomly between olives and cheese. Cover loosely and refrigerate no longer than 8 hours before serving.

Recipe and picture from Pillsbury.com

Sweet Tortilla Snowflakes

Sweet Tortilla Snowflakes

6 flour tortillas

Canola or vegetable oil for baking

confectioners’ sugar

Edible glitter (optional)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Warm the tortillas (about 15 seconds) in the microwave.

Individually fold the tortillas in half once and then in half again, so that you end up with a shape that resembles a wedge of pie (it will be thick). Using clean scissors, cut triangle, circles, or squares out of the edges, as if you were making paper snowflakes. Unfold the tortillas.

Lightly brush the tops of the snowflakes with canola or vegetable oil and place them on a cookie sheet slightly apart.

Bake them until lightly browned and crisp (about 4 minutes). Sift confectioners’ sugar on the snowflakes while warm. For an extrasparkly effect, you can sprinkle on a bit of edible glitter.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Gingerbread Lantern

Gingerbread Lantern

Gingerbread

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons water

1/3 cup molasses

1-2/3 cups flour, plus extra for rolling

1-1/4 teaspoons ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Hard candies, such as Jolly Rancher hard candies

Icing

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon meringue powder

2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

To make the gingerbread, heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer on medium high speed for about 5 minutes. Stir the baking soda into the water to dissolve it, then add this to the butter mixture. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, then stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture a little at a time. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it for 1 hour.

Prepare the sides by rolling out the chilled dough to a 1/4 inch thickness on a large piece of parchment paper, sprinkling on some flour if the dough sticks. Then, using a 4 by 7 inch piece of cardboard as a template, cut 4 rectangles from the dough, removing any scraps. Transfer the gingerbread pieces to a cookie sheet by topping them first with a piece of parchment paper the size of the cookie sheet, then with the inverted cookie sheet itself. Quickly flip everything over, then remove the top piece of parchment paper.

To install the windows, use cookie cutters dipped in flour to cut and remove a few shapes from each gingerbread piece. Unwrap candies in similar colors (you’ll need about 2 to 3 each for each 2-1/2 inch cutout) and place them in double freezer bags. Hit them gently with a hammer to crush them, then generously fill each cutout with crushed candy. Bake the gingerbread for 12 minutes, then let it cool for at least 1 hour. (The candy windows will be extremely hot! Do not touch them until they have cooled completely.)

Finally, construct the lantern by beating together all of the icing ingredients in a small bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until blended, then increase the speed to high and beat for 4 to 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with 1 corner cut off, pipe icing along the long edges of 2 of the walls.

Assemble all 4 walls vertically on a platter or a piece of foil covered cardboard, filling in any gaps and decorating the edges with more icing. Allow the icing to dry overnight. Set the lantern in a safe spot, then place a small candle inside and light the wick.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com