Christmas Fun Foods & Recipes

Can't quite afford to have your Christmas bash catered? Yeah, me either. But, that doesn't mean that you can't have a festive party with fun food! These recipes are fun to make, and even more fun to eat. Grab the kids, the hot cocoa, and have a blast in the kitchen without busting your budget!

Rudolph Sandwiches

Take a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, cut it crossways for a triangle! Then decorate it for a reindeer! With two raisins for the eyes, five or six raisins for the mouth, broken pretzel bits for the horns, and a bright half a cherry for the nose!! Voilla, you have Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, ready to eat.

Dipped Marshmallows

1 bag large marshmallows 250 ml (1 cup) milk chocolate chips 10 ml (2 tsp) vegetable oil Assorted sprinkles, colored sugar, coconut, crushed nuts, etc. Put sprinkles into various custard cups or small bowls. You will need lots. Melt chocolate chips and oil together over low heat (about 1 min. in microwave). Have child dip each marshmallow into the chocolate (so about half of it is covered), then dip and roll in the sprinkles. Place on a cookie sheet to harden. Give away as gifts (if you know anyone who actually might enjoy eating something like this!) or enjoy yourselves.

Cinnamon Snails

4 slices soft texture whole wheat or white bread. Trim crusts from the bread slices. 1/4 cup soft cream cheese 3 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 cup melted butter. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese on each slice of bread. Roll up bread slices with cream cheese on the inside. Cut each rollint thirds. Stir together sugar and cinnamon unti well mixed. Dip each cut roll into melted butter, then into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture. Do not dip the ends of the rolls. Place rolls, seam side down, on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes, or unti light brown and crips. Serve warm or cool. Makes 12

Jelly Relish

You need-a bowl of jelly, a cup of icecream, small fruit pieces, cherries, a loaf pan and knife. Put the jelly in the loaf pan and turn it into a plate so you get a shape. Cut it into small rectangles (not very small). Top each rectangle with a cherry and small pieces of fruit (if you wish). Freeze lighthly and serve.

Christmas Sandwiches

Take two slices of white bread and some red and green food coloring, a clean paint brush and some sandwich fillings. You pour a small amount or the food colorings into a small bowl, you may wish to dilute with a small amount of water. Then take your paintbrush and "paint" a christmas tree onto the bread, you can add colorful ornaments and even write "Merry Christmas". You can then paint the other slice of bread as well. Then you take the bread and toast them slightly in a toaster. Add the meats and cheeses, or peanut butter and jelly, and you have a great holiday sandwich. You can also have many variations on this idea to use in many ways!

Gingerbread Bowl

*Use your favorite gingerbread cookie recipe.When dough is rolled out, shape it over a small stainless steel mixing bowl, shaping as needed to create a bowl shape. Cut small shapes out around rim of dough(which is still on the bowl). Put bowl (inverted) and dough, into a preheated 325 degree oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove bowl CAREFULLY and you now have a gingerbread bowl! You can use the remaining dough for cookies! The children will love all aspects of this!

Sugar Cone Christmas Trees

Sugar Cones, Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or candy melts, Assorted candies for decorating* (especially gumdrops for the top), Waxed Paper Get all ingredients out. Spread out sheets of waxed paper to work on. Microwave chocolate or candy melts in shallow bowl just till starts to melt, stir till smooth. Roll cone in chocolate with two fingers inside cone (if possible) to hold. Lift cone out with two fingers inside cone. Place a gumdrop on top and press gently . Gumdrop should make it easier to stand cone up on waxed paper. Decorate with assorted candies. Let decorated "trees" stand until chocolate hardens. Store sealed in cool place. Note: White chocolate seems to harden much faster than regular chocolate, so decorate the white "trees" right away and let the regular chocolate ones set up a minute before decorating.*Decorations: M&M's large and mini sizes, gumdrops, marshmallows, cinnamon decors, silver ball decors, sprinkles, colored sugars, decorator icing (see below). Decorator Icing: Mix confectioners sugar with just enough milk (just the tiniest bit) and food color to make a thick icing. It should be thick, but still able to pipe through a decorator's tip. Too thick: add more milk (a little at a time). Too thin: add more confectioners sugar. Pipe either with a decorators bag and tips or put in the corner of a freezer bag* & twist shut; snip off tiniest bit of corner and squeeze bag gently to pipe frosting out. * Make sure freezer bag has nice square corners and not pleated ones.

Reindeer Cravings, Wormy apples

1 apple, gummy worms, peanut butter Cut apple in 6 pieces, remove core, spread peanut butter on apple slice, wrap 1 or 2 gummy worms around apple

Jingle Bell Bug

large strawberries, thin pretzel sticks, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon of butter, miniature chocolate chips Wash strawberries and remove stems, cut strawberries in half from stem to tip, melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and butter in skillet. Place four pretzels on serving plate side by side, just touching. Dip cut side of strawberries in chocolate, put on top of pretzels. Dip mini choc chips in melted chocolate, stick on strawberry for eyes.

Santa's Favorite
Christmas Candle

1 pineapple slice, 1/2 banana, 2 maraschino cherries, 1 candy mint leaf, 1 leaf of lettuce Place lettuce on plate, put pineapple slice on lettuce, put the cut end of the banana in hole of pineapple, top with cherry. Place mint leaf on side with another cherry

For more great inexpensive Christmas crafts and goodies, visit The ChildFun Family Website's Christmas Section at www.childfun.com/christmas

Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips@stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!

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