It is Christmas time again! How wonderful it is to repeat these words! Day after day more and more shop windows are getting decorated with smaller and bigger Santas and their reindeer, while the neighborhood is gradually turning into a fairytale town with numerous lights sparkling cheerfully as the evening comes. Beautiful Christmas songs are playing everywhere, and the spirit of the great holiday is hovering over houses and streets.

It unobtrusively reminds us that we cannot postpone making lists of presents for all our dearest and nearest anymore. Besides, it advises that we should better hurry to come up with some tasty ideas for Christmas dinner and purchase all necessary ingredients for festive dishes before it may be too late. Of course, all this holiday bustle is really delightful and it manages to make us all somewhat kinder and happier. But still you may imagine how cozy and quiet your Christmas dinner would be if you could have it with only one person and just enjoy your time together with him or her.

So, why not bring your dream to life? Here at Marky’s Gourmet Store we have prepared several delectable Christmas meal ideas and some other handy holiday hints for you to treat yourself and your special someone with truly scrumptious fare. Turn your favorite song by inimitable Frank Sinatra and let us see what can make your Christmas dinner for two just perfect, as well as create warm joyful atmosphere.

What to Start From

No doubt, it is always so nice to have some light nibbles at your table while the main course is getting ready and crackling appetizingly, and filling the whole room (or even the whole house) with mouth-watering odors. In case you prefer to have something both quick and exquisite, what about serving a generous platter, arranging all its components in an edible wreath?

Although a traditional Italian antipasto is considered to be a set of cold meat and/or vegetables, you can always add a pinch of your culinary imagination and get an ever wonderful result.

• You can opt for some classic combinations of several kinds of cheeses and meats. For example, cubed Cheddar cheese with some Blue Cheese and herbed chevre could pair well with slices of Prosciutto meet, rolled into bunches, and some sliced salami.
• Also, you can add your favorite pâtés de foie gras or substitute meats with it.
• If your main dish is going to be some baked or roasted meat as well and, consequently, you want to make your menu more diverse, smoked salmon in all its variations can be a worthy alternative. As it combines ideally with cream cheese and red roe, you can also try serving all three ingredients on crackers or crostini to make some truly sumptuous morsels.
• By the way, hardly and good antipasto can go without crackers and toasts, which always turn out to be great complements to anything you have on the platter.
• To provide more fresh and piquant tastes, serve it with some olives and a bunch of grapes. The platter itself can be decorated with a bunch of rosemary.

To Be Continued…

An original meaty main course will definitely become one of your most successful Christmas dinner menu ideas and an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Let yourself and your second half taste something really festive and extraordinary! So, what we have here is Apple Cider Glazed Ham!

Ingredients:

• 1 fully cooked whole ham (boneless or bone-in), about 10 lb.
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. apple vinegar
• 2 c. apple cider
• sliced apples, for serving
• fresh thyme, for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Place the ham on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and score it diagonally. Cover the meat with foil and bake until warmed throughout (2.5 to 3 hours).

2. During the last 45 minutes of cooking, make the glaze:

• in a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together brown sugar, Dijon, apple vinegar and apple cider;
• simmer until reduced by half;
• brush glaze on ham every 10 minutes.

3. Remove the ham from oven and let it rest 15 minutes. Then transfer it to a serving platter decorated with apples and thyme.

Sweet Finish

Now it is time to move from the festive table to the soft sofa and turn on your favorite Christmas movie. Do not forget to take along two glasses of eggnog or mulled wine and something sweet. Can you refuse macarons or chocolate truffles? In Marky’s Gourmet Store Online you will find plenty of other exquisite dainties, which will help you to end your wonderful holiday evening smoothly and merrily.

A Few Final Decoration Tips

In order to make your Christmas table look more elegant, do not concentrate on the amount of chinaware you put on it. You should better make adorn it with something unusual, something that you can hardly use on any other holiday. Let your creativity and fantasy decide for you!

• Decorate glass bottles or Mason jars and turn them into extravagant candlesticks.
• Add some greenery and berry bunches. They can be either natural or artificial, but anyway they can stand you in a good stead. Green colors can refresh not only the table but also the room. You can also make a large wreath and put in the center of the table placing your hand-made candlesticks within it.
• If once you come across a beautiful glass bowl but do not know what to do with it, you can easily use it for decorations. Fill it with some nuts, clementines, cinnamon quills. This will be a very neat centerpiece for your Christmas dinner table.
• Christmas ornaments are intended not only to hang on a Christmas tree, but also to grace the table. Place a few Christmas balls between the plates and glasses. Besides, you can place your presents (in case they are not very big) between each other and open them right at the table. Why wait and look for them under the Christmas tree?

Enjoy your Christmas time together.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to You!