How do you know that Christmas is coming? You don’t need a calendar to know it, right? You just feel it when you hear Dean Martin’s or Frank Sinatra’s Christmas songs in the local mall. Or when you suddenly come across a new holiday commercial from Coca-Cola. Or when your kid informs you that she will be Santa’s elf in a school play.

At such moments you realize that along with searching for a nice elf outfit you need to start hunting for presents, to remember where you put those boxes with Xmas ornaments, and to plan an unforgettable celebration in detail.

Phew… Definitely, that’s not all you need and want, or asked and made, to do under the preholiday preparations program. A Christmas to-do list always appears quite a lengthy thing. If you haven’t drawn it up yet, you’d better do it today and see for yourself. What’s more, you certainly know that such points as “party plan” and “Christmas dinner” will require at least two more separate lists of good ideas.

So, yes, you’d better not put it all off. Besides, with Marky’s planning a Christmas party and menu will move much faster, as we already have a few great solutions for you! How about checking them out right now?

We’ve come up with three different scenarios of your best festivities and selected several delicious recipes for each of them. Let’s see how this year you and your nearest and dearest can make Christmas celebrations bright, warm, cozy, and memorable!

Handicraft and Presents Wrapping Party

In case you can’t find that box with Xmas house decorations, why not invite friends to your place and let them craft some for you? Alright, it’s surely a joke. But the very idea of gathering in a warm sitting room piled with various materials for crafting beautiful Christmas things, and multiple snacks, looks very original.

Draw cards, make wreaths and stockings, craft colorful holiday ornaments, while two or three baking fans are concocting a Christmas with fig jam in the kitchen.

Throwing such party is a very far-sighted step of yours, actually. Look, firstly, your guests shouldn’t worry about presents because they can hand-make and wrap them right at the party and give to whoever they want. Secondly, you shouldn’t worry about treats because along with materials for gifts your guests can bring something edible as well. Seems a little cunning, doesn’t it?

Discuss this scenario with your friends in advance and decide who would like to bring what. On your part, you can provide the materials you prefer and… a roast goose with this awesome stuffing! (Creativity may exhaust, so such a dish will perfectly add to the pause for some rest and chatting.)

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 1 lb. sausagemeat or your favorite pork sausages (just remove the filling from the skins)
• 2 c. breadcrumbs
• 3 apples (cored, peeled, diced)
• 2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 1 c. nuts and/or chestnuts (chopped)
• 1/2 c. dried apricots and 1/2 c. prunes (soak them in wine for some time and chop)
• sage, salt, pepper, bay leaf and crumbled parsley to taste

Directions:

1. To let all flavors blend harmoniously, it’s better to prepare the stuffing one day before use.
2. Fry the sausage until it gets slightly browner and remove the meat to a bowl.
3. Lightly fry the chopped onions and celery in the fat. Add to the meat.
4. Add to the meat breadcrumbs, apples, nuts, and seasonings. Store in the fridge overnight.
5. In the morning try the stuffing and add more seasonings if needed. If it’s dry, add some wide or cider.
6. Carefully stuff into the goose and roast.

By the way, to make the bird more flavorful, rub it with the zest from oranges and lemons along with seasoning it with your favorite spices. To give the goose healthy golden color, brown it in a few spoons of olive oil before roasting. Hold the goose by its legs and press its breast-side to the frying pan for about 1 minute, until it gets brownish.

Serve a mix of black olives and green olives as a spicy appetizer. Drizzles them with olive oil and lemon or orange juice. Add some citrus zest as well. To taste season with paprika, fennel seeds, ground coriander and cumin.

Enjoy your time, meals, and hand-made Christmas gifts!  

Holiday Games and Movies Party

“Home Alone” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” season is going to start! So, together with your guests make a list of your favorite Xmas movies and cartoons. Let your friends bring board games, and you can think about some funny competitions.

Do age and time really matter when you’re nesting in an armchair, drinking eggnog, and planning where to put another Monopoly hotel? What can be more festive than watching “A Christmas Carol in Prose” with the best folks around you and nibble at some tasty treats from time to time?

So, if this can be an idea of your ideal Xmas celebration, bring it into being this year! It’s going to be another great chance to spend more time with people you love, share your childhood memories, and just make a lot of fun.

Still, we’re missing out something very essential. Yep, that’s the menu.

As you’re probably planning to spend many hours together, what about treating your guests with this special Christmas 2-sauce lasagna? They’ll definitely ask you about this recipe after they try the first bite.

Ingredients for Meat Sauce:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 lb. Italian sausage (removed from the skin)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 jars tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 c. onion (chopped)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  

1. Cook the chopped onion in the olive oil for about 5 min., stirring often.
2. Add the beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook until the meat gets brownish.
3. Add the diced tomato and tomato sauce. Bring the sauce to simmer.
4. Cook for 20 min. more, season the sauce with salt and pepper. Set aside when ready.

Ingredients for White Sauce:

• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 c. milk
• 1 box lasagna noodles
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a saucepan melt the butter, add the flour, and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk constantly.
2. Pour the milk in several portions, as the sauce gets thicker. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
3. Add Parmesan as well as salt and pepper. Whisk the sauce to blend.

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 15 oz. Ricotta cheese
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (you’ll need some more for topping)
• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 1 box frozen spinach
• dried basil, salt, and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients.
Final Assembling Guidelines:

1. Preheat the oven up to 375°F and oil a large, deep casserole.
2. Spread a layer of the meat sauce and cover it with the noodles in a single layer.
3. Spoon the filling in dollops. Around them spread 1/3 of the white sauce.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan and smooth with the spoon back.
5. Repeat each layer twice.
6. Cover the casserole with foil and put into the oven for 25 min.
7. Remove the foil and bake for 20-25 min. more, until the lasagna gets golden and bubbly.
8. Let it cool 10 min. and serve.

Don’t forget to prepare mulled wine and serve some chocolates and cookies.   

Hawaiian Style Christmas Party

Even if the weather forecast doesn’t promise anything warm and sunny where you’re destined to celebrate Christmas this year, it’s a great chance to throw a Hawaiian party at your place!
Instead of a traditional fir you can decorate a Christmas palm tree. (Here we mean an artificial one.) Of course, there’s no need to get dressed in swimsuits, but some colorful shirts and shorts will make superb party costumes. And don’t forget about Hawaiian flower leis (or garlands).  

In case you want to go more creative, mix up the styles in your house décor, and use both traditional and, say, Pirates of the Caribbean style ornaments. For instance, your Santa Claus might look a bit like Jack Sparrow and have a toy pet parrot.

So, just set your fantasy free, and it’ll help you host an unforgettable celebration!

Also, try these original treats to have all your dear guests in high spirits. They are swift and simple to make, so you can even hold a few team competitions to check who can handle the dishes faster.(Another cunning idea to free yourself from Christmas cooking. And now there must be that smug laughter.) Whatever, cooking together is always funny. You just need to provide enough ingredients, knives, and cutting boards.

Here come the heroes of your Christmas dinner menu!

1. Cheese Stars

At first, you’ll need to make a cheese dough and refrigerate it overnight. In a mixer whip butter (1 stick) until it gets creamy and light. Stir in grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (1/2 c.) and Cheddar cheese (2 c.). Combine the cheese mixture with the flour (1 c.), seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper. Stir well. Knead the dough on a floured work surface and divide in four part.

Next day roll out each dough ball to 1/8 in. thickness and cut the dough with a star-shaped cutter. Arrange the stars on a baking sheet and put into the preheated oven (375°F). While the stars are baking (they’ll need about 10 min. to get golden brown), whisk water and egg white in a bowl. Brush each star with the egg wash and sprinkle with walnuts.

2. Tuna Tartare

That’s a very stylish though simple dish to serve at your Hawaiian party. In a large bowl you need to combine finely chopped sushi-grade tuna or tuna fillets (about 1/2 lb. for 6 individual yields), sesame oil (2 tsp.), garlic sauce (2 tsp.), soy sauce (1 tbsp.), minced ginger (1 tbsp.), chopped scallion and cilantro (2 tbsp.).

Put the mix into martini glasses and garnish with chopped cilantro. We recommend serving this dish with crackers.

3. Prosciutto Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese

Carefully pull pits out of Medjool dates. By using a small teaspoon, stuff each date with little scoops of goat cheese (you’ll need 1 log). Then roll the stuffed dates in thin slices of prosciutto.

Heat balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat (1/2 c.), so the vinegar thickens slightly. Remove it from heat and drizzle on a platter. Lay the dates on the platter and decorate with pomegranate seeds.

Have a perfect Christmas party time and enjoy your meals!

Marky’s wishes you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Thank you for choosing us!