Like most you I am sure, I have spent he day lunging around resting and trying to recuperate  after lots of fun and partying. I hope Santa was good to you? I certainly got plenty of new toys and gadgets for the kitchen.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year 2012

Bloody Mary Fruit Sangria Cocktail

Not to put a damper on things I am leaving town for a few days tomorrow morning for a funeral. My godmother has passed away from cancer. Don’t feel to bad, she is no longer suffering. Silver lining and all. Besides that she lived a wonderful life for 80 years and she was my mom’s best friend for the past 70 years. She was an amazing baker. I will try and get one of her recipes while away and bake them as an homage.

I will be back in town for New Years Eve and parties are already planned. So this will most probably be my last post for 2011. And I will have to leave my commenting on your blogs to 2012 as well I am afraid. I want to thank you all for visiting my blog when you can. I hope to entertain you, makes you laugh most of the time and make you salivate of curse.  I am always so thankful to have found this outlet to share my passion: FOOD.

I will end this post with a little peak into the family meal we shared on December 24th and a bizarre but awesome cocktail recipe I created.

Chicken Ballantine

My mom is always in charge of the dinner. This year she made a Vichyssoise soup and Chicken Ballantine. This was apparently my grandmother’s recipe. It is deboned chicken legs shaped into a ball filled with rice and liver stuffing. To accompany it she made a white sauce flavored with Ricard, a French aniseed liqueur. Yep it is as good as it sounds.

I always am in charge of the cocktail and dessert. Thank you to Liz from That Skinny Chick can Bake for the Ganache Topped Chocolate Tart she posted and I could not resist making. A resounding success it was declared. Instead of whip cream I opted for a recipe of homemade real Crême Fraiche I saw at Food Wishes. You have to make this! This is what the Brits put on their scones at tea time.

My father is from Vienna, Austria and we follow the tradition of opening the gifts on the evening of  the 24th. And a personal family tradition is to open a bottle of bubbly as we open the gift. This is where the cork landed: in a crystal wine glass by the sink from dinner. Funny but my mom was not laughing lol. Speaking of drinks, here is my cocktail invention. It was a spur of the moment invention and it does sound weird but it was really delicious. I am guessing the measurements since I did not take notes. If you don’t have pepper vodka just add a bit of Tabasco to taste with regular vodka.

Ξ Bloody Mary Fruit Sangria Cocktail Ξ

12 oz tropical fruit smoothie
1 oz hot pepper vodka ( I used Khortytsa Pepper Honey Hot from the Ukraine)
1 oz Grand Marnier
2 oz red wine

Mix all ingredients together and serve on ice. Serves 2.