Sandra Lee's Holiday Recipes

With the holiday season upon us, everyone is busy searching for the perfect recipes to serve to their family and friends. Sandra Lee's two newest cookbooks offer you a great selection of inspiring seasonal recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, and will dazzle and delight your guests.

Easy Entertaining at Home offers all the recipes needed to throw a fabulous holiday cocktail and appetizer soiree. It features incredible seasonal combinations, such as Golden Tarts and Copper Kettle Cider, Maple Cakes and Perfect Cocoa, Pear Puffs and Lovely Martini, and Deck the Hall Deviled Eggs and Butterball Martini. These delicious recipes are all quick and simple, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time welcoming your family and friends.

Money Saving Meals & Round 2 Recipes cookbook offers fast and budget-conscious recipes that will save you 35% to 50% on your grocery bill. The "Holiday Helper" menu features Roast Pork Loin with Apple Mustard Glaze, Mixed Roasted Potatoes with Herb Butter, Cheesy Creamed Spinach, Eggnog Custard Cups, and Cranberry Orange Ho-Ho-jitos for just $3.37 per person. Now you can cook a delicious holiday meal, and still save money.

Butterball Martini

1 ounce Smirnoff® Vanilla Flavored vodka
3 ounces pineapple juice
Splash of black raspberry liqueur
Splash of butterscotch schnapps

In a cocktail shaker with ice cubes, add vodka, pineapple juice, raspberry liqueur, and schnapps. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Yields: 1 cocktail

Excerpted from the book, Sandra Lee Easy Entertaining at Home, by Sandra Lee
Copyright © 2011 SLSH Enterprises, Inc. www.sandralee.com

Deck the Halls Deviled Eggs

1 dozen eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped chives, fresh
2 tablespoons crumbled bacon, for garnish

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, shut off heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain water from pot and fill with cold water to cool eggs. Change water twice so eggs cool quickly.

Peel eggs, slice off the bottom so that eggs will stand upright. Slice the top third off of each (save tops). Carefully remove egg yolks with a small spoon and place them in a medium-size bowl. Break up the egg yolks with a potato masher. Add all remaining ingredients except bacon and chives. Mix until well blended and smooth.

Transfer mixture to a resealable bag, cut off a corner of the bag, and pipe the filling into each egg. Sprinkle each with chopped chives and bacon bits. Place the tops back onto the eggs. Transfer to a platter and serve.

Yields: 12 pieces
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Excerpted from the book, Sandra Lee Easy Entertaining at Home, by Sandra Lee
Copyright © 2011 SLSH Enterprises, Inc. www.sandralee.com

Roast Bone-In Pork Loin with Apple Mustard Glaze

1 (4½–to-5½-pound) bone-in pork loin roast $7.45
1½ cups apple juice $0.36
3 tbsp. spicy brown mustard $0.13
2 tbsp. brown sugar $0.04
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce $0.06
1 tbsp. soy sauce $0.09
Kosher salt, to taste $0.00
Black pepper, to taste $0.00

Heat the oven to 350°F. Allow the pork to come to room temperature.

Place the roast fat-side up on a rack in a roasting pan, and season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven and roast for 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the glaze.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the apple juice to a boil and reduce it by half, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce, and reduce by half, about 5 more minutes. When the pork loin has been roasting for 1 hour, start brushing it with the glaze every 15 minutes. Cook until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, about 2 hours total. Remove the roast from the oven, give it another coating of glaze, and let it rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes before carving.

Yields: 6 servings
Preparation Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
$8.13/$1.36 per person

Excerpted from the book, Sandra Lee Money Saving Meals & Round 2 Recipes, by Sandra Lee
Copyright © 2011 SLSH Enterprises, Inc. www.sandralee.com

Cheesy Creamed Spinach

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed $1.98
2 tbsp. unsalted butter $0.12
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour $0.02
2 cups milk $0.32
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice $0.15
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese $0.54
Kosher salt, to taste $0.00
Black pepper, to taste $0.00

Squeeze the spinach to get rid of all the excess water. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk the flour into the butter and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk a bit at a time to avoid lumps. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2–3 minutes. Add the pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of salt. Turn the heat to low, stir in the cheese, and let melt. Stir in the spinach and cook for another 2–3 minutes to heat it through. (Save 1 cup of creamed spinach for Round 2 Recipe: Spinach and Cheese Soufflé)

Yields: 6 servings
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
$3.13/$0.52 per person

Spinach and Cheese Soufflé

Nonstick cooking spray $0.00
Reserved Creamed Spinach $0.00
¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese $0.44
Reserved 3 egg whites, $0.00

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray four 8-ounce ramekins with the cooking spray.

In a bowl, mix the creamed spinach to lighten it a bit, then add the cheese. Put the egg whites into another bowl and, using an electric hand mixer, whisk them until they are able to hold stiff peaks but are still glossy. Add a third of the egg whites to the spinach and mix in to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide the mixture among the ramekins. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until they are risen, set, and golden brown, about 25–30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yields: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
$0.44 in extra ingredients

Cranberry Orange Ho-Ho-Jitos

½ (12-ounce) bag cranberries, plus more for garnish $1.40
1 orange, sliced, saving some for garnish $0.50
1 bunch mint, saving some sprigs for garnish $0.10
½ cup sugar $0.10
1 liter sparkling water $0.34
4 ounces white rum, optional $1.70

In a large pitcher, add the cranberries, orange, mint, and sugar. Muddle them with the back of a wooden spoon, working out the juices of the fruit and dissolving the sugar. Add the sparkling water and stir to combine. Pour the mixture over ice and garnish with a slice of orange, some cranberries, and a sprig of mint. For the adults, add the white rum.

Yields: 6 servings
$2.44/$0.41 per person

Tags