Pretty red poinsettias, sparkles, candy canes and holiday parties can only mean one thing: it’s the holiday season! As families congregate to decorate the Christmas tree and the house with lights, spirits are high all across the neighborhood. People love to spend time with relatives and close friends during the holiday season, which often calls for holiday parties! I may not be a party planner just yet, but it happens to be something I fantasize about for my future. And what’s a party without food? Fancy food, that is. Here is an idea for a tasteful (in every sense of the word) hors d’oeuvre that’ll surely get the holiday spirit rollin’!
Hold up- I realize this blog is not a “party planning for dummies” guide, but I’d like to insert one more tip. It is important to make others feel comfortable and happy in your home. One way to boost some friendly morale is by putting fresh flowers in a vase anywhere around the house. I chose these wintery red daisies with little berries and various green leaves to place on the dining room table. They instantly added some brightness to the room and I felt the holiday spirit immediately.
“Flowers add freshness to the room and make it smell so good,”
Now, back to the food.
Today I’m going to teach you how to make an hors d’oeuvre that I like to call the “cheesey christmas tree.” When I was in Europe last summer, I developed an affinity for wine and cheese nights. Fortunately in Europe I was of age to consume such a beverage. I am not in America, but it’s still fun to share the idea with others (and look forward to it when I turn 21).
The cheesey christmas tree is a christmas tree-shaped arrangement of cheese, olives and rosemary for decoration. I like to pair it with some multigrain crackers for a healthy, filling snack.
Since Trader Joe’s is the most inexpensive, convenient location for food shopping, I obviously chose to get the ingredients there.
Sophomore kinesiology student Victoria Wolfe said that Trader Joe’s is the best place for college students to do grocery shopping.
“They are very health conscious but still affordable,” Wolfe said. “And everything they make tastes good.”
According to economics sophomore Jack O’niell, not many boys are aware of the glory of Trader Joe’s.
“I have only been to Trader Joe’s like once in my life,” O’niell said.
Ingredients:
Brie cheese block (roughly $4.00), Jack cheese block (roughly $3.00), Rosemary ($2.00), Olives ($2.00), Crackers ($3.00), Flowers for decoration ($5.00)
Directions:
1. cut out a tall triangular piece of a paper bag to shape the christmas tree.
2. Slice the brie cheese into thin slices by the ridges on the thick white side of the block. Place the slices on a two-three inch section of the paper triangle. Start at the bottom.
3. Place a branch of rosemary in between every layer of cheese and on the bottom line of the triangle.
4. Slice the jack cheese and place the small pieces on the next section of the triangle (still going bottom to top).
5. Put more rosemary in between each cheese layer. ALSO put a line of olives on each section of rosemary.
6. Continue this pattern all the way to the top of the tree. Depending on how big the triangle is (how many people you are trying to feed), you will need varying amounts of cheese. For this tree I only used half of each block.
7. For the stem of the tree, use a leaf from the bouquet of flowers and cut one side to make it wide and flat. For the tree’s star, use a pretty red flower also from the bouquet.
8. Grab a nice porcelain plate for the crackers and spread them out in a circle, leaving a hole in the middle for another flower (just for fun).
9. Put it all together and you have yourself a holiday hors d’oeuvre!
taste and tell 