The holiday season is about giving. The older I get the less I want to give useless trinkets or coffee mugs and the more I want to take some extra time to make something special from the heart. A little something that may spark a childhood memory of holidays past or create a new memory or tradition that one can look forward to year after year. In our family, I have a cousin that delivers handmade breakfast cakes to all the aunts for Christmas Eve morning beautifully wrapped for each to enjoy with their families.( To me the packaging is just as important as the item inside.) It truly is a gift from the heart and we all know that the way to someone's heart is through their stomach. This holiday season be sure to surprise not only family but a neighbor, friend or co-worker with a recipe of love. Below are a few unique Bellisari recipes that the whole family can help prepare as gifts.

Fig Jellies

Bring two jars of Bellisari's Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread and boil, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reaches 223 degrees F, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 5 tablespoons liquid pectin. Pour into a foil-lined 8-inch-square pan and chill until firm. Cut into squares; toss in sugar.

Salted Caramel Sauce

Simmer 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling the pan but not stirring, until dark amber, about 12 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in 1 cup cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Let cool, then divide among jars and chill.

Dried Cranberry & Blue Cheese Cheesecake Bites

Line 36 mini-muffin cups with festive holiday paper liners. Mix 3/4 cup finely crushed graham crackers, 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons melted butter; press into the liners and chill until firm. Blend 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup each sour cream and confectioners sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and lemon zest; fold in 1/2 cup Bellisari's Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread add 1 cup dried cranberries and mix thoroughly. Pipe or spoon into the crusts; chill 1 hour. Top with toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds.

Saigon Spiced Pecans

Ingredients

1 pound pecan pieces

1 Jar Bellisari's Saigon Street Sauce

4 Tablespoons of Butter

Directions

Melt butter and toss pecans in a bowl with butter.  Lay on parchment lined sheet tray and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool.  Pour the entire jar of Bellisari's Saigon Street Sauce over the cooked pecans in a bowl and use a rubber spatula to toss the pecans so they are coated entirely. Lay on the parchment paper sheet tray, separate with a fork and cook for 12-15 minutes. Let cool and serve. Pecans keep, layered between parchment or wax paper in an airtight container, at room temperature 3 days

Planning a Thanksgiving menu can be overwhelming.  The shopping, cleaning, setting up and then the cooking-it is no easy feat.  Thankfully we all have our favorite recipes that we turn to year after year but it is nice to shake it up a bit with new ingredients and a twist on the old.

 Unfortunately, I don’t use my cookbooks that much anymore.  There is nothing better than the worn, folded down pages of the tried and true traditional cookbook that you can rely on every holiday season.  Each year it is a group effort in preparing our Thanksgiving meal. We end up with multiple turkeys…fried, baked, boneless, deconstructed, beer brined, you name it we will have it.  We have a family that includes many “home chef’s” so each family member has their one item that we all love, and they make and bring with them.  Here are some old standbys that we played around with in our Bellisari’s kitchen.

Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

3 pounds large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch chunks

5 large garlic cloves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces of Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup half-and-half or milk

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the potatoes, garlic and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender.

Drain the potatoes and garlic and process them together through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade set on top of a bowl. While the potatoes are still hot, stir in the Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread, butter, sour cream, half-and-half, 4 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 9-by-12-by-2-inch oval baking dish, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve hot.

Balsamic Green Bean Casserole

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the topping:

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Nonstick cooking spray

For beans and sauce:

½ Cup Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1-pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add Bellisari’s Balsamic, Shallot and Black Garlic Spread and the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

And the holiday flood gates are open. Once Halloween is over it seems time moves at warp speed and we are in the throes of the holiday season. Throwing an elegant holiday get-together whether a sit-down dinner or a cocktail party doesn't have to be stressful. The last thing you want is to spend your own party fixing drinks. Guests love creating their own cocktails, especially if you have a variety of mixers and liquors to choose from.  Make sure you have all the tools you need for guests to help themselves. The most important thing is to have the bar set up in a spacious area away from the kitchen so it isn't too crowded. The self-serve cocktail bar also is a great gathering and socializing venue. It can be fun, relaxed, and personalized so that each guest can create what they want. When setting up my bar I use one type of glassware for wine, beer and water.  You could also include a pitcher of a pre-made holiday cocktail, if you're feeling festive.  Set up an easy-to-make cocktail bar with precut garnishes, infused vodkas, and cocktail recipes so your guests can help themselves.   Here are a few tips and recipes to make it a little easier during this busy time.

Pitcher for water and plenty of ice.  You can never have enough of either.

Chilled Drinks: I use this large pewter bowl to chill a variety of seasonal beer and white wine.

Wine & Beer Opener

Cocktail Napkins-paper or cloth.

Glasses: I like to keep them organized on a single tray to keep the bar neat and organized during the party.  Make sure you restock during the party.

Snacks: I have a variety of nuts both sweet and salty and plenty of olives served in festive bowls.

Flowers: I always like to have something "fresh" in every room.  It adds special feeling to your display.

Stocking the bar

Plan on two drinks per person for the first two hours, one drink per person for each extra hour.  Assume 40% drink beer, 30% use hard liquor, and 30% sip wine.

25 People Beer: 60 bottles

Wine and champagne: 9 bottles

Hard liquor: 3 bottles

Mixers: 12 liters

50 People Beer: 120 bottles

Wine and champagne: 18 bottles

Hard liquor: 6 bottles

Mixers: 24 liters

100 People Beer: 240 bottles

Wine and champagne: 36 bottles

Hard liquor: 11 bottles

Mixers: 48 liters

Here are some drink and snack recipes with our Bellisari"s spreads and sauces:

Autumn Sangria with Apples, Pomegranate and Fig

Ingredients

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1 large apple, cut into thin wedges

¼ cup Bellisari's Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread

1 bottle chilled prosecco

1 cup brandy

2 cups pomegranate juice

Ice

Directions

In a large pitcher filled half way with ice, add the fruit and the top with the juice, brandy and the mix Bellisari's Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread with the chilled prosecco and then pour over the fruit. Let sit and serve cold.

Tuscan Bloody Mary

Ingredients

1 oz. your favorite Vodka

3 oz. Bloody Mary Base

¼ cup Bellisari's Calabrian and Sweet Tomato Fennel

8 oz. tomato juice

5 dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 pinches salt

1 tbsp. horseradish

3 pinches black pepper

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

Directions

Add ice and roll ingredients from shaker into a rocks glass. Garnish with a charred bell pepper flavored salt for the rim.

Cocktail Snacks

Ingredients

12 large pitted green olives

1 Jar of Bellisari's Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread

Directions

Transfer Bellisari's Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Pipe 1/2 teaspoon blue cheese into each olive. May be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 1 day.

Saigon Spiced Pecans

Ingredients

1 pound pecan pieces

1 Jar Bellisari's Saigon Street Sauce

4 Tablespoons of Butter

Melt butter and toss pecans in a bowl with butter.  Lay on parchment lined sheet tray and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Let cool.  Pour the entire jar of Bellisari's Saigon Street Sauce over the cooked pecans in a bowl and use a rubber spatula to toss the pecans so they are coated entirely.  Lay on the parchment paper sheet tray, separate with a fork and cook for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool and serve. Pecans keep, layered between parchment or wax paper in an airtight container, at room temperature 3 days

November is a great month for “giving back”. A time to be grateful for all the blessings we have in our lives and to recognize those less fortunate. I love that my boys get so excited about participating in giving and also experience enormous benefits from helping others. It is so important for their self-esteem because they feel their help is important and they feel more valuable as individuals.  To me, it is a huge sense of pride and accomplishment knowing they are capable of helping others.  Not only so they develop empathy for the people they help, they learn to respect people’s differences.  There are numerous ways to give back. My favorite of course is the gift of food.  

Providing meals for others can provide a sense of comfort with the other ups and downs of life. For those who have never experienced this tradition before, receiving a sympathy meal or gifted meal can have an incredible impact in the midst of grief or just that friendly gesture of a night off from feeding the family. 

For tips on making meals extra special, we took some tips from  Marge Perry, who offers these ideas:

• Don't make it a surprise—talk to your friend about what day works best for the delivery. Anticipation of the meal is part of the fun.
• Be sure to include a menu so recipients know exactly what they're getting.
• Provide disposable plates, utensils, and napkins so cleanup is easy.
• Bring food in a casserole dish that's part of the gift; don't make the recipient responsible for returning your dishes. Alternately, use disposable containers.
• Provide heating/freezing instructions.
• Include a small treat for other family members: dog bones or cat toy.
• Tuck in a time-consuming puzzle to keep a toddler busy while Mom tends to a newborn or wraps presents.
• Include a separate package with tea bags and candles for peaceful moments: nice for new moms.

Here is the recipe and video’s for one of my favorite drop-off meals.

Servings:  6

Ingredients: 
1 Jar Bellisari's Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread 
1 (4- to 5-pound) Whole Chicken, neck and giblets removed from the cavity 
1 Tbsp Olive Oil 
Kosher salt 
Freshly ground black pepper 
1 Medium Lemon, thinly sliced (optional) 
Fresh herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, or thyme 

Directions:

Place the chicken on a work surface or cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut off and discard any extra fat hanging around the body cavity.

Drizzle the oil on the chicken and rub it all over the skin. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Place the lemon and herbs inside the cavity. Place the chicken breast-side up in a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet.

Spread Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot Spread over chicken.

Roast the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F  and a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh (but not touching the bone) registers 165°F, about 50 minutes to 1 hour more.

Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a cutting board. Let it rest about 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Trick or treating just doesn't cut it once you reach a certain age. Halloween is party time. It's also a great excuse to decorate and get spooky. Planning a Halloween party for family, friends or neighbors can be overwhelming between work, kid’s sports, school Halloween events, etc.  It is important to keep it simple so you aren’t frazzled on the day of the party.  Here are some tips for ensuring your party is a monster hit!

Music and Contests…Prepare a music mix. Do this well in advance and set up the music where it can be heard easily. Music doesn't just have to be straight up music -- think of sound effects, too! Play this outside to get your guests excited even before they walk in. Plan Halloween games or a costume contest while considering guest numbers, ages, and interests. Costume parties are a tried and true favorite. An easy game could be a pumpkin decorating contest -- a great idea as long as your guests don't get too rowdy and turn it into a pumpkin throwing and mashing contest.;) 

Decorations….Put out the decorations on the day of the party. Move furniture out of the way, make sure that there is plenty of free space for guests to mill around, dance, play games, etc..  The food table should be away from anything that shouldn't get spilled on or ruined. It is always nice to decorate the table Halloween style, with an orange tablecloth, a witch's hat, a pumpkin, etc., whatever takes your fancy and is available. Provide plates, utensils, serviettes/napkins, drinking glasses.

Food and Drinks….Consider easy food and drink recipes that you will serve. Make the food in advance when possible, especially if it's tricky (such as making hands, skulls, etc.) Put the food in an easily accessible place but not somewhere that impedes movement. It's best to party proof your house beforehand, too. Set out the food just prior to the party. Serve the drinks nearby. Wait to add ice to any drinks or to bring out any food that needs to be warm until numbers have accumulated. Of course to Bellisar’s the food is the most important thing at the party.  That is why we have created Bellisari’s Gourmet Convenience Halloween Recipes to make it even easier on you!

Breadstick Bones w/ Calabrian

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 can refrigerated breadsticks (6 breadsticks)

1 egg white, beaten

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 jar of Bellisari’s Calabrian and Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread, heated

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough; separate at perforations into 6 breadsticks. Roll each until 12 inches long. Loosely tie knot in both ends of each breadstick; place on cookie sheet (do not twist).

Brush breadsticks with egg white. Sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm "bones" with warm Bellisari’s Calabrian and Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread for dipping.

Spooky Veggie Tray with Balsamic Veggie Dip*

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread

1 16oz Sour Cream

Directions

Mix two tablespoons of Bellisari’s Balsamic & Black Garlic Spread and 16oz of sour cream and mix thoroughly.  Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least two hours. 

*Spooky Serving Ideas

Pumpkin Serving Bowl

1. Thoroughly wash the outside of the pumpkin

2. Cut the lid of the pumpkin and scoop out the insides

3. Line the pumpkin with plastic wrap and pour the Chilled Balsamic Veggie Dip in and Serve

Veggie Jack-O-Lantern Veggie Holders

Cut the tops off clean, washed bell peppers (colors are your choice, of course). Use a paring knife to free the center section of the pepper and pull it out, making room for your veggies.

Then cut out the faces, just like you would on a pumpkin. While we recommend an adult do all the cutting, this is a great time to get the kids’ input on the expressions and features of your peppers.  Fill peppers with a selection of your family's favorite vegetables, and arrange on a plate with some your pumpkin bowl for dipping.

Tip: When you’ve eaten all the veggies out of your ranch-o-lanterns, you can slice and eat them, or save them for use in another dish.

Deviled Eggs-Saigon

6 eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce

1/8 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Large Red Bell Pepper Sliced into ¾ length pieces for Devil Ears

Paprika, for garnish

Directions

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with enough water that there's 1 1/2 inches of water above the eggs. Heat on high until water begins to boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes, then rinse under cold water continuously for 1 minute.

Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to a medium bowl, and placing the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add mayonnaise, Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

Evenly disperse heaping teaspoons of the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Carefully put the red bell pepper devil ears on each side of the egg and sprinkle with paprika and serve.

Frank's RedHot Buffalo Hummus with Bellisari’s Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread

Servings:  6-8

Ingredients

2 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

¼ Cup Bellisari’s Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup FRANK'S RedHot® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

Pita Bread, crackers or veggies

Directions

Combine chickpeas, Bellisari’s Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread, tahini, Frank's RedHot Sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt in food processor. Cover; process until very smooth. Chill the dip 30 min. before serving.  Serve with crackers or pita bread and vegetable dippers. 

Adapted from WikiLeaks Halloween Tips