Wicked Wednesday: Festive Consumables

Happy New Year’s Eve! Dear readers, thank you for following us all year, for chiming in, for supporting our work, and for having fun with us here. May you have a wicked awesome 2015, filled with much reading, happiness, and good cheer. In case you’re already not all set for tonight, today we’re sharing our best, most wicked delicious party recipes for that killer appetizer or most alluring drink.

Sherry: Kim Gray introduced me to the fabulous Bellini cocktail a couple of years ago at Malice. It’s easy to make and one of my favorite drinks. All you need is three ounces of Prosecco and one ounce of either peach schnapps or peach puree. Mix together and enjoy!

Liz: I’m going for the sweets! Here’s a fun one that I want to try from my favorite go-to website, kriscarr.com:

Easy Chocolate Crackles By Pauline Hanuise Yield: 8 servings

• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1 tablespoon rice malt syrup (or preferred sweetener)
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-2 teaspoons desiccated coconut (optional)
• 1 tablespoon raw buckwheat groats
• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs

1. Prepare your chocolate by mixing your coconut oil, cacao powder, sweetener, nut butter, desiccated coconut (optional) and cinnamon. Mix well. 2. Pour your chocolate in paper cups and add cacao nibs and buckwheat groats in each of them, pressing slightly to make sure they stick to the chocolate. 3. Put in the freezer or fridge for 1 or 2 hours.

Jessie: I love to make olive salad. Pick out three or more jars of olives at the grocer. I like a wide variety from everyday pimento stuffed Spanish olives to Kalamatas with their pits left inside. I drain them and dump them in a bowl to which I also add two cloves of thinly sliced garlic, a few grindings of coarsely cracked pepper and two-three sprigs worth of fresh rosemary. I add a spoonful of olive oil to blend the flavors and leave on the counter for an hour or more to let things meld.

Barb: I’m not really the party cook in our house, so I’m sharing the Hot Lobster Dip recipe developed by my husband Bill Carito for the forthcoming Musseled Out.

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic
¼ cup snipped chives
8 ounces cream cheese
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
½ pound cooked lobster meat, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

 Directions:

With food processor running, drop garlic clove through feed tube and finely chop. Add chives and pulse about six times to finely chop. Add cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Process until fully combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and fold in the lobster meat. Process about thirty seconds to combine. Spoon into baking dish or pie plate and refrigerate for at least two hours. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake dip for twenty to twenty-five minutes until bubbling. Garnish with scallions. Serve with crackers, chips, or slices of baguette.

Julie: I just made this a few days ago–it sounds disgusting, but trust me.

3 bricks of cream cheese
2 T steak sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 cans smokes oysters, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped pecans
1 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder

Mix it all together. Form it into a log, and roll it in 2 cups of pecans mixed with 3T chili powder. Spread on crackers.

Edith: Oops, late adding mine! And all those make me wish I was hosting a party. I’m a Californian, and in my opinion you can’t beat a good guacamole. Take two ripe avocados and mash roughly. Add juice of half a lime, a good teaspoon of cumin and another of chili powder, and a quarter cup of salsa, then salt and pepper to taste. I like to add a couple of shakes of habanero hot sauce, but do that as your hot pepper taste buds allow. Dip some of your favorite tortilla chips in and enjoy!

Readers: Your fave party consumable?