Flavours of a Muskoka Christmas

Many holiday traditions center around food: big meals with family and friends, aprés-ski get togethers, potluck parties, or gifts of tasty treats. If you've been looking for some new recipes  to make for your family and friends this year, here are a few from Muskoka to get you started (and you can follow the links for more):

Hot Cranberry Dip (courtesy of Johnston's Cranberry Marsh - you'll find 32 more cranberry recipes here) 2 cups cranberry sauce 3 tbsp horseradish 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper This is one of the many delicious recipes found in June Johnson's "The Cranberry Cookbook – Recipes from 40 years of cooking with cranberries"· She serves this tasty, spicy dip with meatballs, vienna sausage, cut-up wieners or pieces of fruit.· Keep it hot in a chafing dish or an electric warmer. In a medium saucepan, mix all the ingredients together. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 5 minutes to blend flavours. · MICROWAVE: Blend mixture in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir and microwave on high for 1 or 2 minutes more stirring after each minute until sufficiently hot. Makes 2 cups The Essential Guide to Making the Perfect Turkey Dinner (from The Muskoka Mirror) This one's too long to include here - follow the link to get the scoop! Decadent Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies (recipe by Cottage Cravings and published in Taste of Muskoka "Favourite Christmas desserts to savour and share" - there are three more dessert recipes at the bottom of the article) Brownie Base 1/2 cup Skor bits 1 cup sugar 1 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup walnuts 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup cream 2 eggs 1 tbsp vanilla Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 9”x13” baking pan (or line with parchment paper). Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir until batter is well mixed. Spread batter evenly in baking pan.  Bake for 25 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack. Mint Butter Cream Filling 1/2 cup butter (softened: like the consistency of ice cream) 2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar 1/2 tsp mint flavour 2 tbsp cream 1/2 tsp green food colour Mix together and beat well. Spread over cooled brownie base. Chocolate Ganache Topping 12 oz. of semi sweet chocolate 1 cup heavy cream 1 candy cane Heat heavy cream until it is just about to boil; remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely mixed and glossy. Allow to cool and pour over mint butter cream. Crush candy cane and sprinkle on top. And here are some other tasty and hearty dishes to enjoy from around Muskoka: Winter appetites warmed by hearty comfort foods (published in Taste of Muskoka) Warmth, Soup, Life (published in Muskoka Life) Maple syrup moves beyond the breakfast table (published in Taste of Muskoka) Muskoka Maple Granola from Seasons and Suppers Annie's Meat Sauce and Gnocci (courtesy of That Little Place by the Lights) The holidays are just a few weeks away. We hope to see you at Colonial Bay this winter (click here to view the availability of our waterfront cottages) but wherever you spend your holiday season, we hope it's filled with laughter, love and cheer. Happy Holidays! The Howell Family