Merry Christmas foodie friends!
I hope you’re indulging in all of the holiday offerings and fully enjoying the season. After all, Christmas holidays are only a few weeks long at most, and you only live once, right?
It’s incredible to think that we’re just days away from ringing in a New Year. I was having a conversation the other day about New Years past and how we’ve noticed people aren’t going out as much as in previous years.
“Back in the day” people got all dolled up, bought a new outfit, made dinner reservations, bought tickets to a private party and let loose for a magical night out on the town. I’m willing to bet a night on the town in today’s prices is a deterrent. That coupled with waiting for hours to get a cab back home. I’m not going to attribute it to getting older. Nope, flat out refuse.
I’m sticking with the following reasons: it’s easier to have a small gathering at someone’s house with the people you love most. Not that entertaining is cheap by any means, but depending on your pre-planning skills, you can stick within a budget.
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Christmas is a time filled with traditions and memories. As Edna Ferber said it best, “Christmas isn’t a season, it’s a feeling”. In most cases, traditions and memories come alive through a number of delicious, mouthwatering recipes, but they are also found within the dishes the recipes are served.
I was thinking about writing a column this week on the fun of creating a signature drink for the New Year, but then I came across my grandmother’s punch bowl. Which led me to this question - does anyone make punch anymore?
In today’s column, we are going to learn how to be cheap but classy. Yes, it’s a thing. It’s a good thing. When entertaining for New Year’s, in most cases, you say BYOB. Why? Because it is crazy expensive. Here’s an idea, instead of breaking the bank on a basket of booze at the liquor store, how about making a signature punch?
“Trust me, you can dance. – Vodka.” – Unknown
The history of punch is brief but old, centuries old. It is truly the perfect recipe for a party. Depending on what you serve it in and how you present it on a table, it has the potential to be the focus of the party.
Punch is extremely versatile. With a handful of ingredients, you can cater it to any age group by splitting the recipe in two. You have standard punch for the kiddies and wobbly punch for the adults. Kid friendly punch is also a fabulous treat for non-drinkers or designated drivers.
Punch recipes are endless. There’s everything from fruit rum punch, mulled wine, strawberry lemonade punch, vodka punch, blue punch, autumn harvest punch, cranberry citrus punch, orange sherbet punch, coffee punch and the list goes on and on.
“The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whiskey. By diligent effort, I learned to like it.” – Winston Churchill
The punch I made for this column is a non-alcoholic holiday punch that calls for orange juice, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice and ginger ale. A delicious combination. If you want alcohol, simply add some rum or vodka, to taste.
Punch isn’t complete without the addition of a variety of garnish, as it adds color, texture and is visually appealing. I added orange slices, pomegranates and cranberries.
If you have more time on your hands and prep in advance, you can cut the fruit into small pieces and add it to your ice cube tray before freezing. As the ice melts in the punch, the fruit pieces start to appear. If you want to go full-on Griswold’s Christmas, add a dollop of sherbet or ice cream to the cup. Yum! Christmas punch is definitely fit to eat.
To all my foodie friends, wishing you and yours a Happy New Year. May the new year bring you lots of joy and delicious food. Cheers to you all (with punch in hand).
Erin Sulley is a self-confessed foodie who lives in Mount Pearl. Email [email protected]Twitter: @ErinSulley Instagram: @erinsulley.
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