Cheese Stuffed Pepper Christmas Tree Food

CHEESY STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. In a Dutch oven, cook peppers in boiling water 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender., Meanwhile, brown beef, onion and salt in a skillet; drain. Cool slightly. Stir in the cheese, tomatoes and rice., Drain peppers and stuff with meat mixture. Place in a baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through.

MAC AND CHEESE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• For the stuffed peppers: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente according to the package directions; drain.
• Heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cheeses and cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in the kosher salt, seasoning salt and pepper. Add the macaroni and stir into the cheese sauce.
• Make a slit in each pepper and remove the seeds. Gently stuff a heaping 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the macaroni into each pepper, being careful not to overstuff. Use a toothpick to help seal the peppers and set aside.
• For the cilantro-lime cream: In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, cilantro, cumin, salt and lime zest and juice until well combined. Set aside.
• For the batter: In a large heavy-bottomed pot, add enough oil to fill the pot halfway and heat the oil to 375 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a large measuring cup, mix together the beer and eggs. Whisk the liquid into the dry ingredients until well mixed.
• When the oil is ready, dip a pepper into the batter until fully coated. Carefully, slowly lower the pepper into the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining peppers. Fry until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately, drizzled with the cilantro-lime cream.

CHRISTMAS TREE CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• Add the cream cheese, Cheddar, cayenne, Worcestershire, scallions, lemon juice and some salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is almost smooth; you still want a few bits of cheese in there. Remove with a rubber spatula to a piece of plastic wrap and wrap up the cheese mixture. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Shape the cheese mixture with your hands into a Christmas tree/cone using the plastic wrap to keep it together. Mix the chopped parsley and dill together on a plate or work surface. Coat the shaped cheese in the chopped herbs.
• Transfer the cheese tree to the center of a platter. Decorate with the pomegranate seeds as ornaments. Serve with buttery crackers.

CRAB-AND-CHEESE-STUFFED MINI PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Cut the peppers lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds and ribs. If needed, trim a small amount off the bottom of each pepper half so that it will lie flat when cut-side up (making them steady is important so the filling stays intact during baking). Chop the trimmings into small pieces and set aside.
• Toss the pepper halves in a medium bowl with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
• Stir together the softened cream cheese and reserved pepper trimmings in another medium bowl until smooth. Gently fold in the crabmeat and season with salt and pepper.
• Fill each pepper half with about 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture so it comes over the top of the pepper slightly. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the filling is beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Serve warm.

ANTIPASTO CHEESE BALL CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the dip and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
• Place a piece of non-stick plastic wrap on a clean bench top or work surface. Scoop the cream cheese mixture out onto the plastic wrap and completely cover with another piece of wrap (you may need two pieces to cover it).
• Use your hands to mould the cream cheese into a tree shape. Then, carefully pick up the tree with one hand and peel off the plastic wrap on the bottom of the tree with your other hand. Place the tree straight onto a serving plate.
• Use a cake spatula to smooth the edges. Decorate with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary leaves/sprigs, lightly pressing each element into the cream cheese to ensure they stay on. Brush with some sun dried tomato oil from the jar (optional but adds even more flavour)!
• Top with a star cut out of a yellow or orange bell pepper OR a thick slice of cheese.
• Serve with crackers of your choice, salami and prosciutto slices rolled up!
• Recipe Notes.
• The cream cheese is more stable in a wider tree shape rather than a tall, thin tree. The taller tree folds over and collapses.
• If you find your cream cheese has softened too much and won't hold its shape, refrigerate it until it thickens again (about 20 minutes).
• Pat dry each olive and sun dried tomato on a sheet of paper towel before decorating your tree to make sure they stay on, or they may slide off if covered in oil from the jar.

CHEESE TWIST CHRISTMAS TREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
• Roll pastry into a 14-inch square, sprinkling with flour if necessary.
• Cut from the bottom corners up to the center top to make a triangle. Place the triangle on a prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator.
• Overlap the long edges of the 2 remaining pieces of pastry by about ½ inch to form a second triangle. Roll to flatten slightly. Place on the second prepared baking sheet and chill until needed.
• Remove the first triangle from the refrigerator. Lift the silicone liner and pastry off the pan and onto the counter. Trim about 1 ½ inches off the bottom of the triangle and cut a 2-inch piece from that strip. Tuck that piece under the triangle to make a trunk.
• Spread all but 1 to 2 tablespoons pesto sauce over the entire triangle, leaving ¼ inch exposed at the edges. Grate most of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the pesto. Place the second pastry triangle over top; stretch and pull it to fit, and trim off any extra dough as needed. Lightly press the edges together to seal and pat over the whole surface of the dough.
• Use a pizza wheel to cut ¾-inch horizontal strips on one side of the tree going from the outside edge in to about ¼ to ½ inch from the center; leave the center part connected to form the trunk. As you move up the tree, it may be easier to place the pizza wheel at the trunk and cut out to the edge. Repeat on the other side, lining up the cuts with the first side.
• Lift up each strip and twist 3 to 4 times. As you get up to the shorter pieces near the top, twist as many times as you can, but don't worry if you can't twist the strips at the very top.
• Brush remaining pesto over the center of the tree and any other spots you feel need it. Transfer the silicone liner back onto a baking sheet. Grate remaining cheese over top.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until pastry is fully cooked and well browned, 30 to 35 minutes; do not undercook.
• Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes before serving.