Simply Amazing Party For Chrismast and New Year 2013

Get the party started

By Susan Sugarman
from Health magazine

You only need a few top-notch ingredients to create festive and delicious holiday bites and drinks. Go for a mix of shapes and colors—your guests will love how beautiful everything looks. (And you’ll love how easy it all is to make.)

Fruity cocktails

Peach Melba Cocktail (left)
132 calories, 0g fat
Cook 2 pints fresh raspberries or one 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries over medium heat with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water 7–10 minutes or until completely broken down. Press through strainer, discarding seeds. Let cool. Pour about 3 tablespoons (1 quart total) peach nectar and 1 tablespoon raspberry puree into Champagne glasses; add chilled Champagne to fill each (2 bottles total). Garnish each with fresh-raspberry skewer.

The Golden Apple (right)
97 calories, 0g fat
Into each glass, pour 1 tablespoon vodka (1 pint total) and 1 tablespoon Calvados (1 pint total) over ice. Add sparkling cider to fill (2 bottles total) and a red apple slice. 

Crabmeat cup

40 calories, 3g fat
Distribute 1/2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat evenly into 30 mini crispy (or phyllo) shells. Add 1/2 teaspoon (1/4 cup total) lemon mayonnaise to each shell; garnish with avocado and a watercress sprig.

Eggs divine

34 calories, 3g fat
Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk 8 large eggs, and add to pan, stirring about 5–7 minutes or until creamy. Portion eggs onto ceramic serving spoons; top each with a dollop of crème fraîche (4 ounces total) and a touch of black caviar (1–2 ounces total).

Pea crostini

35 calories, 3g fat
Combine 1 1/2 cups thawed frozen peas, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Spread 8 ounces Montrachet goat cheese among 30 crostini. Top each with a spoonful of pea puree; garnish with sliced watermelon, radishes, or beets.

Spice on a stick

16 calories, 1g fat
Combine 30 tail-on, peeled, deveined shrimp; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 tablespoon honey; salt; and pepper. Thread 3 shrimp on each skewer and a small hot pepper (if desired); cook each side 2 minutes on an oiled grill pan.

Caprese skewer

46 calories, 4g fat
Using 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, 1 pound bocconcini (fresh mozzarella), and 1 bunch fresh basil, thread ingredients onto skewers. Sprinkle each skewer with sea salt and black pepper; drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

Med-coast bite

66 calories, 2g fat
Spread 8 ounces hummus evenly onto baked pita chips (12-ounce bag). Shred 1 large carrot; distribute evenly over chips. Zest rind of 2 lemons; place a few pieces atop carrot.

Steak and salad

100 calories, 7g fat
Preheat oven to 450°. Rub 1 (2-pound) beef tenderloin with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast 25 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 140° (medium-rare). Let stand 20 minutes; thinly slice. Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup horseradish in small bowl. Slice 1 baguette diagonally into 30 slices. Spread each piece with mayonnaise mixture; top with beef and a fresh pea shoot.

Five-minute sushi

44 calories, 2g fat
Slice 1 pound sushi-grade yellowfin tuna into 1/2-inch cubes. Slice an English cucumber into rounds; top each with a small dollop of wasabi. Combine 1/2 cup each black and tan sesame seeds in a bowl; cover sides of each tuna cube. Place tuna atop each cucumber round; add a drop of soy sauce (if desired).

Crunchy-sweet nuts

178 calories, 13g fat (for 1 ounce)
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine 3/4 pound assorted nuts, 4 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder, and 6 teaspoons tamari. Spread mixture on baking sheet; bake 15–20 minutes. Remove from oven; add 1 cup dried cherries.

Smoky nibble

73 calories, 3g fat
Cut 1/2 pound smoked boneless trout into bite-size pieces; set aside. Cut presliced party-style pumpernickel into quarters. Place dollop of crème fraîche onto each pumpernickel quarter, and top with a piece of trout; garnish with small sprig of fresh dill.

Chicken adobo

35 calories, 1g fat
Season 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken cutlets (pounded thin and cut into 1- x 3-inch strips) with salt and pepper. Thread onto skewers and brush with sauce from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce; cook each side 2 minutes on an oiled grill pan.

Sake social

59 calories, 0g fat
Pour 1 (720 ml) bottle chilled sake into small glasses; garnish each with cucumber spear.

Cocoa nog

86 calories, 4g fat
Whisk together 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/3 cup eggnog until smooth. In a pitcher, whisk cocoa mixture into 3 2/3 cup eggnog. Add 1 pint rum and 1 pint brandy. Pour 4 ounces into small glasses; top with grated bittersweet chocolate.







Next: Be healthy in 30 Minute; No gym no workout.....

How to cook a good food?

Want to be a better cook? Turns out that you don’t need fancy kitchen gadgets or cooking classes, you just need a specific side dish. Researchers at Cornell University found that if you serve vegetables as part of a meal, people will think the dish tastes better—and that you’re a better cook—than if you forgo the greens.

Researchers gave menus to participants that listed dishes like chicken, steak, and pasta. Some participants’ menus included vegetables with the main dishes; others did not. Everyone was asked to rate the appeal of both the meal and the preparer. People who were shown a combo meal of, say, steak and broccoli, said that they thought the meal would taste better, and that the cook was better, than the people who had the solo steak on their menu.  In fact, the steak-and-broccoli group even said that the cook was more thoughtful and attentive, and less selfish. The steak-only folks harbored much fewer warm feelings.

People tend to associate meals that have vegetables with a little more effort, like the ones served at restaurants or at holiday gatherings—meals which people usually think of as tasting really good, says lead study author Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and the author of Mindless Eating: Why Eat More Than We Think. (Disclaimer: The study, which will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Public Health and Nutrition, was sponsored by Bird’s Eye vegetables).

“The more effort that you believe went into a meal, the better you think it’s going to be. Even if that effort was heating up some vegetables,” Wansink says.

In light of the fact that 70 percent of all vegetables eaten are eaten at dinnertime but only 23 percent of dinners have vegetables, Wansink and his team wanted to find out if there was any additional motivation to include veggies in meals. “This [study] provides the best two motivations as to why you should put vegetables on the table. Not because they’re healthy—we all know that—but because it makes you look like a better cook and a more loving person,” he says.

Ready to cook up a storm? Here are three delicious side dishes to whip up the next time you want to seriously impress your dining companions.

Sauteed String Beans with Sweet Onion and Grape Tomatoes
This colorful medley is sure to make any entree look its best. The grape tomatoes are an amazingly sweet addition.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Lemon And Orange
Baking lightly oiled broccoli and cauliflower until crisp-tender inhibits the release of any unpleasant sulphur aromas. The vegetables mellow even more when tossed with sweet citrus just before serving.

Overnight Kale Salad
Dress up vitamin and fiber-rich kale with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, Pecorino Romano cheese, and an overnight vinaigrette marinade. Not planning dinner a day ahead? You can let it steep for as little as 30 minutes.