Simple Party Themes Make Entertaining Easy (NAPSA)—Holiday season todo lists seem to grow longer every year. In between hosting parties, cooking, baking, and shopping for gifts, there isn’t much timeleft to enjoy thefestivities. Whenit comes to entertaining, preparing and serving food can be a challenge for holiday hosts. For a memorable party that doesn’t leave you frazzled, pick an interesting theme for your menu with finger foods that don’t require a lot of prep time. The Pampered Chef, direct seller of high-quality products for cooking and entertaining, offers several entertaining themes and tips for a party that’s easy on the host, but leaves guests thinking it took a lot ofeffort. Try a fun dessert theme like Chocolate Bliss. Make desserts in advance and then serve buffetstyle, alongside a beverage bar of chocolate milk, hot cocoa, and flavored coffees and creamers. Invite guests to a Bites and Bevs party, where the menu features a variety of interesting appetizers and drinks. Set out small appetizer plates and let guests serve themselves. To encourage movement and mingling, appoint a few guests to serve the appetizers on trays, while they greet guests and make introductions. Tangy Pepper-Pecan Brie Appetizers don’t get any easier than this, and the result is much fancier than ordinary cheese and crackers. % cup pecan halves 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded %, cup apricot preserves 4-inch round(8 oz.) Brie cheese with rind, room temperature acsiate Choose delicious ways to make holiday entertaining simple and spectacular. 1 loaf French baguette Vegetable oil Preheat oven to 425F. Coarsely chop pecans and jalapeno. In small bowl, combine jalapeno and preserves; mix well. Cut Brie in half horizontally. Place one half of Brie, cut side up, onto center of large round pan or baking stone. Spread half of the apricot mixture evenly over bottom half of Brie. Top with half of the pecans and remaining half of Brie, cut side up. Spread remaining apricot mixture over Brie; sprinkle with remaining pecans. Cut baguette on a bias into %-inch thick slices. Arrange bread around brie, and spray with vegetable oil. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until bread is golden brown and Brie begins to soften. Remove from oven;let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings Cran-Raspberry Fizz This simple beverage takes just minutes to make. Let the sorbet stand at room temperature as you prepare the ingredients. 4 limes, divided 1 can (12 oz.) frozen cranberry juice concentrate 3 cups cold water 1 pint raspberry sorbet, softened 2 liters (8 cups) chilled gingerale Slice two limes; set aside. Pour cranberry juice concentrate and water into The Pampered Chef’s Family-Size Quick-Stir Pitcher. Juice remaining limes into pitcher. Scoop sorbet into pitcher; plunge to combine. Add gingerale andlimeslices. Plunge gently until well mixed. Serve overice. Yield: 16 servings Cook’s Tips: To garnish rims of glasses, combine zest from 1 lime and % cup sugar. Rub rim of glass with lime to moisten; dip into sugar mixture. If desired, 2 cups flavored vodka such as raspberry, cranberry, currant or lime can be addedto this recipe. For innovative products and recipes to take the stress out of cooking and entertaining, visit www.pamperedchef.com.
