Christmas Slaw

I know what you're thinking. Cole slaw for Christmas? First of all, it's a little fancier than regular ol' cole slaw (not that I have anything against cole slaw - love the stuff!). Also, this slaw is gorgeous, delicious, and its brightness compliments all of those rich, meaty, cheesy, creamy holiday dishes typical of Christmas dinner. There, I've made my case.

This gorgeous Christmas Slaw is so bright and fresh and looks totally fab on any Christmas buffet table.

Just look at this beautiful dish. It's so pretty and festive. I've served this slaw at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, barbecues... you name it. I most often include it on my Christmas menu, which is why I've named it Christmas Slaw. Also, this side dish is super easy.

This delcious Christmas Slaw is full of festive colors.

This easy Christmas Slaw is crunchy and sweet and savory and nutty and oh so fresh. The toasted pecans, crumbled Gorgonzola, dried cranberries, and fresh green apple hit just the right note. And the colors are simply gorgeous - just perfect for your Christmas buffet table.

I prefer Brianna's poppy seed dressing for this Christmas Slaw.

Here's how easy it is. Throw all the goodies into a large bowl, take a few turns over the top with your pepper mill, drizzle in the dressing, and toss together. That's it!




I like to set it in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavors to meld before I serve it.

P.S. People will ask you for the recipe.

Christmas Slaw

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pecans
1/2 large head of red cabbage, chopped relatively thin
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 large green apple, chopped small
1/2 to 1 cup poppy seed dressing (I like Brianna's)
fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes to toast. Cool and roughly chop.
3. Throw all your veggies and fixings into a large bowl.
4. Grind a little pepper over the top and then pour in 1/2 cup of dressing and toss.
5. Taste and add in more dressing until all of the goodies are well coated and you can taste the dressing in every bite.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple of hours for flavors to meld.

* This recipe is easily doubled for a big crowd.

Eggnog Cream Pie

Boy did I have a ball baking up pies for the blog last month. And I have the waste line to prove it. Ha! Here's another holiday gem I just had to share with y'all - Eggnog Cream Pie!

Want guests to die in their pie? Serve them this gorgeous Eggnog Cream Pie!

This holiday pie has a gorgeous Christmas cookie crust, a rich and creamy eggnog pudding filling, and a fresh and luscious nutmeg & rum whipped cream. It's also topped with bright red maraschino cherries and adorable Christmas cookie sprinkles. Want guests to die in their pie (not literally, of course)? Make this one!

This fantabulous pie starts with a bag of store-bought red and green sprinkled Christmas cookies. Zap 'em in a food processor till you have fine crumbs.

The red and green flecks in this Eggnog Cream Pie crust are so pretty and so very Christmas-y.

Reserve a little bit of cookie crumbs for the top of your pie and mix the rest with melted butter. Press the mixture into your pie plate and bake for 8 minutes.

The red and green flecks in this pie crust are so pretty and so very Christmas-y. 

After your cookie crust has cooled, whisk together a box of vanilla pudding mix with full fat eggnog. Also very Christmas-y.



Pour into your crust and refrigerate while you make the whipped cream.

The beautiful whipped cream that tops this Eggnog Cream Pie is spiked with nutmeg and rum. It's quite delectable. Taste with caution as you may end up needing to make a whole new batch just for the pie.

Tada! The finished Eggnog Cream Pie.

Top the pie with puffs of whipped cream and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Then, top each puff of cream with a maraschino cherry.

Ho, ho, ho! Me-rry Christmas!

Christmas cookie sprinkles and sweet cherries finish off this fantabulous Eggnog Cream Pie.

Eggnog Cream Pie
(makes 1 deep dish pie)

INGREDIENTS
9 oz bag red and green sprinkled Christmas cookies
5 Tbsp melted butter
5.1 oz box vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
2 1/2 cups full fat eggnog
2 cups whipping cream
1 Tbsp boxed vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
2 Tbsp spiced rum (optional, but preferable)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup powdered sugar
about 10 to 12 maraschino cherries

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Throw the whole bag of Christmas cookies in the food processor and zap until they're fine crumbs.
3. Set aside 2 Tbsp of crumbs and mix the rest with 5 Tbsp of melted butter. Press into pie plate and bake for 8 minutes. Cool completely.
4. Whisk together the box of vanilla pudding mix and the eggnog for 3 minutes until nice and thick. Pour into your cooled crust and refrigerate while you make the cream.
5. In the bowl of your stand mixer (I like to put my bowl and whisk in the fridge so they're nice and cold) pour in the cream, the Tbsp of vanilla instant pudding mix, the nutmeg, the rum, and the powdered sugar, and whip together until stiff peaks form.
6. Cut one corner of a Ziploc freezer bag a little smaller than your piping tip, insert tip, and fill with whipped cream.
7. Pipe puffs of cream all around your pie, sprinkle the puffs with the reserved cookie crumbs, and top each one with a maraschino cherry.
8. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Pipe all the leftover whipped cream into a pretty dish and serve alongside your pie.

* You can also just pile all of the whipped cream on top of your pie all at once like a traditional cream pie.