Christmas is just 5 days away, can you believe it? This whole month of December we’ve been celebrating by baking cookies, making festive cocktails, and of course, my annual Christmas tea!
I hosted this year’s Christmas tea early in the season, and it was such a fun way to kick off the festivities with friends. I would totally use this same set up for a fun Christmas or New Years Eve brunch too!
Last year I opted for a traditional red and plaid table, so this year I chose a Merry and Bright theme with pinks and blues. I love how happy and relaxed this table feels. Read on for all the details!
I knew I was going to focus the table on light pastels, and just about jumped with glee when I found these adorable nostalgic village salad plates! I love that each plate has a different winter village scene – they are so pretty! I love how the snowflake napkin rings tie in with the plates, and also add just a bit of glam to the table.
My centerpiece was incredibly simple this year, with some bottle brush trees in different colors and pretty candles, set on a simple pink table runner. It doesn’t get much easier than that, and we’ve been enjoying the bottle brush trees as decoration around the living room too!
For desserts, I set up a hot cocoa bar with all the fixings, and a fun tiered tray full of various sweets! I love this 3-tier stand, because it makes every cookie whether homemade or store-bought look beautiful! It’s one of my go-to dishes when I’m entertaining!
If you have any questions about anything on this table or how to host your own Christmas tea (or party of any kind), check out my 6 Tips For An Easy and Beautiful Christmas Tea, or leave a comment below!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!
Do you love gingerbread? Me too! Spicy, moist and festive – this Gingerbread cake is all the delicious gingerbread flavors in cake form! The perfect dessert for Christmas dinners and New Years festivities. This cake is sure to become everyone’s new favorite dessert. Including the busy cook, since it takes just a few minutes to come together and is beautiful to present!
Holiday desserts are great (Cranberry Orange Cake anyone?), but what I reallllly love about the holidays are the delicious appetizers. All the dips over here, please! So I’m really excited to share this super yummy appetizer with you! These Cranberry Jalapeno Poppers are a little sweet, a little spicy, and very cheesy!
With just a handful of ingredients, these jalapeno poppers couldn’t be easier! I love the flavor of the cranberries and jalapenos together, and I really love the flavor of the cranberries and cumin together. Add in the chives, cilantro and the yum factor goes sky high!
Makes 16 Rolls
Ingredients:
2 cans crescent rolls (I like Annie’s)
8 oz block of full-fat cream cheese
6 Tablespoons dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons chives, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Directions:
Preheat the oven per the crescent roll directions. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Combine all the ingredients except the rolls in a medium sized mixing bowl, and stir together with a spatula until well combined. Spoon a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the wide end of each crescent roll, and roll toward the point. Bake about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot!
The first Christmas cake of the season! This is such a fun and festive holiday dessert, baked with fresh orange and cranberries! The cinnamon cream cheese frosting is the icing on the cake (ha!). The cinnamon flavor is subtle, and compliments the cake flavors so well. This cake is perfect for all of your holiday parties, so let’s get baking!
The fresh cranberries baked into this cake are so pretty when it’s sliced into, and are little bursts of bright flavor when you bite into them! Orange and cranberry is one of my favorite flavor combinations; last year I shared my Cranberry Orange Muffins, which are still going strong as a top recipe!
For a super easy decoration, I cut a few orange slices and covered some leftover fresh cranberries in sugar. It doesn’t get more simple than that, and I love how pretty it looks!
Cake Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
6 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest of 1 1/2 oranges
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh cranberries
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degress F, and grease and line three 6″ cake pans. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients, flour through salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and sour cream. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the orange zest and juice, and mix until all ingredients are just incorporated. Stir in the chopped cranberries with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, and bake for 33-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans, and then use a knife to gently loosen the edges before inverting onto a cooling rack.
For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing until it’s fully incorporated. Add the cinnamon and vanilla, and beat for a few minutes on medium-high speed.
Frost when the cakes are completely cooled. (I even prefer to frost cakes that have been refrigerated at least an hour.) Top with cranberries and orange slices, and serve!
Delicious and easy bourbon pecan pie bars. Because is it even Thanksgiving without pecan pie? With a shortbread crust, and gooey pecan pie filling, these pie bars have all the flavor you love about pecan pie, and none of the hassle of pie crust. Because I’m all about simplification, more time to spend with family and friends, and to be honest? I actually prefer the smooth buttery taste of shortbread!
