'Tis the season to be merry!

Join us for some holiday cheer at the home of Ryan & MJ as we celebrate all things Christmas!

Feuerzangenbowle:  Ann & Jason

Feuerzangenbowle, also known as Fire-Tongs Punch, is a Christmas tradition in Germany.  If you're in Tubingen in December, you'd likely get to see the public display of lit up feuerzangenbowles all across the town square.  If you can't make it to Germany, Ann & Jason will happily bring the feuerzangenbowle to your own home, but you must sign a waiver first - fire, burning microwaves, and smoke alarms are highly likely!

The recipe calls for a nice pot of wine, simmering with cinnamon, cloves, lemons, and oranges.  But beware of the sugar cubes soaked in Bacardi 151!

 

Although we very nearly burnt the Mini's house down, the end result was well worth the risk!

Recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/feuerzangenbowle-burnt-punch-traditional-german-beverage-142856

We added more cinnamon sticks and cloves than the recipe called for, basically till we thought it looked pretty and smelled yummy :) 

Snowman Cheese Ball:  Katie & Denis

Christmas wouldn't be complete without a tiny snowman made out of cheese!  This adorable concoction was made of three layers of cheese balls -

Complete with a carrot nose, nobody dared to eat his head, but we definitely did some damage to his body!

Recipe:
http://recipes.albertarose.org/holiday/holiday_snowman_cheeseball.htm

Christmas Tree Meatloaf, Snowy Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus Wreaths:  Ryan & MJ

The main dish was quite a winter wonderland.... Meatloaf Christmas Trees atop a pile of fresh snow. This was served with asparagus wrapped in a scallion bow - quite the presentation! 

Recipe:
Ask Ryan & MJ

Reindeer Cookies & Peppermint Bark:  Heather & Eric

The creativity continued as Heather & Eric unveiled their Christmas dessert - if you thought you had trouble eating the snowman, good luck with these adorable reindeer!

Jason picked the "special" one! 











To finish the night, we sipped our feuerzengenbowle and Christmas beers by the fire.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Recipes:

Reindeer Cookies: 

Nutter butter cookies

White cake frosting

M & M's regular

pretzels

Separate the nutter butter cookies

put a dab of cake frosting at top and bottom

break pretzels into pieces that resemble antlers

push pretzels into frosting at the top and put back together the 2 sides of the cookie

dab frosting for 2 eyes and a nose

put m & m's on the frosting

Peppermint Bark: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/almost-famous-peppermint-bark-recipe.html

Have you noticed something spooky in the air?  Is it ghosts, witches, zombies, or maybe just that full moon?  With Halloween just around the corner you can never be sure!

Join us in costume as we get "freaky" at Heather and Eric's haunted house!

Vampire Cocktail:  Ryan & MJ

Who would like a blood filled syringe in their drink?  We would!  We would!

Ryan & MJ freaked us out with Vampire Cocktails, a delicious mixture of vodka, amaretto, and club soda, served with a syringe filled with raspberry "blood" puree.  We couldn't get enough of the "blood"!

We also had our choice of an array of fall-themed brews!

Most Creative Drink:  Culinary Couples Year Two


Recipe:
http://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/vampire-cocktail/

Bat Bites & Graveyard Dip: Ann & Jason

Think that bats and graveyards aren't yummy?  Think again!  These bat bites were a creamy mixture of cream cheese, goat cheese, and pesto rolled in poppy seeds and black pepper.  Adorable yet spooky!  And the graveyard dip was nothing short of your favorite bean dip once you got past the freshly dug graves!  "Dig in!!!"

Most Creative Appetizer: Culinary Couples Year Two

Recipes:

Bat Bites:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bat-bites

Graveyard Dip:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/tombstone-taco-dip/

Body Buffet:  Heather & Eric

Never thought you'd enjoy eating a human body from a buffet?  There's nothing like seeing the heart, kidneys, intestines, and ribs all waiting for your eager taste-buds!  This was a truly spooky display!

And to go along with our body buffet, there was brain salad and pickled onions... quite the freaky feast!

Most Creative Dinner:  Culinary Couples Year Two


Recipes:

Gravestone Cupcakes:  Katie & Denis

To finish the night off, what is better than eating your very own gravestone?!?  Maybe that surprise blood in the middle of your cupcake?!!  Katie & Denis brought out all the stops with personalized Gravestone Cupcakes!

In addition to the amazing food served on this Freaky Friday, there were also amazing costumes to be seen!!!

Most Creative Dessert:  Culinary Couples Year Two

 Recipe: 

Cupcake: 

http://www.marthastewart.com/356079/magnolia-bakery-vanilla-cupcakes

In addition, I also added cacao powder to make the cupcakes look like dirt

Frosting:

http://www.marthastewart.com/255817/magnolia-bakery-vanilla-buttercream

Bloody-goo insides:

Melted white chocolate

Red food dye

Assembly:

After cupcake is baked, but before it is frosted, cut small hole in the middle and fill with white chocolate mixture.  Put the top back on and then frost.

To make graveyard, use cookie halves and mini-pumpkins to decorate

It's September, and although it doesn't feel like fall yet in the Arizona desert, school is back in session and that means it's tailgate season!  And if it wasn't hot enough already, this NFL Sunday, the rematch of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks is sure to bring the heat! 

Join Culinary Couples on the Smirnov's field for a good old-fashioned tailgate!

Team Margaritas:  Heather & Eric

In a house divided, it's very important to show your true colors.  And that's exactly what Heather & Eric's team-inspired margaritas brought to the tailgate!  The blue hue of the margarita was garnished with your choice of football orange slices or football lime slices.  (Let's go Broncos!)

Unfortunately, we quicly learned that when orange and blue are mixed, it does make green..... okay go Seahawks!

 Recipe:
2 ounces of tequila
1 ounce of blue curacao
1 ounce of sweet & sour
Oranges, cut in fourths and scored with laces
Limes, cut in fourths and scored with laces

Mix all ingredients and garnish with your choice of football fruit!

Buffalo Chicken Dip:  Ryan & MJ

There's nothing that causes munchies quite like watching your favorite football team on NFL Sunday.  Lucky for us, Ryan and MJ brought a perfect solution - Buffalo chicken dip!  It was so good, it definitely didn't last long!

 
1st Place Winner:  Culinary Couples Year Two - Best Appetizer!









Recipe:
http://www.sincerelymindy.com/2014/01/18/spice-gameday-buffalo-chicken-dip/