Get into the spirit of the holidays with festive drink and food recipes, perfect for all your get-togethers this holiday season. Skip the boring beer and finger foods — holiday parties deserve a little something extra.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SILK PIE

Chocolate Peppermint French Silk Pie is perfect for holiday dinners, parties, and celebrations. Don't be intimidated by the ingredients, it's quite easy!

Ingredients:

  • (8 servings)
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup of sugar
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 pie crust, prepared
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 8 oz chocolate, melted
  • ½ cup butter, cubed
  • ½ cup whipped cream, plus more for garnish
  • shaved chocolate, to serve
  • ⅔ cup crushed peppermint candies, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C). In a medium heat-proof bowl, mix the eggs and sugar until combined. Add water to a small pot over low heat and rest the bowl on top. Keep beating the egg mixture slowly until it reaches 160˚F (71˚C). Remove the bowl from heat and stir until cool.

Place a prepared pie crust in a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish. Set a sheet of parchment paper over crust and place 4 spoons or dried beans in the center, weighing down the crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool. Add peppermint extract and melted chocolate to the egg mixture. Stir until combined. Steadily beat in the butter until well combined. Slowly mix in the whipped cream. Carefully spoon the filling into the prepared pie crust and chill for at least 2 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and crushed peppermint candies.

TORTILLA ROLL-UPS WITH SALSA

Tortilla Roll-Ups are the perfect holiday appetizer recipe. Piled into a tree shape and served with salsa, they are an effortless snack.

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages (16 ounces total) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 package ranch dressing mix
  • 1 jar (4 ounces) pimentos, drained and dry
  • 1 jar (4 ounces) green chilis, drained and patted dry
  • 1 can (2.25 ounces) sliced black olives, drained and chopped
  • 2 chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped yellow pepper
  • 3/4 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 4 12-inch green flour tortillas
  • 10-14 cherry tomatoes
  • Salsa for serving

Preparation:

In a large bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese and the ranch dressing mix until uniformly combined. Add the pimentos, black olives, green onions, green chilis, yellow pepper, and cheddar cheese. Mix gently until they evenly spread into the cream cheese. Distribute the cream cheese mixture into the four tortillas. Use a spatula to spread the mixture on each tortilla in a uniform layer. Keep the mix a 1/2 inch from the edge.

Roll up the tortillas. Arrange them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until firm. Then using a serrated knife, gently cut the tortillas into 1/2-inch slices. Stack in layers. Garnish with cherry tomato and a dash of yellow pepper to add additional colors. Serve with salsa.

HOLIDAY HOT SPINACH DIP

This rich, creamy dish makes the perfect holiday party dip.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (10 ounces) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 (6.5 ounces) jar artichoke hearts, drained and mashed
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together spinach, bell pepper, garlic, artichokes, sour cream, and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. The mixture will be thick; add cream to thin to dip consistency. Spoon into a 1-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with crackers.

CHRISTMAS PUNCH

If you have a bowl of sparkling Christmas Punch, you can turn your bland holiday event into a real party.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large bag of ice
  • 5 cups 100% cranberry juice
  • 2 bottles very dry sparkling wine — (750 ml bottles), such as champagne, cava, or Prosecco
  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1 1/2 cups diet ginger ale — (12 ounces) (from 1 can or poured from a liter bottle)
  • 1 1/2 cups dark rum or brandy — (12 ounces)
  • 2 oranges — thinly sliced into rounds
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries

Preparation:

Refrigerate all the ingredients to make sure your punch is nice and chilly. Load a large punch bowl with ice, and top with all the ingredients except the oranges and cranberries. Mix to combine. Last, top with slices of oranges and cranberries to beautify it. ENJOY!

THE MISTLETOE KISS (CHRISTMAS COCKTAIL)

Pucker up friends, because this Christmas drink is a holiday party surprise.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup of water
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • For A Small Batch:
  • 6 oz vodka
  • 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 oz rosemary simple syrup
  • Club soda
  • A handful of fresh cranberries (whole frozen berries are ok)
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary

For A Large Batch:

  • 30 oz vodka (3 ¾ cups or approx 1 liter from which you'll have a couple ounces leftover)
  • 5 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 10 oz (1 ¼ cups) rosemary simple syrup (triple the recipe above)
  • 1-liter club soda
  • ½ bag of fresh cranberries (whole frozen berries are ok)
  • 10 sprigs of rosemary

Preparation:

To obtain the rosemary simple syrup: Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Boil while occasionally mixing to dissolve the sugar. Allow the mix to boil for 5 minutes, then move from the heat and drop in the sprig of rosemary. Allow the rosemary to steep for about 15 minutes. Pour the simple syrup into a glass bottle, cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate.

To make a small batch:

Pour vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a drink shaker filled with ice. Cover and shake well to blend. Divide drink mix between 2 rocks glasses filled with ice, straining the ice from the shaker as you pour. You'll only want to fill the glasses ¾-full. Top with club soda and a few cranberries for garnish. Add a sprig of rosemary to use as a stirrer.

To make a large batch:

Pour vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a pitcher filled with ice and stir well to combine.

When ready to serve, pour the drink mix into an ice-filled rocks glass to ¾-full. Top each drink with club soda and a few cranberries for garnish. Add a sprig of rosemary to each drink as they are served to use as a stirrer.

And there you have it folks, the recipe for the perfect holiday party.