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The Week

Christmas special

It’s time for Christmas, and this season is all about spending time with your family and friends. There can be no be...
By The Week Bureau

It’s time for Christmas, and this season is all about spending time with your family and friends. There can be no better way to share joy and happiness than by inviting your loved ones over a dinner party. Hosting a Christmas dinner may sound extremely fun but, for many, it can be very stressful at the same time. To make Christmas dinner party hosting relatively hassle free, we have compiled some easy to make Christmas dinner ideas because making memories do not have to mean exhausting your energy and wallet.


Mulled wine 


What is Christmas without mulled wine? This simple recipe will definitely spice up your get-together and make it a lot more special. 


Ingredients required 


    2 small oranges 


    1 liter red wine (it does not necessarily have to be an expensive wine) 


    2 cinnamon sticks 


    2 tablespoons whole cloves 


    ½ cup brown sugar 


    ½ cup brandy or orange liquor (optional)


Directions 


First slice the oranges into rounds. Then add red wine, sliced oranges, cinnamon sticks and cloves in a saucepan. Bring it to boil over medium heat so that the drink soaks in these beautiful flavors. 


When it boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes more minutes.


Add ½ cup brown sugar and stir it well. When the sugar dissolves, taste the drink and adjust the sweetness accordingly. 


Use a fine mesh sieve to pour your mulled wine into a bowl. If you intend to serve the wine immediately, pour the wine back in the saucepan and heat it until it warms up again. Add brandy and orange liquor right before serving. 


If you are not serving the mulled wine immediately, pour the drink into a wine bottle. Push the cork as far as you can and you can store the drink for four days. While serving, garnish your drink with cinnamon sticks and sliced oranges. 


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Banana pudding 


Nothing can compliment a Christmas dinner better than a nice pudding. And this one is simply irresistible.


Ingredients required 


    250 grams whole milk


    1 packet instant chocolate pudding mix


    250 grams sweetened condensed milk


    350 grams heavy cream


    1 packet marshmallow fluff, microwave for 10 seconds


    1 tablespoon vanilla extract


    3 bananas, sliced into coins


    3 packets crushed biscuits (of your choice)


Directions  


In order to make this banana pudding, combine milk, pudding mix and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Whisk it properly to maintain the texture of the setting and refrigerate for five minutes or until it sets. 


Then take another large bowl and combine heavy cream, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla extract and mix it well. The next step is to coat the bottom of a dish with a handful of crushed digestive biscuits. Then, the next layer should be covered with one-third of the pudding, followed by a layer of banana slices. Then add half of the whipped cream. Now, cover the dish with marshmallows, chocolate bars and more biscuits of your choice. Let the biscuit cover a full circle along the edge of your dish. Repeat the layering process once more, ending with a final layer of whipped cream sprinkled with marshmallows, chocolate bars, and cracker biscuits. Let the pudding refrigerate for at least three hours, or overnight. 


No-bake biscuit cake 


Everybody likes a no-bake desert. It is easy to prepare and less time consuming and this one is extremely delicious as well. 


Ingredients required 


    800 grams digestive biscuits or tea biscuits 


    100 grams walnuts and hazelnuts


 200 grams sugar 


    60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder 


    240 ml water


    150 grams butter 


    1 teaspoon vanilla extract 


    120 grams condensed milk


    120 gram bittersweet chocolate, chopped


Directions


Break the biscuits into small pieces and place them into a large bowl. Then heat a nonstick pan and toast the nuts for about five minutes. Add toasted nuts into the same large bowl.  Then, to prepare chocolate syrup, add sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Slowly add water while stirring and combining the ingredients well. Let the paste boil for about 10-15 minutes. After that, remove the pan from heat and add vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool down for about 15 minutes. 


The chocolate syrup should then be poured into the bowl with biscuits. You must combine the ingredients well using a spatula or a spoon. The next step is to take a round or square cake ware and transfer the ingredients there. After you place the ingredients, press it well with the help of a spatula or spoon. 


Prepare chocolate ganache by boiling condensed milk in a pan and adding cocoa powder to it. The hot cream then should be poured into a hot chocolate. Stir the ingredients well to make it smooth. 


Pour chocolate ganache over your biscuit cake and freeze it for about four to five hours. Decorate the cake with nuts and serve. 


Quick roasted chicken 


This main course is easy to make and will be the highlight of your dinner party.


Ingredients required


    1 whole chicken 


    1 tablespoon olive oil 


    Salt and pepper (to taste)


    Dried basil 


    1 tablespoon oregano 


    1 tablespoon paprika 


Directions


Preheat the oven to about 175 degrees centigrade. Then put chicken on a roasting pan and season it generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix other ingredients such as dried basil, oregano, and paprika together and rub it on the chicken. 


Then roast the chicken once the oven has been preheated for twenty minutes. Bake the chicken for an hour in a temperature of about 82 degrees centigrade. Cover the delicious chicken with aluminum foil for about 30 minutes before you serve. 


Finally, place the chicken at the center of your dinner table and garnish it with onions, radishes, carrots, lemons, and fresh green vegetables. 

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