Merry Christmas Eve eve! I can't believe Christmas is practically here!
Christmas Morning Cocktail
Today I wanted to share an easy Christmas morning cocktail. All you need is orange juice, cranberries, rosemary, oranges, and champagne. It is the perfect festive twist on a classic mimosa. Start by getting any ice cube tray you would like and fill them with cranberries, rosemary, and small orange slices. Then add orange juice to fill. Freeze until hardened. Place in cocktail glass and pour champagne over. This is the perfect way to keep your drink cold but not watery. Finish with sugared rosemary, cranberries, and orange slices/peels.
See below for more details about the garnishes!
Gingerbread Cake
I posted this last year, but the gingerbread mix from Trader Joe's is the BEST and it is so versatile. The mix has little pieces of ginger in it, which gives it the best flavor. You can use it to make gingerbread cookies, gingerbread pancakes, or gingerbread cupcakes/cake. I've tried them all, and they are all delicious! This year I decided to make a mini naked gingerbread cake with cream cheese buttercream. I love how it turned out! It is so mini and cute. I tried a couple different decorations on top including some of the garnishes (see below) I made for the cocktails as well as the mini gingerbread houses I made from scratch. See more about those here.
Garnishes
The garnishes might be my favorite part of both of these and they are so easy to do yourself.
For the orange peel, just cut a round of your orange and slice off the skin. Leave some of the white on there to help it keep it's shape, but cut most of it off carefully. Once you have your long peel, wrap it around a straw and hold it tight for 15-20 seconds. When you take it off, it will hold the shape! SO easy and makes your drink look extra fancy.
For the dried oranges. Slice an orange into very thin even rounds. Place them on a pan and put them in the oven at 200 degrees for 6-7 hours. It is better to bake them at a lower temperature for longer, than risking burning them. Also it will make your house smell good!
For the sugared cranberries and rosemary, just make a simple syrup by combining 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar in a pan on the stove. Stir over heat until the sugar is dissolved. Coat the cranberries and rosemary in the syrup. Shake off any excess and let them sit on a drying rack for about an hour. They will still be sticky after an hour and that is when you will roll or shake them in sugar. I found for the cranberries you kind of have to press them into the sugar for the best look. You do not need to be careful with the cranberries they will hold up just fine. I love how festive and fun they look on the top of the cake or in a drink! Also, once you are done with them you can throw all these ingredients in a simmer pot and add some fresh evergreen stems and cinnamon sticks and your house will smell AMAZING.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!
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