More Festive Celebrations

I love Christmas and love to decorate and get into the spirit of the season, but my brothers-in-law, Randy and Roger, are the best when it come to Holiday celebrations and decorations. They always make their house so beautiful and festive. According to them, this year they scaled back considerably, but no one would ever guess that. One year, they had over 20 Christmas trees decorating their house. This year I think they were down to only a dozen or so. Whether it is 20 or 12, their house is always a sight to behold though.

This is the bar. Larry was bartender for the night. Randy is very, very creative and a few years ago, he made this lighted wine bottle hanging. Yes, many of those bottles were contributed by me and my “sister” Jaala.

This is one of Randy & Roger’s fun and festive trees.

The trees around the piano area.

As beautiful as all these trees and decorations are, the main focal point is always their upside down Christmas tree. It is so unusual and different. It always gets people talking.

This is Larry’s mom, Ollie, along with one of our sisters-in-law, Sheri and Larry’s brother Randy, the host with the most.

Usually Randy & Roger prepare all the food for their festivities, but this year, they had a potluck. As with any potluck, you always get a wide range of delicious foods, and this party was no exception. I was visited by the Queen once again, and once more, she was in the holiday spirit. You know how the Queen and I love to visit. 🙂

I promise you, this will be the last reincarnation of my artichoke and olive mixture for this season. More Holiday Cheer I didn’t think I had made that much, and I really didn’t think there was that much left over, however, when I added the orzo, I more than doubled what I had leftover. From Appetizer to Dinner Larry has always said I have a knack for making my leftovers grow, and well …. I certainly did that this time around. So for this last recreation, I turned the artichoke, olive, and now orzo, mixture into Mediterranean chorizo artichoke and olive cups. They were yet again a big hit, and one of the guests at the party said they were the best appetizers he had ever had. Thank you for the compliment Sir, but I think you are being way to nice. 🙂

You already have the main recipe(s), and the only things I added where the chorizo and a little goat cheese. I mixed the cooked chorizo in with the artichoke and orzo mixture, then filled my pastry cups and added a tiny bit of goat cheese on the top. Once my cups were filled, I covered everything with another layer of the pastry dough, brushed them with an egg wash and baked them. To make them small bite-sized appetizers, I baked them in my mini muffin pans at 350* F for about 20 minutes, or until they were golden brown.

And here they are, ready to eat …

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

I have worked in the restaurant and catering industry for over 35 years. I attended 2 culinary schools in Southern California, and have a degree in culinary arts from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, as well as a few other degrees in other areas. I love to cook and I love to feed people. View all posts by ajeanneinthekitchen