I know we all get excited about the gifts we are going to give and receive this holiday, but if you're like anyone in my family, you might be a little more excited about the holiday food. It doesn't matter what the occasion is, we always center our gatherings around delicious food and beverages, but even more so during the holidays. Some of our best conversations and belly laughs are always around the dining room table, so I look forward to seeing the assortment of home cooked goodies that will be in the family potluck that we'll be making new memories around each year.
Some of you may be experts at it, but I am new to the world of using an immersion blender. I know, weird since the majority of the posts here are recipe related. I recently acquired a Mealthy HandBlend and am now kicking myself for not adding one to my kitchen sooner.
The newest member to the Mealthy family, the HandBlend Immersion Blender is the quickest and easiest way to blend, puree, whisk, and chop effortlessly. The Mealthy HandBlend offers a complete immersion blending system that includes a high-quality stainless steel hand blender with sharp blades and is 100% BPA-free, whisk, chopper attachments, and a smoothie cup.
With the Mealthy HandBlend, you can blend soups and stews right in the pot for a smooth consistency every time without worrying about spilling hot soup by transferring it to a blender. Make whipped cream without having to pull out your heavy stand mixer, or whip up a breakfast smoothie without having to bust out the bulky countertop blender. And, because you can make your smoothie right into the smoothie cup, you don't have to worry about washing extra dishes. That makes it a winner in my book right there! There's a top rotary dial button that lets you choose what speed you need, and if you need extra power, there's a Turbo button that you can press for a boost of power and speed. Of, if you want to mix up some salsa for the big game, the extra-room chopper bowl with attachments will quickly have your onions, nuts, garlic, and leafy greens chopped and diced in no time.
I love to play with different appetizers, entrees and side dish recipes, but my specialty is dessert. I usually bring in one tried and true recipe that I know the family loves, but I will also throw in a new one to see if it's a keeper or a trasher. This year the winner was the chocolate truffle pie I made earlier in the fall (you can grab that recipe from my sidebar or in my recipes tab), but with how busy the season is right now, I'm looking to whip up recipes that say elegance but are easily made. We always break out the board games after a holiday meal, then settle in for a few hours of family fun. This is where dessert is usually served, and for Christmas you can't go wrong with eggnog. Eggnog Mousse to be precise.
I originally found this recipe in Taste of Home and it's been a holiday hit for the past few years. The creamy mousse can be served to the whole family, or add a splash of rum, brandy or bourbon before whipping for a more adult dessert.
Yield: Serves 4
Eggnog Mousse
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tsp unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups eggnog
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pour eggnog into a small sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin over eggnog and let stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Transfer mixture into a small bowl, then refrigerate until firm. To make sure there aren't any lumps and mousse has a smooth consistency, give it a blast with your immersion blender, then return to the fridge and allow to firm again. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Before serving, garnish with whipped topping and a sprinkling of nutmeg if desired.
Recipe slightly adapted from Taste of Home
https://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2018/12/my-new-holiday-helper-mealthy-handblend.html
Simply chill the smoothie cup and immersion blender attachment that comes with the Mealthy HandBlend for 20 minutes. Pour in 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1/2 tsp vanilla, then use the immersion blender in an up and down motion until stiff peaks form. You can also use the whisk attachment for a smoother cream, but I like the stiff cream I get from the immersion blender better because it's more stabilized for pies, cakes, and other dessert toppings.
For those who don't like eggnog, it's super simple to blend up a holiday milkshake instead. My go-to for the season is a Peppermint Patty Milkshake.
Normally I would hand chop the chocolate coated peppermint candies, but using the chopper bowl proved to be a much more convenient method. Within seconds, I had 3/4 cup of the candies chopped down to size.
Yield: Serves 4
Peppermint Patty Milkshake
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 cup chopped Peppermint Patty candies (about 10 miniature candies)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Unwrap the candies and place them in the Mealthy chopper bowl. Attach the handle to the top of the bowl and pulse the candies until they are pea sized.
- Pour the chopped candies, milk and ice cream into the Mealthy Smoothie Cup. Using the immersion blender, blend in an up/down on medium speed setting until the mixture is smooth and creamy (30 - 60 seconds).
- Serve in milkshake glasses rimmed with chocolate and crushed candy canes if desired. Serve immediately.
https://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2018/12/my-new-holiday-helper-mealthy-handblend.html
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