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Count Down To Christmas – T’was 3 Weeks Before Christmas

Wine glasses on a buffet table laden with appetizers and candles.

Ideas for your Christmas Cookie platter, quick appetizers and a make ahead holiday meal.

Quail Eggs and Caviar
For about $15 dollars and 15 minutes you can serve up hard boiled Quail Eggs with Caviar. Your guests will never guess how easy and economical it is.
Check out this recipe
Hard boiled quail eggs halved vertically ad ganrnish with black caviar, parsley and roasted red pepper.
Christmas Tea Sandwiches
Cookie cutters make these festive Christmas Tea Sandwiches much easier to make than they look!
Check out this recipe
Christmas tree shaped sandwich with green cream cheese icing and pomegranate decorations
Chocolate Covered Orange Peel
These are a real Christmas treat- No bake, gluten free, make ahead. What’s not to like!
Check out this recipe
Pecan shortbread and chocolate dipped candied orange peel on a Christmas cookie plate.
Caviar Hors d’Oeuvre Plate
This Caviar Hors d’Oeuvre Pate  is  a really simple, tasty appetizer dish that will wow your guests.  It starts with perfect hard boiled eggs that you can make ahead of time.  After that it takes 5 minutes to put this together. And…caviar doesn’t have to be expensive….
Check out this recipe
Christamas star plate with chopped hard boiled egg, topped with sweet onions diced finely and red caviar.
Brandied Beef Bourguignon
This fantastic Brandied Beef Bourguignon is a make-ahead dish that is easy yet elegant enough for a holiday meal. It is meant to sit overnight after you cook it to let the flavor develop. How perfect for an entertaining recipe! And it freezes and reheats beautifully.
Check out this recipe
Brandied Beef Bourguignon
Shortbread Cookies with Lime Cream Cheese Icing
A hint of lime in the dough and the cream cheese frosting  give a sweet and tart flavour to these Shortbread Cookies with Lime Cream Cheese Icing. They  are sometimes called Meltaways because the dough is so tender the cookies melt in your mouth.  
Check out this recipe
Shortbread cookies with Lime Cream cheese icing on a plate.
Pecan Shortbread
Pecan Shortbread Cookies – make, freeze, bake, store. You can make this recipe well ahead or at the last minute.
Check out this recipe
Stack of pecan shortbread cookies on a Christmas plate.
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Count Down to Christmas- T’was 4 Weeks Before Christmas

collage of Cranberry curd, Chocolate covered orange peel and Christmas Pudding Toffy Sauce

Enjoy dozens of ideas for make ahead appetizers, sweets, gifts and meal items. Get going and get a jump on the season!

Chocolate Cranberry Semifreddo
Half ice cream, half mousse this delicious frozen dessert can be made well ahead of time. It will only take a few minutes to dust with cocoa and top with cranberries just before serving. Did you know in a Fine Cooking Poll Semifreddo won over ice cream and gelato for all its charms?
Check out this recipe
Loaf shaped chocolate semifreddo decorated with cocao powder and sugared cranberries.
More Than Two Dozen Gift Ideas From the Kitchen
More than two dozen delicious gift ideas from your kitchen – from candy and cookies, to hot sauce, to easy preserves and even beef jerky!
Check out this recipe
Collage of Candied nuts, chocolate covered orange peels and bourbon fudge.
13 Make Ahead Holiday Appetizers
Here is a collection of appetizers worthy of holiday entertaining that you can make ahead.  Who doesn’t want to get a head of the game?  All of these recipes lend themselves to being made ahead and storing for a day or 2 or freezing and reheating.
Check out this recipe
Collage of appetizers like meat balls, grape appetizer tree and savoury cookies.
German Vanilla Crescents (Vanillekipferl)
These German Vanilla Crescents are aChristmas tradition. The almond and vanilla make these like shortbread on steroids!
Check out this recipe
German Vanilla Crescents dusted with vanilla sugar on baking sheet
Tourtière Maison
From Madame Benoit herself – these meat pies are a timeless French Canadian Christmas tradition. You can bake them weeks ahead of time, freeze them and they reheat beautifully.
Check out this recipe
Tourtière Maison
Chocolate Salami
Chocolate ‘Salami’ may seem odd to North Americans but it is very common in Europe. No Bake, make ahead and I bet you can’t stop at one slice!
Check out this recipe
Chocolate log cut into slices with Christmas ornaments around the serving dish.
Bread Machine Christmas Stollen
Once you try this Classic Christmas Stollen you may never want store bought again! Using your bread machine on the dough cycle makes it easy to make! It makes 2 large or 4 regular size loaves. It will keep well wrapped in a cool place up to a week and freezes well for several weeks. Doesn’t that make you want to get baking?
Check out this recipe
Classic Christmas Stollen
LCBO Vintages Release Nov 27 2021 -Wine Picks <$35
The LCBO Vintages Release Nov 27 2021 is a great chance to start stocking up for the holidays.

You can choose from a few different Sparklings.

Check out 2 Chateauneuf du Pape ‘wannabe’s punching way above their price point.

Looking for an impressive gift? Check out an outstanding Ontario Sparkling and Chardonnay.
Check out this recipe
People toasting over a holiday table with the title LCBO Vintages Release Nov 27 2021.