Holiday Multitasking

By Nikki Berglund
Staff Writer

It is at this time of year more than any other that I find myself needing to be an incredibly good multitasker. Balancing work, a weekly article, and the hectic holidays takes effort (mostly loving) and a whole lot of list making. This week is no exception, and although I welcome the challenge, I like to be well prepared so I don’t freak out on some poor unsuspecting individual like the lady with the uber-bratty kid at the store tonight for instance.

Tomorrow is the birthday of one of my greatest friends, Gina Baker, and a celebration is certainly in order. Hopefully no one will mind, but this article is not only serving its intended purpose but also helping me formulate what to bring to the party and my grocery list.

For this event, we will be doing a tapas (little plates) style sit down dinner, complete with lots of delicious food and, of course, a ton of wine. I am in charge of wine (go figure) but also plan to show up with a few small plate type dishes; although I admit mine are in no way Spanish in origin. There are a few food considerations for the evening, including a couple of vegetarians (one who does eat fish) and one who cannot have any dairy. Besides doing my best to accommodate as many as possible for each dish, I also want to make things that are not incredibly unhealthy since we are all getting our share of naughty food over the next few weeks. Time is also a consideration and therefore everything must be able to be whipped up right after work.

As far as alcoholic beverages go, we thought about Sangria just to stick with the Spanish mood, but all of that sugar can equal a major hangover for a weekday morning. Instead, I am going with a couple of tried and true Spanish wines. For the sparkling wine, and there will be plenty, I am going to bring some Freixenet Cava. Cava is the Spanish version of Champagne, minus the price. If you need a good quality inexpensive sparkling wine for your holiday party you won’t be disappointed with the $13 price tag or the deliciousness of this wine. There are not too many other Cavas to choose from around these parts, but Freixenet is a well established brand that everyone will appreciate.

Since there are no white wine drinkers in the group, I am only bringing red. For this I am going with a favorite selection of my sister Megan, Las Rocas Garnacha. This is a consistently rated, easy-to-drink Spanish wine. Garnacha is the primary grape of Spain, but has become much better known as Grenache in France. This is a versatile red wine with low tannins and a fruity, food-friendly nature. Las Rocas is also pretty inexpensive at around $14 a bottle. Good Spanish wines are still a little harder to come by around here, but I have faith that with all of the winos around here we will soon be seeing more and more of these fabulous wines.

Now for the food:

George’s Tuscany Bread

1 large loaf of French bread

1 container of pesto (or make your own if you have basil in your garden)

4-5 tomatoes, chopped and seeded (this gets some moisture out)

1 bag fresh spinach (I use baby spinach), chopped

1 medium to large package of Muenster cheese

2 lemons

Salt and pepper to taste

Lay out 2 sheets of tinfoil, the same length as the bread. Cut the loaf of bread lengthwise and place crust side down on the foil. Spread pesto onto each side- you should have just enough to cover both. Layer the chopped spinach on top of the pesto and then the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. The Muenster goes on top—you decide how cheesy you want it! Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the bread in the tinfoil and bake for about 15 minutes. Open up tinfoil and bake or broil for another few minutes to get the cheese nice and gooey. The most important step of this recipe comes after it is cooked. Slice up a lemon or two and squeeze the lemon juice all over the bread. It may sound strange but it truly does make the dish!

I have mentioned this one before but am serving it again because it does make such a nice and easy dish that is vegetarian-friendly. Also, you can still make your lactose-intolerant friends happy by omitting the cheese on some of it.

Coconut Shrimp With Pineapple Salsa

recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

Shrimp:
28 large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
Cooking spray

Salsa:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pineapple preserves
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. To prepare shrimp, peel and devein, leaving the tails intact. Rinse shrimp in cold water; drain on paper towels until dry. Combine cornstarch, salt, and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.

Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut.

Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 10 minutes. To prepare salsa, combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

We have been making this healthier version of coconut shrimp in our family for years and it always makes everyone so happy. Once you taste it, you won’t even mind that it isn’t fried. I think (?) the pineapple I got was ripe but we shall see tomorrow. If this is not an option, you could use a canned version and it would work just fine.

Chocolate Fondue

Although there are plenty of recipes for this, to make things really easy I am going with the “Baker’s Dipping Chocolate Real Dark” version straight off the grocery store shelf. The directions are simple, “Just heat up and dip” but as is my nature I will be tweaking it a little. By tweaking I mean adding in a bit of Frangelico or Amaretto liqueur. A fondue pot is ideal but any decorative bowl will work. Some dipping options include: salted pretzels, stem strawberries, sliced bananas, cubed pound cake, or sectioned naval oranges.

Good luck to everyone and all that this holiday season has in store. Whenever it all gets a little too overwhelming, I hope we can all just remember that at the end of the day it is all about friends and family…and also food and A LOT of wine to get you through!

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