Cook and Brew.

While most of us are through setting up the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations in our homes some may still be in the midst of their preparations. So for those of you who are tired from scrubbing their kitchen floors, living room and garage flooring, quench your thirst with these cool and colorful holiday drink.

1 can pineapple chunks
2 medium bananas, sliced
1 cup mango cubes
1 cup strawberries
1 cup watermelon cubes
1 cup fresh dalandan juice
2 seedless oranges (peeled and cut into segments)
2 tablespoons honey
mint leaves (for garnishing)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix and toss lightly. Cool and serve.

Not only this is thirst-quenching but it also supplies the average daily requirement of fruit intake of our body.

One of the tables that got stormed by my son’s 1st birthday party guests was the Chocolate Fountain table. A dear friend who happens to be my son’s godmother volunteered that she lends her chocolate fountain and likewise, offered her services to set it up and make the necessary dippers. Check out her Chocolate Coated Apples, the recipe of which she got from Foodnetwork.com:

Ingredients
* Medium sweet-tart apples, such as Fuji or Gala
* Barbecue or popsicle sticks
* 1 pound semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks
* 1 cup M & M’s and candy sprinkles. Optional ingredients are chopped pistachios, shredded coconut, toffee pieces, or crushed Oreos

Directions:
Twist off the stems from the apples and push a stick down into the core. Put the apples in the fridge while preparing the chocolate; they’ll coat better if they’re cold.

Slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water or in a microwave set on high for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through the heating time to smooth it out. Remove from the heat and stir until completely melted and warm, not hot. Dunk each apple into the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Roll the apples around in the chocolate, turning with the stick, so it’s coated all the way up to the top. Use a spoon to baste any hard to get spots.

Put the desired coating in a separate bowl and roll the dipped apple around so it is completely covered. Set the chocolate dipped apples on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

***

I was so busy entertaining the party guests that’s why I wasn’t able to taste it. But I heard great raves about it from the guests.

A party trend that has become quite popular lately is the Chocolate Fountain. From birthdays to baby showers to baptismal to corporate events to weddings, the chocolate fountain table might have been the next crowded area next to the buffet table.

A chocolate fountain is a stainless steel with 2 or 3 (or more) tiers that melts chocolate and produces a continuous flow of chocolate film over the tiers like a fountain. The chocolate fondue are usually: Bittersweet Chocolate, Darksweet Chocolate, Premium Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, and even Colored Chocolate. There is a variety of “dippers” or “dippings” which are used to dip into the chocolate film and cover it with the desired amount of chocolate.

Dippers can be fruits and non-fruits:
Fruits:
1.Banana
2.Apple
3.Pineapple
4.Orange
5.Melon
6.Watermelon
7. Grapes
8. Strawberry
9. Blueberry (Frozen)
10. Kiwi
11. Raspberries (Frozen)

and Non-Fruits:
1.Chocostick Wafer
2.Vanilla Wafer
3.Breadstick
4.Marshmallows
5.Graham Cracker
6.Garlic Fingers
7.French Bread
8. Pretzels
9. Mini Donuts
10. Chocolate Chip Cookies
11. Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
12. Butter Cookies
13. Mini cup cakes (in choco, ube, strawberry, and cheese)
14. Churros
15. Rosquillos
16. Broas
17. Barquillos
18. Butter Egg Roll Cookies
19. Nachos
20. French Fries

The Chocolate Fountain is highly favored because of the following advantages:
1. It simplifies your menu. Just serve the chocolate and dippers then the dessert bar is done.
2. Because of the interactive and fascinating experience of “dipping” it makes eating more exciting.
3. It is an elegant and impressive table centerpiece.

Here’s one smoothie recipe that I’ll be trying once we can buy loads of strawberries this December in Baguio.

2 cans (240 ml each) Pure Pineapple Juice
1/4 kg fresh strawberries, washed and trimmed
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

Freeze contents of 1 can of Pineapple Juice in an ice cube tray. Chill the other can. Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Garnichs with fresh strawberry slices. Serve immediately.

**This is rich in folic acid and helps prevent/reduce birth defects so this drink is ideal for pregnant women.

Here’s another smoothie recipe my grandmother taught me using pandan leaves. These abound at their home in the province and she would always make us whenever we spend our summer vacation there.

Ingredients:
1 pc buko, meat shredded, (reserve water)
18-20 pcs of pandan leaves
1 can (240 ml) Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup sugar

For 5 minutes, boil pandan leaves in the reserved buko water plus 1 cup of water. Remove leaves and add sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool and combine buko and pineapple juice in a blender. At high speed, mix. Add to pandan mixture then serve with crushed ice.