I'll have to expand the kids' taste bud horizons.
The chocolate ones should be an easy sell. Probably a good idea to keep the sangra just for the adults though.
I'll go ahead and post one recipe I sent and one that didn't get included.
Pan-Fried Salmon with Cucumber/Radish Salad4 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets (about 1-inch thick), with or without skin
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 English cucumber (seedless, comes plastic-wrapped) or 2 regular
5 to 6 radishes
½ jalapeno
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
¼ teaspoon dark sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring salmon to room temperature 10 minutes before cooking. Toast the sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring and tossing, until fragrant and a shade or two darker (about 4 minutes). Pour into a small bowl to cool.
Quarter the cucumber lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise. (If using regular cucumbers, peel and seed first). Put in a medium bowl. Trim and discard radish tops, then thinly slice the radishes and add to the cucumbers. Stem, seed and finely chop the jalapeno. Peel the ginger and finely grate using a rasp or fine-hole grate to yield about 1 teaspoon. Add jalapeno and ginger to the salad and toss. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, the toasted sesame seeds, vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and the sesame oil. Toss the salad and set aside.
Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-low heat. Season salmon with some salt and black pepper. Add remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan; raise heat to medium high. Place salmon, skin side up, in the pan. Cook, without moving fish for about 4 minutes. Turn fillets over with a metal spatula and cook until fish feels firm to the touch, about 3 more minutes.
Spoon salad onto the middle of plates and place a fillet on top to serve.
Note: I’m not a fan of excessive caution in the kitchen, but when working with the jalapeno I strongly recommend wearing gloves. Pepper oil will stay on your fingers for days and you’ll be sorry every time you touch your mouth or – gasp! – your eyes.
Christmas Fudge2/3 cup (1 small can) undiluted evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 2/3 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups minature marshmallows
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pistachio nuts
¼ cup crushed candy canes
Mix evaporated milk, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (Begin timing when mixture bubbles.) Remove from heat and add marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts. Stir briskly until marshmallows are melted. Pour into a buttered 8-inch square pan and sprinkle with crushed candy cane. Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.
Note: My mom’s been making this since well before I was born. My sister says it’s sacrilege that I will crush red and green candy canes for the top, but I think the green picks up nicely on the pistachios when you cut it.
