A Sparkly Winter Holiday Brunch

I have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InspireWithCheese #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is in full swing…Thanksgiving will be here before you know it and Christmas is on the horizon. I love getting ready for holiday entertaining, from putting up the tree after Thanksgiving dinner to all of my boys’ holiday performances and the crazy loop of office and holiday parties.

I’m sure you are like me, having the time and energy to put together a holiday party can be daunting.  With most parties on Friday and Saturday nights, host your event on an overlooked party time, a casual Sparkly Winter holiday brunch! With simple but tasty recipes and easy décor, this time of the day is a great way to catch up during the season without conflicting with other events and create a relaxing break from holiday stress.

You all know I’m all about easy entertaining; the less I’m in the kitchen and out enjoying my guests the better! I’m sharing a few tips to have you entertaining with less stress in no time.

Let’s first talk about the food.  I’ve teamed up with Kaukauna® Cheese to share two great recipes using their cheese balls and spreadable cheese cups!  As a delicious and easy entertaining solution made with 100% real cheddar, Kaukauna® Cheese comes in a variety of forms and flavors from Port Wine to Garden Vegetable.

My favorite one-stop shop, I headed out to Fred Meyer to pick up everything I needed to create a fabulous brunch.  Made with mini fillo shells and Kaukauna® Spreadable Cheese Cup in Asiago, my Prosciutto Cheese Cups are perfect one-bite cheesiness!

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Prosciutto Cheese Cups

Made with Kaukauna® Spreadable Cheese, these make a great appetizer!

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Servings 15 cheese cups

Ingredients

• 15 mini fillo shells find in the frozen crust section
• 1 6.5 oz Kaukauna® Spreadable Cheese Cup asiago flavor
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• prosciutto slices
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (broil)
2. Place mini fillo shells on an ungreased baking sheet.
3. Fill mini fillo shells halfway with spreadable cheese, about a 1/2 teaspoon.
4. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and mushrooms and top the spreadable cheese with a few slices of each.
   
5. Tear small pieces of proscuitto and add to each cup.
   
6. Sprinkle each cup with a little basil and broil for 3 - 4 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

I know, right? How easy was this?  Ok, so it’s time to get your hands a little dirty…well cheesy, that is.  I do love me a good cheeseball and crackers, especially around the holidays.  I took a Kaukauna® Cheese Ball and turned it into a flavorful Christmas tree, served with baguette slices so it would be more brunch-appropriate.

Now that we have the food covered…

• Plating food on white items makes it stand out.  Break out those platters, plates and cake stands…this is a great way to bring visual interest to your table.
• Instead of setting out a fruit tray or bowl, use small glasses to create individual fruit cups!
• Do the same with French toast sticks or waffle slices with syrup; makes serving food so much easier.
• Use disposable tableware like paper plates and utensils to cut down on dishwashing; I actually used my own dinner plates as chargers for the paper plates.
• Instead of a fancy tablecloth, find seasonal wrapping paper to make cleanup a snap…especially if you cover your table with fake snow.
• The sparkle and shine of the disco ball is a perfect scheme that carries through New Year’s.  From disco ball ornaments to tumblers, don’t be afraid to bling it out.

I hope you have been inspired to have your own sparkly winter holiday brunch!  Visit Kaukauna® Cheese for more recipes and where to get your hands on your own cheesy goodness and check out my fellow partiers for even more inspiration.  Be sure and enter their sweepstakes below for the chance to win fabulous prizes! #InspireWithCheese Sweepstakes