Christmas

Lohri

Baisakhi

Holi

Diwali

Christmas

Id-ul-Fitr

Christmas in India is celebrated with tremendous enthusiasm and joy! Though Christmas is not a major Indian festival as Christians are in minority in India nevertheless, it has become an important festival over the years. Today people from other religions and communities participate in the Christmas festivities with marked fervor and zest.

Chocolate-Cheese Balls

Ingredients Chocolate Cheese Balls

1 cup cream cheese (or soft fresh paneer), 1/2 cup butter softened, 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoon walnuts crushed coarsely, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon vanilla essence, 1/2 cup almond powder, Green and red tutti-frutti or angelica leaves and pieces.

Preparation
• Beat well butter and cream cheese till fluffy and light.
• Mix in sugar and vanilla essence, beat again till light.
• Add chocolate chips, walnuts, mix well.
• Chill it for 3 hours in a clean polythene bag.
• Remove mixture from refrigerator.
• Roll into balls, then roll in almond powder.
• Press in some green and red angelica bits to decorate.
• Refrigerate on a tray for at least 1 hour.
• Wrap in individual pieces of see-through plastic wrappers.
• Secure with a piece of string.
• Serve cold and store in fridge.

Santa's Salad

Ingredients Santa's Salad

1 cup boiled macaroni, 1 cup boiled chopped French beans, 1 cup boiled peas, 1 cup boiled chopped carrot, 2 sprigs spring onions chopped finely, 1 green chilly finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon sugar powdered, 1 cup orange or sweet lime juice, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon gelatin crystals.

To garnish : 1 tomato sliced thinly, 1 cup grated paneer or cheese, 2 olives, 1 carrot.

Preparation
• Mix all vegetables together, except garnishing material.
• Add macaroni, salt, pepper, toss well.
• Take half cup water in a small pan.
• Sprinkle gelatin over it, allow standing for 2-3 minutes.
• Warm this water, not allowing boiling, stirring till transparent.
• Mix together juice, remaining water and sugar in another bowl.
• Add gelatin, mix well.
• Transfer prepared vegetables to a flat bottomed round transparent dish.
• Pour the liquid mixture all over it, before it starts setting.
• Chill in freezer till well set.
• Remove, garnish to make Santa’s cap with tomatoes and paneer at one end.
• Follow with eyes with olives, nose with carrot and mouth and beard with paneer.
• The round dish will now look like santa's face.

Happy Cooking!