Oh, You So Fancy, Huh?

My kitchen counter gets so crazy and full this time of year. I sometimes need a little help during the holidays, and I'm sure you do, too. But just because I’m short on time or energy doesn’t mean I don’t want my dishes to still be dazzling. We always want to impress and make it look like we care (even when we don’t)! Here are some tricks I’ve learned over the years that make my dishes look impressive and yes, even “fancy” without spending hours in the kitchen.

Disclaimer - These shortcuts and tricks utilize ready-made or convenience items.

Elegant Salmon Rounds – You’ll need good quality, fresh salmon* for these, as well as a tub of Rondele, Alouette, or other savory spreadable cheese. Using a small, round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out rounds of salmon so that they are all equal in size. Take three round pieces at a time and spread the tops of two of them with the spreadable cheese. Stack them on top of each other, topping it off with a third piece. Spear each stack with a cocktail pick. Sprinkle very lightly with fresh or dried dill, capers, and lemon peel curls.

*Smoked salmon can be used instead of fresh, if desired.

Festive Phyllo Cups – This one requires ready-made phyllo dough cups, usually found in the freezer section of your supermarket (or you can use regular sheet phyllo dough, cut into squares and pressed into cupcake pan). Follow directions for thawing and/or pre-baking the dough, then get creative on the fillings. A few suggestions:

• Cream cheese, topped with red/green pepper jelly

• Ready-made artichoke dip (sprinkle the shredded Parmesan cheese and bake at 350° for about 10-12 minutes)

• Packaged pulled pork drizzled with BBQ sauce

• Seasoned taco meat or carnitas, garnished with guacamole

• Deli chicken salad (garnished with dried cranberries)

• Smoked Gouda cheese with bacon bits

• Ready-made olive tapenade

• Caprese (mozzarella cheese, chopped tomatoes tossed in Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, garnished with fresh basil)

Charcuterie Board – Variety of hard and soft cheeses, sliced deli and smoked meats, olives, pickles, crusty slices of French bread or baguette slices (or packaged crostini). Arrange on a large tray or cutting board.

Sliders – This requires a package of dinner rolls (12-count) from the bread section of the supermarket. You can use yeast rolls, sweet Hawaiian rolls, etc., as long as they are the kind that come in the rectangular package. Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice the rolls in half so that you have a top layer and a bottom layer. Place the bottom layer of rolls in a buttered baking dish. Suggested fillings for the sliders:

Reuben Sliders - Brush the bottom layer with Thousand Island Dressing, and place layers of deli roast beef or corned beef on top of the dressing. Top with ready-made sauerkraut and thin slices of Swiss cheese. Place the top layer of rolls over the filling and brush generously with melted butter. Garnish with caraway seeds if desired. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve with kosher dills.

Ham and Cheese Sliders – Brush the bottom layer with honey mustard, and place layers of deli ham on top of the mustard. Top with slices of your choice of cheese (cheddar, Swiss, Provolone, Pepper Jack, etc.). Place the top layer of rolls over the filling and brush generously with melted butter. Garnish with poppy seeds if desired. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve with bread and butter pickles.

All-American Sliders - Brush the bottom layer with mustard, and place cooked pre-made hamburger patties on top of the mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Top with slices of American cheese. Brush the bottom side of the top layer of rolls with ketchup and place on top of the burgers. Brush the tops of the rolls generously with melted butter. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve with sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and pickles.

Veggie Sliders - Brush the bottom layer with extra virgin olive oil, and place layers of roasted veggies (available from most deli counters) on top. Use slices of your choice of cheese to cover the veggies. Lightly brush the underside of the top layer of rolls with minced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Place the top layer of rolls over the veggies and cheese and brush generously with melted butter. Garnish with minced, dried onion if desired. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Lasagna Roll-Ups – This requires a bit more effort, but it makes an impressive presentation and is totally worth the extra time. You can make this as a meat lover’s or vegetarian version. You’ll need:

• Ready-made lasagna pasta (found in the refrigerated section) or partially cooked lasagna noodles

• Ready-made jar of spaghetti sauce (24 oz.)

• Ready-made jar of Alfredo sauce (24 oz.)

• Large container of ricotta cheese at room temperature (28 - 32 oz.)

• 2 Cups shredded Parmesan cheese

• 3-4 Cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

• 2 TBSP Italian seasoning

• 2 Tsp minced garlic

• 1 Tsp Salt

• 1 to 1 ½ lbs. ground Italian sausage, cooked and cooled

Preheat oven to 325°. Warm up the two sauces in separate pans. In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, half of the parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and minced garlic. In a large baking pan, ladle a bit of the red sauce to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Lay out a few strips of the lasagna pasta and spoon a good-sized dollop of the ricotta mixture onto the pasta. Use the back of the spoon to spread the ricotta up and down the length of the pasta. Sprinkle some of the shredded mozzarella cheese over each strip. Place a good-sized spoonful of the ground sausage on each strip of pasta, evenly distributing it the length of the lasagna (skip this step if you are serving without meat).

Starting at one end of a strip of lasagna, carefully roll it up. Turn the roll on its side and place it in the baking pan. Repeat the above process until you have all the strips of lasagna rolled up and the pan is filled. Alternately ladle the sauces over the rolls, starting with red sauce on the first roll, Alfredo sauce on the second roll, and so forth. Sprinkle the tops of the rolls evenly with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted and slightly browned. Garnish with fresh, minced parsley, if desired. Serve with garden salad and warm bread.

Crazy-Delish Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake – My friend Heather Rodriguez is the QUEEN of this cake! I cannot even come close to her masterpiece, but I can at least share with you this amazing trick to make a store-bought chocolate cake look like you ordered it from a ritzy pastry shop. You will need:

• Store-bought, round, layered chocolate cake

• Bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

• Jar of Peanut Butter

• Jar of Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Chop the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups into small chunks. Heat up the jar of peanut butter (if heating in the microwave, use potholders when handling the hot jar). Using a knife or a spoon, drizzle the heated peanut butter over the cake, including the sides. Don’t worry about making it pretty - - messy is good! Next, sprinkle the chopped Reese’s peanut butter cup pieces over the top of the cake and around the bottom of the cake. Heat up the chocolate fudge sauce and drizzle it over the top of the cake and the Reese’s chunks (include the sides of the cake when you’re drizzling). Again, it doesn’t have to be pretty, but it should look pretty decadent and awesome by the time you’re done!

Fancy Torte - I LOVE making this dessert. It’s truly one of those “make it look like you care even when you don’t” creations. It uses store-bought loaf cake or boxed cake mix. The flavor you use is up to you, depending on the type of torte you want to serve. You’ll need:

· 2 Store-bought loaf cakes (pound cake, chocolate, pumpkin, cinnamon, lemon, etc.) or 1 Boxed Cake Mix (and ingredients to make cake)

· 1 Package Cream Cheese, softened (8 oz.)

· 2 TBSP Lemon Juice

· 1/3 Cup cold milk

· 1 Container of Frozen Whipped Topping, thawed (12 oz.)

· 1 Box Instant Cheesecake-Flavored Pudding and Pie Filling (3.4 oz.)

· Prepared Fruit Pie Filling, Fruit Preserves, Lemon Curd, Canned Frosting (Fudge, Coconut Pecan, etc.), Caramel Sauce, Fresh Fruit, etc.

If using a boxed cake mix, prepare as directed on the box, using a 9”x13” cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. The cake will cook pretty quickly. Let it cool completely, then carefully flip the cake over and remove the parchment paper. Cut the cake into thirds, so that you have three 9-inch-long pieces.

If using store-bought loaf cakes, carefully slice the tops off so that the remainder is a level rectangle. Then, slice the two rectangular loaf cakes evenly in half lengthwise so that there are four layers. You will not be using the fourth one.

In a large bowl, whisk the softened cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Spoon the whipped topping over the cream cheese (do not mix yet), then sprinkle the dry pudding mix over the top. Mix well (it will be very thick).

Place the first cake layer on a rectangular or oval serving dish. If using a chocolate or other frosting (such as coconut pecan), spread this on top of the cake before adding the cream cheese layer. Using an ice cream scoop, place three scoops of the cream cheese mixture evenly apart on the cake. Spread the mixture evenly to coat the entire top of the layer. If using fruit pie pilling, preserves, curd, or fresh fruit, spread it on top of the cream cheese. Place the next layer of cake on top of this and repeat the process until all three layers are done. Following are some suggested combinations:

· Chocolate or Marble Cake – Use fudge frosting, coconut pecan filling, or Nutella between the cream cheese layers. Garnish with sprinkles, chocolate shavings, nuts, powdered sugar, etc.

· White/Butter/Pound Cake – Use fruit filling, curd, preserves, or fresh fruit between the cream cheese layers. Garnish with fruit, nuts, citrus zest, coconut, etc.

· Pumpkin Loaf – Use pecan pie filling or spiced and slightly sweetened pumpkin pie filling between the cream cheese layers. Garnish with orange zest and nuts.

· Cinnamon Loaf – Use apple pie filling or pecan pie filling between the cream cheese layers. Drizzle with caramel sauce.

· Lemon Loaf – Use lemon curd between the cream cheese layers. Garnish with powdered sugar and lemon zest.

Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.