Christmas is now over for another year.  I'm finally starting to feel human again after the mad dash to get things ready and also attending all the social functions that happen this time of year.  I'm very fortunate that my work is closed the week between Christmas and New Year's.  It's giving me time to catch my breath, clean my house and to think about blogging again.  

I celebrate Christmas Eve every year with my family.  It is my very favorite holiday and I love the traditions we put in place.  We also like to keep things easy when it comes to entertaining.  Why slave in the kitchen all day when you could be enjoying time with family?  This  year I was in charge of the beverages and the appetizers.  I like to make things a bit fancy with a special holiday cocktail, but I didn't want to be tied to a martini shaker all night.  I decided on Cranberry Mojitos because cranberries fit with the season and it just sounds fancy.  I made a big batch a head of time so that all I had to do at my sister's house was pour and add rum.  I kept the main batch alcohol free so kids in attendance could also enjoy this as punch.

Cranberry Mojitos

• 1 big container of 100% cranberry juice
• juice of one lime
• 1 cup of mint
• lemon-lime soda

Muddle the mint in the lime juice and pour all ingredients into a big jug (I used an iced tea container with a spigot) or punch bowl.  I added all the juice first and then as much as the lemon-lime soda that would fit in my container.  Add a shot of rum per drink for the grown-ups.  Garnish with dried cranberries and mint.  As you can see, I just kind of winged this recipe, but I don't think you can really go wrong with changing things around to your liking.  

 For appetizers, I made this crazy easy crab concoction in phyllo cups.  Prep time was about 15 minutes and they only needed to be in the oven for about 8 minutes.

 Baked brie was the other appetizer I made.  Seriously, it doesn't get much easier than this.

 Our main entree was a baked potato bar.  We had ham, salad and green beans as well.  The whole dinner was simple and tasty.  Less time in the kitchen on holidays is a good thing!