12 Days of Christmas Day #4

HOLIDAY PARTY FOOD

Ho Ho Ho Holiday Pancakes and Holiday Party Food–it’s time to get hungry around here!  I hope you’re enjoying the holiday blog hop as much as I am.  I’ve been checking out all the projects and I must say that this is one talented group of women.  I’m so privileged to be in their circle.

This idea is perfect for our appointment to check out all the great ideas, because I promised you could stay in your pajamas and these holiday pancakes are perfect for jammies.

[bctt tweet=”Don’t miss out! 12 Days of Christmas #4- Holiday Party Food” username=”@blowingaway1990″]

Welcome to the third annual 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!

Stop by every day from December first through the twelfth for new ideas you can use to make your season brighter!

Meet Your Hosts

They have all been busy as Elves creating, decorating, cooking and crafting tons of new ideas for you to try this holiday season!

Shirley~Intelligent Domestications I Alli~An Alli Event I Michelle~Our Crafty Mom I Marie~DIY Adulation 

Erlene~My Pinterventures I Beverly~Across The Blvd. I Debra~Shoppe No. 5 I Victoria~Dazzle While Frazzled

Megan~C’mon Get Crafty I Michelle~Michelle James Designs I Amanda~Domestically Creative

Deborah~Salvage Sister & Mister I Jeanie~Create & Babble I Sherry~Olives & Okra

Jenny~Cookies Coffee & Crafts I Emily~Domestic Deadline I Bonbon~Farmhouse 40 

Leanna~Of Faeries & Fauna I Pam Larmore~P.S. I Love You Crafts I Kelly~North Country Nest I Marie~The Inspiration Vault

Gail~Purple Hues and Me I Lynne~My Family Thyme I Karen~Dragonfly and Lily Pads I Trisha~Blowing Away Out West

Tomika~Life In Pumps I Rachee~Say it, “Rah-Shay” I Lorrin~Embrace The Perfect Mess 

Serena~The Weekend Jaunts I Terri~Christmas Tree Lane I Jessica~A Southern Mother 

Sam~Raggedy Bits I Cyn~Creative Cynchronicity Valeria~Val Event Gal

Yami~The Latina Next Door I Jeannee~Centsably Creative I Tania~Little Vintage Cottage

 Lauren~Wonderfully Made I Vanessa~DIY 180 I Kimberly~A Wonderful Thought I Kim~Everyday Parties 

Dru~Polka Dot Poplars 

Ho Ho Holiday Pancakes

With shorter days, earlier nights, and children that are overly stimulated by the excitement of the season, we like to change things up and party in the mornings.  The brunch open house has become our perfect new tradition.  Busy shoppers can fuel up before hitting the stores, the kids are well-rested and more relaxed and it’s easy to host.  Breakfast bars feature casseroles that can be put together the night before and slipped into the oven in the morning.  It’s the perfect time to setup a festive Hot Chocolate Bar (coming up on day #7), and store-bought pastries to satisfy your sweet tooth.  No breakfast bar is complete without a dish that delights the kids.  These Ho Ho Holiday Pancakes hit the right note every time.

[bctt tweet=”Up your holiday hostess game with molded pancakes” username=”@blowingaway1990″]

I’m a hostess, not a cook.  While I have my go-to recipes and favorite catered foods for entertaining, I’m more interested in setting a beautiful table or buffet.  The Ho Ho Holiday Pancakes look beautiful and are fun to dress up with syrups, sugar, and preserves.  Surround the plate with jams, syrups and toppings and you have a festive dish.  There’s nothing special about the pancake recipe–use your favorite one.  The difference comes from the presentation. 

Use holiday pancake molds for the pancakes.  It takes a little extra time, but it’s worth it.  The molds I used for these were a gift from Williams-Sonoma, but you can find them in most specialty stores this time of year.  The trick to perfect Holiday Pancakes is to thoroughly spray the mold with cooking spray so that the pancake will slip out of the mold easily.  After spraying the mold, set it in the pan and let it heat up a few minutes before filling it with pancake mix–this also helps keep the pancake from sticking.  Practice makes perfect and soon you will be making beautiful molded pancakes.  You can make them ahead of time and heat them in the oven just before serving.

Look for other interesting ways to present simple food beautifully, and it will elevate your hosting game significantly.  Elevate some of your serving platters to increase visual interest.  Frame dishes with greenery and fabrics. You can find amazing photos of table settings and buffets on Pinterest that will help you with your entertaining.  This is a great time of year to browse the kitchen departments for unique serving pieces, salt & pepper shakers, and food molds to add to your collection.  Check out the cool serving pieces available on Houzz. Also, let me know your favorite trick for beautifully presenting food–I’d love to hear your ideas.

Be sure to visit our fellow 12 Days of Christmas Bloggers below for even more creative ideas this holiday season!

We are loving #LightTheWorld with suggestions for just one small act of kindness each day.   Check out today’s video below, and download your printable calendar here.