Holiday How-To: Throw The Best Party on The Block

After they leave, guests remember drinks and desserts. Make yours special with these crowd-pleasers

From the LifeMinute Team

November 12, 2015

Every chef--whether they've owned the kitchen for years or are just learning the tricks of the trade--knows that you can't make a truly spectacular meal without using the best ingredients available. "Real ingredients lead to better taste," says Gail Simmons of Top Chef, who has "partnered with Pure Leaf Iced Tea because of their real ingredients."

First Things First

The right way to make a great impression on holiday guests is to start when the door opens. "Anyone who entertains knows very well that the host's duty begins the minute her guests walk in the door. Handing them a drink first thing welcomes them and really whets their appetite for whatever is to come and what I'm serving next," she says.

Recipe: Lemon Ginger Pomegranate Sparkler

Start with Pure Leaf Lemon Ice Tea steeped with freshly sliced ginger. After it steeps for about ten minutes, cool it down, and top it off with some pomegranate juice, a little club soda and a cinnamon stick to give it a little fresh, festive look and feel.

Recipe: Tart and Sweet Tart Apple Crisp

Start with freshly peeled and chopped Macintosh, Gala, or even Granny Smith apples for a little bit of tartness. In a big bowl, add some cinnamon, a little vanilla extract, some lemon juice, and them some fresh lemon zest to really pump up the tartness of the dish. Finish with some brown sugar.

Mix and coat the apples very evenly and pour into a baking dish that is already prepared with a little bit of butter so that nothing sticks when you bake it in the oven. Make sure it's well coated, slide it into the dish, and then top with a really simple topping.

Top It Off

This no-flour topping consists of ground pecans, quick-cooking oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, a little lemon zest and some butter to bring it all together. Pack in evenly over the top and pop it into the oven. It comes out bubbly, brown and golden, filling your whole home with those great holiday smells.

Serve it in a shallow bowl with a scoop of ice cream, vanilla or even cinnamon whipped cream on the side.

Get In The Spirit

Pure Leaf is donating $50,000 to an absolutely amazing non-profit called Wholesome Wave this year to make sure that fresh fruits and vegetables get into communities that need it the most. "I'm really excited about this partnership because these are the things that we know make a real difference in people's lives at this time of year," says Simmons.

For these recipes and more information you can go to pureleaf.com

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