Real California Milk helps impress guests with the California Cheese Centerpiece and Cookie Exchange Board

(Family Features) This holiday season, entertaining is back on the table and that means endless opportunities to showcase Instagram-worthy ideas. For those looking to impress friends and family, Real California Milk has two unique culinary ideas to take holiday traditions to the next level: The Cheese Centerpiece and Cookie Exchange Board. From fresh food as bountiful décor to camera-ready cookie presentations, incorporating California dairy into your entertaining is a winning holiday strategy.

California Cheese Centerpiece
The mission? Create a holiday centerpiece but make it delicious. Real California Milk partner Jessica Lawrenz, Founder of Monger, Mold and Milk, took the challenge with the California Cheese Centerpiece, the ultimate in edible entertaining with a beautiful display of Real California Cheeses, salami, fruits and vegetables arranged with fragrant herbal garnishes in a display sure to impress family and friends. As a bonus, it creates less waste than a stand-alone floral bouquet (and you’ll have less to clean up!).   

Find additional cheese displays and holiday recipes at realcaliforniamilk.com.

INGREDIENTS:

Variety of firm to medium (semi-firm) Real California Cheeses (find them here: https://www.realcaliforniamilk.com/cheese-makers)

Shown in arrangement:

• Real California Dry Jack cheese wedges
• Real California Wine-soaked Cheddar wedges
• Real California Triple Cream cheese wedges
• Salumi or salami, made into roses

Fresh fruits and vegetables:

• Mini clementines or kumquats
• Grapes or currants (both shown)
• Fresh figs
• Gooseberries
• Cucamelons or mini cucumbers
• Cherry tomatoes (tiger stripe tomatoes shown but any small tomato works)

Garnishes:

• Bay leaf stems
• Olive leaf stems
• Rosemary branches
• Lavender stems
• Sage bunches
• Chive or garlic flowers or any edible flower with a stem

Tools and Materials:

• Circular tray or plate
• Craft or flora foam (half sphere shape that is at least 1-inch smaller in diameter than your tray)
• Double-sided tape
• Plastic wrap
• Toothpicks, U-shape bamboo toothpicks (optional)
• Cookie cutter shapes (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• Cover foam in plastic wrap to protect food from making contact with the foam.
• Use double-sided tape to secure the foam to the tray.
• Now you can start assembling the centerpiece. Start from the bottom and work your way up to the top of the sphere.
• Use the bulk of your leafy garnishment (bay leaf stems, olive leaf stems, sage bunches) on the bottom layer to create a base and coverage by poking the stems into the foam. If needed you can trim the bottom of the stem in a diagonal direction to create a more pokey end OR use a toothpick to pierce a hole in the place where you want to insert stems.
• For best visual appeal, fruits like grapes and currants should be arranged to kind of flow over the edge of the tray near the bottom as well. PRO TIP: Use “U” shaped bamboo toothpicks to secure the stems of the hanging fruits into the foam.
• From here use toothpicks to secure cheese wedges, salumi roses, fruits and vegetables into the foam. Cut shorter, triangular pieces of cheese (as opposed to longer triangular pieces used for a long/rectangular centerpiece). Use any tall wedges near the bottom where they will be easy to grab but not sticking out too far if placed near the top. You can use cookie cutter shapes as well for the cheeses, if desired.
• Finally, take any of the smaller garnish pieces you have (lavender, chive flowers, rosemary ends, loose leaves) to fill in the spaces between all the items.

Holiday Cookie Exchange Board
If a cookie exchange is on the docket for this year’s holiday or you’re simply looking to upgrade your dessert table, take some tips from this stunning cookie exchange presentation. Mix and match Real California Milk cookie recipes to create a mouthwatering arrangement and decorate with mini candy canes, holiday lollipops, various holiday décor and lights. Add napkins, cookie bags for take-away, and recipe cards for sharing, and let your guests go to town.

• Hot cocoa or coffee
• Milk shooters
• Coconut Walnut Cake Bars
• Chocolate Mint Cookies
• Stroopwafel Cookies
• Mini Gingerbread Cupcakes
• Madeleines  

Dipped in melted dark chocolate and rolled in crushed peppermint candies or Holiday sprinkles

• Treehouse Cookies
• Holiday Sprinkle Rice Krispie Bites

Leave out ice cream, exchange holiday sprinkles for rainbow sprinkles, and dip in melted white chocolate with color for extra festivity

California is the nation’s leading milk producer and is responsible for producing more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made exclusively with milk from the state’s dairy farm families.

About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Source: Real California Milk

(Family Features) Thoughts of hosting and entertaining during one of the busiest seasons of the year can be stressful. With so much party preparation for the holidays, from decor to drinks and appetizers to activities, it’s easy to see how even the most experienced hosts can get a little flustered.  

One way to make sure you get to enjoy this year’s festivities is to streamline preparation without sacrificing flavor, quality or appearance. By limiting the number of drinks and dishes you serve, you can wow your guests with both your culinary expertise and your smile.

• Stick to one or two signature cocktails so you won’t have to stock the bar (which can be expensive) or take drink orders and play bartender all night. Save even more time by serving make-ahead cocktails that simply require adding soda when ready to drink. Add white and red wine options, and offer seltzer and cranberry or pomegranate juice for mocktails.

• Make a festive centerpiece that’s also edible, such as this Wreath Centerpiece from Kaukauna Cheese. Assemble it the day before or the morning of the party, eliminating last-minute stress. It’s simple to make and appropriate for nearly any holiday gathering. Plus, the “No-Artificial-Anything” Cheese Ball, with no additives or artificial ingredients, can appeal to the taste buds of hungry guests. 

• Let your hors d’oeuvres serve double duty as both appetizer and party decor. To make it nearly effortless, head to your local grocery store’s deli section. Pick up cured meats, cheeses, pickled vegetables, assorted olives, breads, crackers, nuts and fruits. Arrange on a large platter, board or tray then garnish with rosemary sprigs and scatter with pomegranate seeds for a festive finish in a flash.

For more easy entertaining recipes, visit Kaukaunacheese.com.  

Edible Wreath Centerpiece

• 1          Kaukauna Port Wine Cheddar Cheese Ball (10 ounces)
• 1          container (11.3 ounces) Kaukauna Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread
• sesame seeds or poppy seeds
• bacon bits or chopped walnuts
• 10-12   small pretzel sticks 
• rosemary, for garnish (optional) 

1. Place cheese ball in center of large, round platter.
2. To make mini cheese balls, shape 1-2 tablespoons of cheese spread into balls. Roll lightly in seeds and bacon bits or walnuts.
3. Insert pretzel sticks into mini cheese balls up to 1 hour prior to serving. Store in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired. 

Source: Kaukauna Cheese