Fun Food for Christmas

I've blogged before about the joy that fun food can bring to any occasion.  Holidays are a perfect opportunity to get creative!  Here are a few easy Christmas favorites...

Wilma's Holiday Tree 
(as in Wilma from the Flintstones, whose family is shown on the Fruity Pebbles box...)
(from a magazine in 2010, not sure which one...)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine (not spread)
• 1 package (10.5 oz) mini marshmallows (6 cups)
• 1 package (11 oz) Fruity Pebbles (or you could use Cocoa Pebbles, or Rice Krispies)
• 1 container (16 oz) ready-to-spread vanilla frosting

Directions:

• Spray 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray
• Melt butter over low heat in large saucepan
• Add marshmallows, stirring until completely melted
• Add cereal; mix to coat well
• Press mixture firmly and evenly into prepared pan
• Cool 1 hour in cool dry place
• Using cookie cutters, carefully cut 2 of each size for a total of 10 stars
• Spread 1/2 of frosting on tray to resemble snow (optional)
• Use remaining frosting to attach stars, stacking largest to smallest and rotating points of stars to make a tree
• Decorate as desired

Rice Krispie Treat Ornaments

You can view the recipe here on the Rice Krispies website where they have lots of other fun food ideas too!  Mine are obviously a little bit different as I used food coloring to make them green, sprinkles to decorate and gummy lifesavers to hold the strings.











Mini Cinnamon Christmas Tree Rolls

This recipe makes a bunch of miniature cinnamon rolls that you set up in the shape of a Christmas Tree.  There are tons of pictures and ideas on Pinterest and around the internet for this but the recipe I have used in the past comes from one of my Pampered Chef cookbooks (All The Best).  I'll update the picture when I make this next week!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup red maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup green maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
• 2 packages (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• additional red and green maraschino cherries, halved for decorating tree (optional)
for glaze:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375
• Chop maraschino cherries; set aside
• Unroll one package of crescent roll dough on lightly floured surface; do not separate
• Roll dough to seal perforations
• Repeat with second package of rolls
• Do not join dough together
• Spread butter evenly over dough
• Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over dough
• Sprinkle chopped cherries on top
• Starting at short end, roll up dough to make two 9-inch long rolls
• Pinch edges to seal
• Cut each roll crosswise into 3/4 inch slices to make 12 slices each, 24 total rolls
• Place slices, cut side down, on round baking stone or a cookie sheet to form a tree
• Beginning 2 inches from edge place one slice for top
• Arrange 2 slices below with sides touching
• Continue arranging a row of 3 slices, then a row of 4, a row of 5, and a row of 6
• Use the remaining slices for the trunk, centering 2 slices under the last row, and last slice below
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until rolls are golden brown
• Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes
• For glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth
• Drizzle over warm rolls and garnish with additional cherries, if desired
• Serve warm