Easy Holiday Party Foods and Drink

If you read my blog post over at the Intrigue Writers Blog, you know I'm no Emeril Lagasse. But I do have a few easy recipes for holiday parties that almost anyone should be able to make.

First up, my super easy Peanut Butter cookies.

1 cup sugar (or Splenda)
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter

Blend all three ingredients and spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cookies start to brown on the bottom.

These are fast, yummy and very, very easy.

Next up - Parmesan Ranch Pita Chips

Slice pita bread into several small wedges. Coat with olive oil or olive oil cooking spray. Put them in a gallon-size zip-lock bag. Add a half packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix, salt and garlic powder to taste, and about a quarter cup of grated parmesan cheese. (Use the stuff that comes in the green can--nobody will quibble). Close the zip-lock bag and shake until the pita wedges are coated. Spray a flat cooking sheet with cooking spray and lay the pita wedges in one layer. Cook at 350 degrees until the chips start to brown. Don't be afraid to let them get nice and brown if you like them crispy, but they can burn quickly if you're not watchful.

Serve alone, with your favorite dip or with store-bought hummus. (I do have a hummus recipe, but it involves fresh garlic cloves, tahini paste and a food processor, and that's just too much work).

Finally, here's an easy non-alcoholic cocktail:

Sunrise Virgin Sangria

1 part orange juice
1 part Cherry Kool-Aid or Cherry Crystal Light
1 ripe strawberry, sliced
2-3 seedless grapes
1/4 banana, sliced
two table spoons of crushed ice

Take a large goblet (the bigger the better) and put crushed ice, strawberry, grapes and banana in the bottom. Pour the glass half full of the Cherry drink, then add the orange juice on the top. Don't stir before serving, because the orange juice will (if you're lucky) hang at the top of the glass while the Cherry drink remains at the bottom, giving you a sunrise effect in the glass. Very pretty. But don't sweat it if it gets all mixed up. It still tastes yummy.

My guess is that you could probably add liquor to that, but since I don't drink alcohol, I have no way of knowing if it'd taste good or be worth the trouble.

What are some of your easy recipes?