It’s that time of year again – time for the annual cookie exchange.  And, oh joy, it is my year to host the event!

I don’t know about you, but between a full-time job, decorating the house, shopping for the world, sending out Christmas cards, attending every holiday event from the company party to the school Christmas play – not to mention keeping my family clothed, fed, and in the holiday spirit – I am not sure when I am supposed to find time to bake cheerful homemade cookies and host another get-together at my house!

As much as I would like to take a pass this year because I am more than a little over-extended, it feels too bah-humbug to cancel the event altogether. So I have decided to rally.  The key to successfully pulling off a stress-free Christmas party this year will be to streamline and look for simple, nearly home-made solutions wherever possible.

Hosting a cookie exchange requires four basic elements – cookies, gallon-size Ziploc bags (to aid in cookie sharing), a festive location, and a few savory appetizers (to balance out all that sugar).  The cookies are easy.  You can make a whole host of super-easy, semi-homemade options using the pre-made, slice-and-bake sugar cookie dough. 

The festive location is also easy.  My house is already decked out for the holidays, so I only need to get some seasonal paper plates and napkins and the Ziploc bags.  That just leaves the savory nibbles, which will ensure that no one goes into total sugar overload at my party.

This year I am opting for super-easy finger foods.  My big “wow” appetizer is going to be Cranberry Shrimp Dippers.  Sounds totally festive, right?  The best part is how easy it is. 

The popcorn shrimp can bake in the oven right along side my cookies, while I make the three-ingredient cranberry dipping sauce.  To round out the appetizer table, all I have to do is add a cheese tray, some mixed nuts, and some pretzels with dip.  Party accomplished!

Cranberry Shrimp Dippers

Prep time: 4 minutes   Cook time: 14 minutes  Makes: about 16 appetizer servings

• 1 (20 oz) package SeaPak®  Popcorn Shrimp
• 1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• Dash of salt

PREHEAT oven to 425 degrees. Bake butterfly shrimp according to package instructions.

PLACE cranberry sauce, maple syrup, orange juice, and a dash of salt in a medium-size skillet on medium-high heat.  Stir to incorporate.

BRING cranberry mixture up to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low.  Continue simmering mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

POUR mixture into a serving dish.  Serve with hot shrimp.

OK, I admit it.  I procrastinated! I waited too long to decide what dish to bring to the office holiday party. By the time I checked the sign-up sheet, the only thing left was corn.  Yes, plain-old, ordinary corn.   Seriously, how boring is that? 

Now I had a big problem. How could I make a corn dish that is worthy of a cooking diva like me, yet actually requires very little prep time?  I mean, it is the holidays. So while I want to impress the masses, I have as little free time available for cooking as the next person. 

While I was driving home from work contemplating my dish options, I turned on the holiday music station on my XM radio in an effort to find a little inspiration.  Feliz Navidad was playing.  As I hum along, it hits me!  What is the most popular type of ethnic cuisine?  Mexican!  And I just happen to have a great, easy recipe for Mexican corn casserole that I can tweak to include my favorite food – shrimp! 

This dish takes about 45 minutes to cook. That’s because of the time it takes to cook the rice and bake the casserole, but your actual hands-on time is only about 12-13 minutes.  So you can still fit this dish into your busy holiday season schedule.   This recipe calls for a can of mild green chilies which add great flavor without adding any real heat.  If you are in the mood to spice things up this holiday season you could substitute a couple of jalapeños for the mild green chilies.  Just dice the jalapeños up (without the seeds for medium heat or with the seeds for a real spicy dish) and sauté them with the diced onion. 

Fiesta Christmas Shrimp and Corn Casserole

Hands-on cook time: 12 minutes   Total cook time: 45 minutes

• 1 (10 oz) package SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi, frozen
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 cup dry white rice (2 cups cooked)
• 1 lb frozen yellow corn (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 ½ cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 small can diced green chilies

PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees.  Cook rice according to package instructions until rice is al dente (not mushy).

HEAT olive oil for 2 minutes in a medium-size sauté pan.  Add diced onions and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add frozen shrimp scampi to the skillet.  Sauté for 5 minutes.  (Shrimp will not be fully cooked but the butter sauce will be fully melted.)

COMBINE warm, cooked rice, shrimp, sautéed onions, frozen corn, 1 1/2 cup cheese (reserving 1/2 cup for later), and the next 3 ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour mixture into a shallow 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. 

BAKE for 20-25 minutes, or until mixture is thoroughly hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Now you may be thinking, isn’t it a little non-traditional to serve a Fiesta Shrimp and Corn Casserole at a holiday party?  But just think of it as a super-fancy version of creamed corn, and it doesn’t seem so out of place. Trust me – everyone will be wanting seconds of this deliciously cheesy shrimp, corn, and rice dish!  Feliz Navidad everyone!

Are you old enough to remember the classic “TV dinners”?  It was a complete frozen meal in a little tin tray.  Mom could bake it in the oven and then 45 minutes later you would have complete meal with no mess to clean up.  I remember seeing the commercials and thinking they sounded so cool (due in no small part to the fact that the family in the commercial got to actually eat in front of the TV, which my mom would never allow).  I begged mom to get us some and eventually she gave in.   

The reality of the dinner was nothing like the commercial or picture on the package.  You basically got a bad soggy version of fried chicken, some strange tasting version of mashed potatoes, hard green beans and a serving of chocolate cake that was always much too small.  (On top of that mom totally missed the point of “we could eat it in front of the TV” and made us sit at the kitchen table!)  I remember eating only the chocolate cake and ditching most of the rest of the meal in favor of sneaking a peanut butter and jelly later in the evening when mom wasn’t looking. 

Of course today I am the mom trying to make meals in a hurry that my family will still eat and enjoy.  I am happy to say that frozen food has come a long way since those early frozen TV dinner trays of our childhoods.  There are actually some great options out there!

The December issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray delves into this very issue in an article titled, “The New Fast Food.”  The magazine walks readers through a quiz to help determine what “heat and serve” meal is “right for you.”  And, I am proud to say that SeaPak’s Culinary Classic, Sun Dried Tomato Wild Salmon, is featured as one of the five great frozen meal options! Everday touts it as the way to enjoy frozen seafood at home and helps families save at least 20 minutes of meal prep time.  Now that is not you’re your mama’s frozen TV dinner of decades gone by!  Today we have frozen choices that are perfect for dining in front of the TV yet nice enough to be served at the dining room table.  A frozen food home run!

So if you’re looking a quick and easy dinner tonight why not try Rachael Ray’s pick, SeaPak’s Culinary Classics fish or any of the other great SeaPak options?    You don’t have to feel guilty sharing frozen foods with your family any more!  So what are your family’s favorite frozen food options?    Are there some frozen seafood options you wish you could find, but can’t?