Holiday Get-Togethers and Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake
Few things make me happier than the holidays, and that’s for four main reasons.
- Family
- Music
- Food
- Decorations
Today I wanted to share a little bit of each with you to help brighten our holiday spirits. I’m glad to have partnered with Mountain Valley Spring Water to share with you today.
My family and I have a little get-together every Sunday, but it’s even more fun as Christmas gets closer. You just can’t beat enjoying cozy food, holiday music, and sparkling decorations on a lazy Sunday afternoon with family. I designed a rustic holiday tablescape for this year that I’m really loving.
I’m really into the red and black buffalo check right now, so I incorporated that with the table decor. On our trip to Saugatuck, Michigan over the Thanksgiving weekend, we did a little antiquing, which is where we found the lantern used for the centerpiece.
We ran a garland down the middle of table (Yes, we! You better believe the hubby helps me out with all of our gatherings and decorating and even cooking! It’s no fun to do alone!). And then, I really thought The Mountain Valley Spring Water bottles looked beautiful, so I incorporated some into the actual decor. They added a splash of festive, sparkling green, and we got to enjoy drinking them AND looking at them. (And also, hellllooooo, Pinterest craft when the bottles are empty!)
And for one final touch, I used some wood slice coasters that I had made for a previous get-together that worked perfectly.
Now, what’s a party without music??? Before I even got started decorating the table, I made a festive playlist called “Holiday and Chill,” aptly named because it has replaced our even Netflix while we’re decorating or wrapping presents. We now listen to our playlist while we work. And yeah, there’s lots of bad singing and dancing that comes with that too.
My playlist is pretty much just as scattered as my brain. There’s a little bit of everything. Old songs and new, remakes, traditional, modern, upbeat and slow. We even added some kids’ songs for the littles to love and sing along. Also, I have a new obsession with Zooey Deschanel (those eyes, thoughx!), and I just found out she has a BAND too. So, I added quite a few of her renditions. Anyway, we had my playlist playing while we set up, and then at the party as well. You can check out the playlist for yourself at this link or listen to it below: HOLIDAY AND CHILL PLAYLIST
It is truly a good thing that we had the music playing because cooking took a little longer than expected. I tried to prep most of it the night before, but I almost always forget to anticipate that multiple things need to be in the oven at once. But that’s okay. Some people helped me out in the kitchen. And some stayed in the living room, listening to music, chatting with the kiddos, and sipping on some sparkling flavored Mountain Valley Spring Water.
For our dinner, we had creamy tomato basil soup and salad to start. Then roasted chicken, balsamic roasted winter vegetables, and rustic mashed potatoes with mustard for dinner. We stuck with mostly plain or sparkling The Mountain Valley Spring Water during dinner, and enjoyed talking and joking while reminiscing about some songs in the background.
Then after dinner we had some sparkling blackberry pomegranate flavors, and I had made some ice with pomegranate and mint to bring some festive, sparkling red and green to the glass. And FINALLY dessert.
For dessert, we had cranberry white chocolate cheesecakes in jars, which I will share the recipe with you below. And they were amazing. I thought the sparkling lime flavored The Mountain Valley water went perfectly with. I bit of sparkle and tang with the creamy richness of the cranberry white chocolate cheesecake. More than one of us licked our jar clean!
We had an amazing time. And it was the best to lounge around afterward together. Just sipping our water and listening to holiday music. Sometimes joining in. We are looking forward to even more gatherings and parties this season!
Be sure to follow The Mountain Valley Spring Water on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter for more holiday inspiration, recipes, hydration tips and more!
Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake in a Jar Recipe
No Bake Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe with rich white chocolate cheesecake filling topped with tangy cranberry sauce in a graham cracker crust
- 9 Whole cinnamon graham crackers crushed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese softened
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce
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In a large mixing bowl, stir together ingredients for graham cracker crust until fully combined.
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Transfer crust mixture to one large 9-inch pie dish or 12 mini mason jars. Press down firmly so that crust no longer appears loose. Set aside.
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In a large microwave safe bowl, add white chocolate chips. Place in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Then repeat in 30 second intervals until completely melted.
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Add cream cheese to bowl with chocolate chips and whisk until combined and smooth. Set aside.
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In a separate mixing bowl, add whipping cream. Beat by hand or with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. It should look like traditional whipped cream.
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Fold whipped cream mixture into cream cheese mixture until fully combined.
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Spoon cheesecake filling into mini jars or pie dish over graham cracker crust.
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Spread about 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce on top and spread in an even layer.
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Allow to set in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or overnight. Remove from fridge about 30 to an hour before serving to allow crust to soften slightly.
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Top with sugared cranberries and mint leaves for garnish, if desired.
I use homemade cranberry sauce made with maple syrup, and it soooo good. I highly recommend making your own, if you can. It's super easy, and well worth it!
Be sure to follow The Mountain Valley Spring Water on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter for more holiday inspiration, recipes, hydration tips and more!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The Mountain Valley. The opinions and text are all mine.
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