Christmas Fondue

I know a lot of people who celebrate Christmas around a pot of fondue. Call me unoriginal, I decided to do the same thing this year.

I obviously love to bake. But one thing that needs work is my cooking skills. When I first met my husband's family I wanted to impress them at Christmastime by bringing over a pot of cheese fondue to the annual potluck. Um, the cheese separated and it was a mess. I tried again after watching Alton Brown on the Food Network nail a pot of fondu. I followed the recipe to a "T". The cheese was clumpy. Didn't work. I've tried probably 4 or 5 times. This year I wanted to be successful, so I went with my mom's tried and true "cheese" fondue recipe. The secret? Velveeta.

I know, I know. But the kids loved it! It wasn't a super healthy Christmas dinner, but it was a yummy one. AND it was fun!

After we cleaned up from the cheese fondue, I got out the chocolate fondue. I can do chocolate. :)

I don't have any pics of us gorging ourselves with the chocolate fondu because my amazing sis-in-law skyped us. She just got back from serving in Afghanistan. I did take a picture of that.

And the evidence.

The recipe I used this year was a new one. Found it online and I want to share it with you because it was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Like couldn't stop putting it in mouth. That's just what you need to help you with your new year resolutions, isn't it? Then save it for next Christmas or a special occasion. It'll be worth it.

Chocolate Orange Fondue (somewhat adapted from DRANDYP on allrecipes.com)

1 - 1/4 C heavy cream

3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

6 oz. dark chocolate chips

6 oz. milk choc chips

1 T grated orange zest

1 tsp orange liqueur (I used Grand Marnier) No wonder the kids slept well that night...

Heat the cream and orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble at the edges. Remove from the heat, and immediately whisk in the chocolate, zest, and liqueur until smooth. Serve in a fondue pot over the lowest heat setting, or farthest from the heat source.

We dipped bananas, strawberries (see? you can be healthy!), and almond pound cake. You could also dip oranges, marshmallows, cheesecake, cookies, brownies...

The next night, Tim and I got to join some old high school friends for fondue in the city. I can't get enough!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your friends and family!