What's on your Christmas menu - version 2006 (insp by mousebit)

[piratesmate]

In the Thanksgiving thread mousebit asked for a separate thread about what goodies we make for Christmas. I think it's a good idea to start fresh.

For us, the comfort foods of Thanksgiving are no longer on the menu for Christmas. When the kids were young I realized I was missing out on spending time with them - especially since I was working 50+ hours/week - by cooking in the kitchen all day.

So I instituted some changes, much to DH's chagrin. After some trial & error (I tried cooking it all ahead; we tried stopping on the way home from my parents' house for Chinese; etc etc) we settled on a Brunch Graze Fest! Some items come & go, but there's always some version of this.

We start with stollen & muffins/sweet bread and Frunch (from Boma) while we open gifts. Then after the gifts (or at least most of them) have been opened, we add the hot breakfast foods. Then we finish gifts & start playing with them before adding the lunch type foods. Most of the food stays out all day (unless spoilage is an issue of course) and people just nibble all day. There's often a renewed attack on what's left about 7pm or so.

I'd love to hear other ideas since we've been doing this a while & I get bored easily. The one criteria is that it has to be either very simple or can be made ahead & stored a day or two.

Christmas Stollen
WL Strawberry Banana Bread
Orange Muffins
Cinderella's Au Gratin Potatoes
Sausage, Egg & Cheese Overnight Breakfast Casserole
AKL Frunch
Fresh Pineapple
Clementines
Chex Mix
Cookies
Crab Rangoon
Peel-and-Eat Shrimp and Crab (usually fake)
Ring Bologna (for those who don't eat shrimp)
Smoked cheese, cheese ball, etc & crackers
Spinach Dip in a bread bowl
Veggies & other dip for those who don't eat spinach
Dole Whips
Bread Pudding (from one of the resorts)
Face-First dip & chips or maybe a 7-layer Dip

 

[mrp4352]

When celebrating with my Mom, we always have top-your-own pizzas. With my brother's family, it's Le Cellier beer-cheese soup and sandwiches. With my Dad - it's very traditional, ham with green bean casserole, 5-cup fruit salad, sweet potatos with marshmellows, etc.

I have to admit - I think I like my brother's best. My SIL makes the BEST beer-cheese soup!

 

[kg66]

For the last I don't know how many years, I have had Christmas dinner. I am the one with the little kids, so I used to think this was great I didn't have to take them out. With that comes all the prep work. For the last few years DH & I have worked our tails off, while DSIL asks if there is more coffee, when we haven't even sat down to eat our dinners yet. So after last year everyone saying they were full before I served dinner, ate too many snacks before dinner, I decided too that this year we're grazing all day. Finger foods, dips, and I'll have left over turkey from Christmas Eve for Sandwiches, as well as a Spiral Ham. I've bought the nice Chinette tableware, and that's that, I'm done being the hostess with the mostest mess to clean up after everyone is gone. It's my Christmas too with my kids. Can't wait to conjure up my menu, and delegate to all what I'd like them to bring. I'd love your Bread pudding recipe as well as your strawberry banana bread, if you wouldn't mind. Thanks, Kathy

 

[piratesmate]

Good for you Kathy! You deserve a special day too! I can't believe your SIL wasn't offering to help! My younger sister (MsSocks here on the boards) joins us for most of the grazing here and always helps out - even when I say "don't bother"...and no, that's not a dig - I really appreciate it!

Strawberry Banana Bread
from the Whispering Canyon Cafe, Wilderness Lodge

2 tsp baking soda
1 c butter
2 c sugar
1 ½ lb strawberries
2 c bananas (~6 medium)**
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
3 c flour

Grease two loaf pans & preheat oven to 325. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter & sugar. Incorporate bananas scraping sides of bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together salt, baking soda & flour. Add flour mixture to butter mixture & stir until blended. Add strawberries (thawed). Bake 60 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack before inverting onto a plate.

[**NOTE: I generally cut this recipe in half for about 6 of us, and there is still some left for the next day. It's a very dense bread, so filling. I usually save over-ripe bananas in the freezer & use these. Just remember to peel them before they defrost as they get soggy. LOL]

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Banana Bread Pudding
from Boma’s at Animal Kingdom Lodge

4 c. milk
19 ozs. sugar - 2 cups (16oz)
4 c. heavy cream
27 ozs. fresh eggs. - 13 medium
1/3 oz. cinnamon - 3 2/3 tsp
4 ozs. butter - 1/2 cup
5 bananas sliced
2 lbs. of Croissants, brioche, or challah, sliced

1. Cut day-old specified bread into pieces. Place them in a deep dish pan.
2. Mix custard mix except for butter.
3. Soak the bread pieces with the custard.
4. Slice bananas and incorporate into the pudding.
5. Place butter chunks on top of bread pudding.
6. Bake bread pudding in a hot water bath oven at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour until an inserted knife comes out clean.
7. Spoon Vanilla Sauce over if preferred. Serves 12.

Vanilla Sauce
24 ozs. heavy cream
1 1/2 c. milk
1/4 oz. vanilla
4 1/2 ozs. sugar
1 oz. cornstarch
6 egg yolks

Heat up milk, vanilla, and heavy cream. Dissolve cornstarch with egg yolks. Add sugar. Once liquid boils, temper some of the liquid into the yolks and stir vigorously. Then return tempered yolks into the pot. Turn off the heat and stir continuously until well combined and thickened. Transfer the sauce into a bowl and set over an ice bath to cool.
Make sure you don't use regular bread. Has to be what is specified. (This statement was included in the recipe as sent from Disney.)

[NOTE: I don't use the heavy cream it calls for. I just used whole milk, as we use either 2% or skim. It still works. Also, the amounts listed behind the hyphens are conversions I worked out (like for the eggs) or a reduction (like the sugar) because we limit our sugar intake. It was still plenty sweet. Oh - and I don' bother with the Vanilla Sauce.]

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Just in case you don't want more bananas in your bread pudding, here is the other Disney bread pudding we've used/liked. Again, we skip the Vanilla Sauce and I just "downgraded" the milk to skim and the heavy cream to whole milk.

Bread Pudding
from 1900 Park Fare - Grand Floridian

6 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 oz butter, softened
1 loaf white bread

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes, place in loaf pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Mix well. Add softened butter, cream, salt and cinnamon. Pour custard over bread cubes. Press down so custard soaks in well. Place soft butter on top of bread. Bake in a water bath at 325 degrees for approx. one hour until golden brown and custard is firm. Serve with vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce
3 egg yolks
4 oz sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream

In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, and vanilla bean. Bring to boil. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Slowly pour boiled milk and cream in egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Return to heat and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Strain. Chill in an ice bath.

 

[kg66]

Thanks for the recipes, I'm adding them to my list, as I still compose my delegating list for others.

 

[kg66]

This is also one of our family's favourite's for Christmas Morning Bkfst, and/or New Year's Day Brunch. Enjoy!

Potato Chip Hash Browns:
1 Pkg Frozen Hash Browns
1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup
500ml Sour Cream
2 Med. Onions Chopped
8 Tbsp Butter
6 oz Cheddar Cheese Soup
1 Cup of Crushed Potato Chips

Thaw hash browns 1 hour. Then combine all ingredients except chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish. Smoothe evenly and sprinkle with potato chips . Bake @ 375 x 1 hr.

So easy, and not usually much left over.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

Well, first, I'd love that recipe you use for the breakfast casserole, please?

I've done X-mas dinner for years, and it's really quite a simple meal. My goals are presentation and quality, not necessarily quantity -- everyone is full, too

3/4 of the meal I can prepare in advance, the potatoes I can cook in the morning and keep warm in the crockpot, DH handles the beef and the peppers, so by the time it's dinnertime, everything comes together very quickly.

First Course:
Goat cheese stuffed grilled peppers (red & green peppers for holiday colors)

Red-leaf and radicchio salad, with crumbled bleu cheese, walnuts and thinly sliced pears, tossed with a shallot-based creamy sweet dressing.

Main Course:
London Broil with a red, rich gravy. The beef marinates for three days in the fridge, and the marinate is the gravy. Just make as much as you need and boil it in a saucepan while the beef braises or grills. The gravy is literately fat free and very low-cal, so there's no guilt. Wish I could say that for the rest of the meal

Mashed yukon gold potatoes infused with roasted garlic, horseradish, liquid smoke, butter, milk (if necessary) and sour cream (red gravy goes on the potatoes, too).

Fresh steamed green beans seasoned with butter, lemon and dill.

Crusty bread with olive oil & herbs for dipping.

Cheese Course:

This varies year to year. I buy whatever fruit looks the best and a variety of cheeses

Dessert:

Family recipe for mini-cheesecakes topped with a sweet, creamy topping and three cherries. These are best eaten about three days after I make them, so I coordinate the beef marinate and cakes to be made at the same time.

I'm happy to share the recipes for any of the above, with the exception of the cheesecakes. I'd get into trouble with my family

 

[piratesmate]

Thanks for the recipe kg66! I've had this at someone's house, but have never had the recipe to try it at home.

Plutoluvr - While I'd love to be invited to a meal like yours, it's just too much work for me. It sounds awesome though!

The breakfast casserole that we like was posted by someone else here on the Cooking board a number of years ago. Unfortunately, I didn't write down who it was so I can't give them proper credit. Sorry - but to whomever it was...thanks a bunch! It's a favorite around here!!

Breakfast Casserole
1 Can crescent rolls I use the frozen, shredded potatoes instead]
1 Roll sausage (use any flavor sausage, maple is very good) [I always use the maple! Yum!]
2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 Eggs [maybe it's the potatoes instead of the rolls, but we like more eggs...I use 8 large instead]
¼ C milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread crescent rolls in 9x12 pan. [If using the shredded potatoes, just layer them in the pan and sprinkle with salt & pepper if desired...they'll thaw by morning.] Fry sausage and drain, crumble and put on top of rolls/potatoes. Sprinkle cheese over sausage. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes or until firm. I put them in the oven when I come down in the AM & put the coffee on. We usually open a couple gifts while it's baking.]

 

[PlutoLuvr]

Thank you Piratesmate!!!

While my dinner comes together very quickly -- almost too quickly -- at dinnertime, my morning is spent peeling the potatoes, making the salad dressing, cleaning/prepping the peppers and making the cheesy goo to go inside them. I never have enough time to make a proper breakfast. It's just DH & I, so we usually just have a bowl of cereal and a glass of ice wine when we wake up and check out what Santa brought us

This casserole looks great, tho, and will serve us well come X-mas morning -- and probably a nice reheat in the microwave the next morning, too? If it doesn't reheat well (I'm wondering about the eggs in the microwave), I could half it since it's just two of us.

Thanks again & enjoy your Sunday

 

[piratesmate]

You're welcome Plutolvr! Glad to share.

Everyone here eats the breakfast casserole re-heated when I make it with the potatoes. I would imagine you could freeze half of the tube of sausage to make at a later date if you can't buy a smaller tube. I've only ever seen the 1 lb tube, but with a family I rarely look for smaller sizes...I could just have overlooked it. You might end up with leftovers even if you reduce it by half, but as I said - we like it the next day...in fact, an argument about ownership will break out if there's only a single serving left.

 

[disykat]

We're having appetizers and desserts at my house. I'm making sweet & sour meatballs, buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips and celery sticks (both DIS recipes), a veggie tray, and laying out stuff for mini crossaint sandwiches. One friend is bringing a chocolate fountain with stuff for dipping, and another friend is bringing another dessert.

Last year we had Nachos and mint brownie fudge sundaes. We're going a little fancier this year - but I like to keep it easy!

Our families do our own brunches in the morning and get together in the late afternoon.