Christmas dinner ideas

[Worm of Despite]

Things I know I'm gonna get:

Honeybaked ham & turkey
Sweet Potato Souffle
Dressing w/ giblet gravy (by "dressing" I mean stuffing; here in the Southern US it's served as a side dish rather than inside the turkey. Crazy, I know!)
Cornbread

Things I could use some suggestions on:

Some kind of casserole
A dessert: some kind of pie or cake.

[sgt.null]

green bean casserole is a crowd pleaser. green beans, dried onions in a can, mushroom soup.

pumpkin pie or pecan pie. carrot cake.

i think we will be having a german meal, as we can translate it to vegetarian rather easily.

[Menolly]

Well, here's my planned menu. LMK if anything interests you. Please keep in mind I'll be leaving most of my recpes at home as of 2:00 PM this afternoon though.

:::btw, I make my stuffing in the crockpot as it saves oven space and turns out wonderful:::

We get together with my FIL, who is not Jewish, and celebrate a secular Chr-stmas. So far my menu for a mid-afternoon dinner (got to get to Universal City Walk in orlando by 6:00 PM for their huge Universal Chanukkah celebration) includes:

Deviled Eggs
Turkey Matzah Ball Soup
Field Greens Salad
Standing Rib Roast aged a la Alton Brown but cooked a la Tyler Florence
au Jus (sp?)
Yorkshire Pudding
Corn Pudding
Broccoli-Artichoke Casserole
Southern-style Green Beans (no squeekers here, and Paul had his Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving)
Carrot Souffle
Crockpot Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Coconut Layer Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Key Lime Pie with Meringue

[Worm of Despite]

Broccoli casserole does sound good; I think I'll probably go with it. Normally, I'd get green bean casserole, but I figure it's time to change it up a bit. Coconut cake also has a nice ring to it, as my grandfather loves coconut-anything. I'm not a big fan of it, though, so I'll probably sneak in a pecan pie. Well, sounds like I've rounded out the dinner. Still not set in stone, though. Casserole ideas are still welcome. Thankye!

[Menolly]

The broccoli-artichoke casserole is a recipe I adapted from Jeff Smith for his spinach-artichoke casserole. If the directions are confusing, feel free to ask for clarification.

Spinach (Broccoli)And Artichoke Casserole

Recipe By : Jeff Smith in "The Frugal Gourmet" (adapted by Pam/Menolly)
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Vegetables Casseroles

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
14 ozs canned artichoke hearts -- drained (I use two 14 oz cans)
30 ozs frozen chopped spinach -- thawed and drained (I use frozen chopped broccoli instead)
8 ozs cream cheese
2 TBS mayonnaise
4 TBS olive oil
6 TBS milk
salt and pepper -- to taste
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

If frozen artichokes are used, cook according to instructions. Do not overcook. Drain the artichokes, (peel the leaves off the bottom, chop the bottoms and reserve) and place them on bottom of a 3-quart casserole. Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the spinach, and layer it on top of the artichokes (cook the broccoli until just tender, drain in a colander and bring to room temperature. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place in the bottom of casserole and layer the chopped artichoke bottoms and peeled leaves on top of the broccoli). In an electric mixer blend the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and butter or oil until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the milk, and spread this mixture over the top of the spinach. Sprinkle with pepper and the cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 40 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

You can refrigerate this dish after putting it together and before baking it, but if it is chilled, slightly increase the baking time.

The Coconut layer cake is the only from scratch cake I have ever made that turns out for me every time.

Coconut Layer Cake
with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
posted by: Carmen (CarmenTurn)

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 sticks softened butter
1 cup sweetened cream of coconut*
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
4 cups shredded coconut (I used 2 cups)

Whisk first 4 dry ingredients in a separate bowl, combining well. With mixer, beat sugar, butter and cream of coconut until combined. Add eggs, then add vanilla. Add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk.

Pour batter into two 9-inch (I used 10-inch) greased and floured pans, then bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cake tests done.

After cakes are cooled prepare frosting (recipe below). Frost the bottom layer of the cake, sprinkling with coconut, then add second layer. Frost entire cake, then sprinkle entire surface and sides of cake with coconut.

Frosting:
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 stick softened butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup cream of coconut (depends on consistency)
1 tsp vanilla
1 (1-lb) box powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients, beating until well-mixed.

*Note: Use Coco Lopez brand sweetened cream of coconut found in the mixed drinks section. Buy a 15 oz. can, and use for both cake and frosting.

[Worm of Despite]

Niiice. Thanks Menolly. I'm gonna print this out right now.

[Menolly]

Niiice. Thanks Menolly. I'm gonna print this out right now.

YVW!! Enjoy!

Oh, I forgot to tell you!

You will most likely have a lot of frosting leftover from the coconut layer cake. I like to make my cakes the day before and let them 'age' overnight' before serving. Since I have leftover frosting on Chr-stmas morning, I bake cinnamon rolls, and use the leftover frosting to glaze the hot cinnamon rolls. Oh man...

[mrsnull]

Too late for this Christmas, but next time you make green bean casserole, don't use the frozen cut green beans (and please do not use canned),
but rather use the whole frozen green beans from Bird's Eye. I used them Thanksgiving and it made such a difference and I used no milk.
Julie

[Worm of Despite]

Christmas dinner plans changed; never did get to try that cake, Menolly, but I'm sure it's delicious.

Main reason my family couldn't make it was because friends/relatives kept giving us desserts, till we had a surplus of them. Don't know where to begin, really: coffee cake, Italian cream cake, pecan pie, chewy fudge squares, roasted pecans, red velvet cake. It's going to last us at least two weeks! Heh.

And thanks much for the green bean tips, mrsnull.

[Menolly]

Oh :::groan:::

I love a good red velvet cake. Haven't had one in literally years...

[Menolly]

LF, I want to modify the coconut cream cheese layer cake recipe a tiny bit.

I mention in the recipe that I usually have a lot of frosting left over, and that I usually use it to frost cinnamon rolls Chr-stmas morning. This year I baked the batter in two 8" cake pans, and wound up with layers two inches high. I used clean unwaxed dental floss to slice each layer in half, and used the additional frosting to make the cake with four thinner layers instead of two thick ones.

Mmm-mmm!!! :-9

[Worm of Despite]

To my surprise, my grandmother is feisty enough to make a New Years dinner tomorrow. Not sure what's going to be involved: I know meatloaf and collard greens. Tons of other stuff, I'm sure. Boy, this whole week has been nothing but Xmas dinner and Xmas leftovers, and now this! Thank the Gods I've been jogging, or they'd have to roll me to get me anywhere!