Chr-stmas Eve and Day Fare

[Menolly]

I am glad you checked out the article, LF. I love Haney Baked ham, but better safe than sorry. ould Heavenly Ham be a good substitute for y'all?

I knew I had one more fudge recipe somewhere...

Orange Marble Fudge
(Mary/Bak2hunley)

3/4 cup butter
3 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 bag white chocolate chips
1 jar of marshmallow creme
3 tsp orange flavored extract
12 drops of yellow food coloring
5 drops of red food coloring

In saucepan add sugar, butter, cream. Bring to a boil, cooking for 4 minutes, remove from heat. Add marshmallow creme and chocolate chips, stir. Remove 1 cup of mixture. Add extract and food coloring to saucepan, stir. Pour into a greased (buttered) pan, swirl in remaining 1 cup of fudge. Allow to set out or in the fridge until fully set.

[Worm of Despite]

I am glad you checked out the article, LF. I love Haney Baked ham, but better safe than sorry. ould Heavenly Ham be a good substitute for y'all?

Possibly, though the closest one is in Augusta, I think. This all kinda bites, as we have a HoneyBaked here in Rome. Will find some other way! Not giving in to the bacteria hams, as tempting as they may be.

[paradox]

Here's a recipe i could share...

Simple fare... but good

Maki Sandwich

1 Loaf of white bread

japanese breading

sweet peppers

cheese

spam (turkey treet works best)

eggs

butter


Flatten each slice of loaf bread and remove crusts

place small slice of cheese, ham and pepper and roll them inside flattened bread

dip each roll into beaten eggs and then coat them evenly with japanese breading

fry like a spring roll in butter

enjoy!

[stonemaybe]

Our Christmas dinner will involve an Aberdeen Angus roast of beef (small one there's only two of us!) with lots of roasted veg - potatoes, onion, courgette (zuchini?), carrots, parsnips - and brussel sprouts and yorkshire pudding.

Three years ago i cooked my first ever full Christmas dinner and I planned it meticulously (+5 minutes, peel carrots, etc.) minute by minute what I had to do. I still have that plan and intend to follow it again this year!

[Wyldewode]

We always gather at my parent's home for Christmas. Since my bro and I are single, and it is just Mom and Dad, we make Christmas simple. We usually have breakfast: something like denver omelets, hashbrowns, and blueberry muffins. After we open our presents, we prepare appetizers for snacking whenever the hungries hit us. We keep the cold stuff in the fridge, and the warm dishes on low in crockpots.

Appetizers:
cheese and summer sausage tray
a veggie and dip tray
Monterey Enchilada Meatballs
Sweet and Sour Smokies
Chili Cheese Squares
Assorted cookies
fudge
divinity
fruit

This frees up the womenfolk from the kitchen, and the family usually hangs out and finds something on DVD or the satellite to watch together.

[Menolly]

Sounds like a grand plan, Lyr!!

[Wyldewode]

We've been doing this for at least 10 years, and it is a nice change of pace, as compared to Thanksgiving. We seem to enjoy one another's company more this way.

[onewyteduck]

Since we aren't having Christmas till this coming Friday, we opted to not do anything special for last night or today. My husband makes an absolutely killer lasagna so he made a large batch that we could basically eat on the rest of the week and not have to worry about cooking on top of the other stuff we have to do.

We were positive that Ben would want a fried turkey. I got off the phone with him just a little while ago. He wants frickin' lasagna!

[Menolly]

Oh my!!!

[Wyldewode]

Soo. . . make the boy a lasagna, and yourselves whatever strikes your fancy!

[onewyteduck]

He'll get his Lasagna. What baby boy wants, baby boy gets.

[Menolly]

*bump*

I'm going to pick up my standing rib roast tomorrow to begin aging per AB!

With that we'll have yorkshire pudding (I am curious how close to a real Yorkshire Pudding the recipe I use actually is, Stoney), corn pudding, southern-style green beans, salad greens with frisee, craisins, and sweet dressing, and mashed potatoes. A lot of carbs, but it is only once a year.

I think dessert will be whatever candy and fruits "Santa" puts in Beorn's stocking this year.

Any planned over roast will be reserved for strog...

Standing Rib Roast
Combination ofAlton Brown and Tyler Florence

1 (3-rib) prime rib beef roast, about 6 pounds (I do 4 ribs)
5 garlic cloves, smashed
Fresh rosemary and thyme, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Olive oil
2 carrots, cut in chunks
2 potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
1 onion, cut in half
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinch sugar
1/4 cup water or beef drippings
2 TBS chopped parsley

Buying and trimming: When ordering the rib roast from a butcher, be sure to request a “top choice” roast cut from the small loin end; the best being ribs 12 through 10. Have the butcher cut off the chine/backbone. The rib bones look best if they are shortened and frenched, have the butcher do this for you as well.

Place the standing rib roast upright onto a half sheet pan fitted with a rack. The rack is essential for drainage. Place dry towels loosely on top of the roast. This will help to draw moisture away from the meat. Place into a refrigerator at approximately 50 to 60 percent humidity and between 34 degrees and 38 degrees F and measure both with a refrigerator thermometer. Change the towels daily for 3 days.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the roast, rib side down, in a large roasting pan. In a small bowl mash together garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil to make a paste. Smear the paste generously over the entire roast. Scatter the vegetables around the meat and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or approximately 20 minutes per pound for medium-rare. Check the internal temperature of the roast in several places with an instant-read thermometer, it should register 120 degrees to 125 degrees F for medium rare.

Remove the beef to a carving board and allow to rest for 20 minutes to let the juices settle. Note: the internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise about 10 degrees F. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Pour the pan juices into a fat separator so you can use the broth for the au jus and save the fat for Yorkshire pudding. Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the cabernet and scrape up the brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Add sugar, water/beef drippings, reserved vegetables and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve to remove the solids before serving.

Yorkshire Pudding
(Diane/SSSoapwrks)

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
3 eggs
salt and pepper

Combine all well early in the day (this is a VERY traditional way to prepare it and I do exactly this.. it sits on the counter in the cool weather... actually even in the dead of winter, my house is always cool) and give a stir on occasion.

Pull roast out of the oven and set aside loosely covered in foil to rest while Yorkshire is baking. Turn oven up to 425 degrees.

Add some of the drippings to the casserole/baking pan (I also spray my pan with Pam before adding the drippings), putting it in the oven to heat up. When the oven beeps that the temperature has risen, carefully pour the Yorkshire batter into that hot pan and bake for @15 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn the temperature down to 350degrees and finish baking until it's puffed, browned and looks and smells like heaven (@15-25 minutes more.)

Meanwhile cut roast, make gravy, finish meal prep and call everyone to the table. When they are seated open the oven, taking out the Yorkshire and listen for the drooling and oohs and aahs before it collapses.... Set it on a trivet and cut that puppy up and serve it with gravy, if desired.

Notes: I always double the recipe (using only 5 eggs) and it does wonderfully in the 12-inch cast iron skillet.

Clancy O'Haras Corn Pudding
(Kevin at Clancy O’Haras Posted by Nan)

2 16 oz cans creamed corn
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk

Mix all ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into a 9”x12” baking pan. Bake at 350˚F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and center is firm to touch.

Nan's Notes: Mom finds this too sweet, and uses only half a cup of sugar. I like it as is. I think it depends on what brand of creamed sweet corn you use. Some have more sugar than others.

Chanie’s Sweet Salad Dressing
(Chanie/UFRebetzin)

1/2 cup sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup white vinegar or lemon juice

Combine the sugar, oil, and vinegar or lemon juice and leave covered at room temperature to allow sugar to dissolve.

Right before service, stir resulting syrup and pour over a tossed combination of mixed greens, craisins, roasted nuts, diced mango, and sliced strawberries.

The above syrup is enough for three 32 oz. bags of mixed greens.

Pam’s notes: Supposedly this dressing can be made using Splenda instead of sugar, although it will not turn out as syrupy.

I don't really have recipes written up for the green beans or the mashed potatoes...

[aliantha]

Since we're celebrating Yule, tomorrow is our big day. I bought a pork roast before I remembered that MagickMaker has turned somewhat militant about not eating red meat. I'm just not ready to do turkey again so soon, and clearly if "the other white meat" won't make the cut, then roast beef is right out.

So I'm thinking I'll try Cornish hens this year. I'm intrigued by some recipes I've seen that call for cutting the little suckers open down the backbone, spreading them out, and cooking them on a bed of rice (in my case, it'll be a brown rice/wild rice blend). I'll let you know how that turns out. (And I've still got the pork roast as a backup in case things go horribly, horribly wrong....)

The rest of the menu strongly resembles Turkey Day: steamed broccoli, Pepperidge Farm stuffing-in-a-cello-bag (which I guess I'll do in a casserole dish), cranberry-sauce-in-a-can (I've tried making fresh, but the girls demand the stuff that retains that distinctive canned shape, sigh), sparkling cider. And eggnog and Christmas cookies for dessert.

[Menolly]

Pepperidge Farm stuffing-in-a-cello-bag (which I guess I'll do in a casserole dish

Oh, ali, it all sounds wonderful. But may I make one little suggestion regarding the stuffing??

I do a doctored up Pepperidge Farm stuffing with vegetables, chopped giblets, and some nuts (Hyperception just can't get into oysters, but those will work as well). You can doctor it however you prefer. Mix it up the normal way for stuffing into the bird or baking in a casserole dish. No extra liquid or anything is needed.

Lightly spray or grease the crock insert. We like stuffing so much that for the four of us I do two large bags of the Pepperidge Farms in my 6 quart crockpot. If you are making only one bag, I suggest the original 3 1/2 quart sized crockpot, as you want the insert to be at least 2/3s of the way full. Put the stuffing in, cover and set on High. Cook for 45 minutes, then turn to Low and cook for 4 to 8 hours.

If you have a newer crockpot that cooks hot, you may want to check the High cooking after half an hour, if crispies are already forming around the edge, turn it down to Low then. If the newer crockpot has a Warm setting, you may want to check for doneness at the four hour mark, and switch to Warm.

That is all there is to it, enjoy!!

[aliantha]

Heh, you're assuming I have a crockpot. And giblets scare me. But I have been known to sneak in some walnuts, and perhaps some chopped celery and onion if nobody's looking.

[Menolly]

Ah...

Well, no crockpot could be a problem to that method.

[Ki]

my mom used to make all this for every christmas and i do too now to carry on her tradition. ham, mustard potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans, rolls (or angel biscuits) and cherry cheesecake tarts for dessert.

[bloodguard bob]

Here's my X-mas cookie tin. I sent out 15 of these.
There are Peanut Butter Blossoms, Peanut Butter Truffles, Chocolate-Coconut Brownies, English Toffee and my favorite Peanut Butter Fudge.

[Menolly]

Mmmm...

I want a BGB Chr-stmas Cookie Tin!!!

[sgt.null]

for the first time in our 13 years of wedded bliss, i will be making the holiday meal. the lineup.

bay scallops au gratin

fresh spinach salad (craisins, cheese, nuts...)

stuffed chicken s(tuffed with spinach and feta cheese)

corn with tomatoes

potatoes au gratin (from scratch, not a box)

croissants (from a can, i can not bake)

iced tea (home brewed)

baked apples