I took nearly every recipe for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner out of these two Southern Living cookbooks this year. I tried some new things, and was happy with the way everything turned out.
For Christmas Eve Dinner this year, we decided not to do kabobs and fondue like we did last year, mainly because I threw out our crappy fondue pots and intended to buy elecric ones, and totally forgot that I didn't until it was too late. I hope to get back to that tradition again next year. I really like doing that, and face it, fondue is just too much trouble unless it's for a special occasion. Instead, I decided to do White Christmas Chicken Chili, Red Onion Salad, and homemade wheat bread. The Red Onion Salad was a recipe I got from a friend when we lived in Collierville after eating it at her house. The homemade dressing is what makes it. Even if you're not a red onion fan, I promise you will love this dressing. So, thanks, Shauna for sharing the recipe!
Mom's Red Onion Salad (Shauna Cameron)
2 bags pre-washed baby spinach
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 pound finely grated swiss cheese
1 pound bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 container sliced fresh mushrooms
1 red onion, cut in half (1/2 sliced thinly for salad, other half for dressing)
Dressing
1/2 red onion
1 1/2 T poppy seeds
3/4 c white vinegar
1 1/2 c oil (I used canola)
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 t dry mustard
Combine all dressing ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. You can marinate some of the mushrooms in the dressing if desired. Pour over the tossed salad just before serving.
White Christmas Chicken Chili (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)
(This is not my picture...mine don't ever look this good)Ingredients
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
5 cups water
1 large onion, chopped and divided
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
3 (16-ounce) cans great Northern beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
3 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Toppings: tortilla chips, shredded Colby-Jack cheese, salsa, sour cream
Preparation
Place chicken, 5 cups water, and half of onion in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and cook 15 to 18 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, reserving broth in Dutch oven. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces; set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet; add celery and remaining onion, and sauté until tender.
Stir chicken, celery mixture, 2 cans beans, and next 6 ingredients into broth in Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 1 hour, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Process remaining 1 can beans in a blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir bean pureé into chili.
Remove and discard bay leaf; stir in cilantro just before serving with desired toppings.
For Christmas day, we did our traditional spiral ham (for me) and lamb (for David).
Then we ate:
Bacon-Pecan Brussels Sprouts (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)
1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
5 slices bacon
1/4 c chopped pecans
2 green onions, sliced
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t salt
1/8 t pepper
Wash Brussels sprouts thoroughy; remove discolored leaves. Cut off stem ends; cut Brussels sprouts vertically into thin shreds. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside. Add pecans to drippings; cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until golden. Add Brussels sprouts, green onions, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 18 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are tender; stirring often. Spoon into a serving dish; sprinkle with bacon. Yield: 4 servings.
Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette (Southern Living Ultimate Christmas Cookbook)
Ingredients
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4
1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
4 thick-cut bacon slices
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1/2 cup golden raisins (I omitted these)
Preparation
Combine sweet potato, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on 2 lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until browned, removing onion after 25 minutes, and stirring sweet potato.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 12 minutes or until crisp. Drain bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in pan.
Add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, mustard, and pepper to drippings in skillet. Stir well. Transfer vinaigrette to a large bowl. Add roasted sweet potato, onion, pecans, and raisins, tossing gently to coat. Cool.
Note: If you have only one oven, place 1 baking sheet on the lower oven rack and 1 on the upper rack; switch positions after 25 minutes. Bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until potatoes are browned.
Oven Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, and Onions (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)
1/4 c oil
1 crushed garlic clove
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3 medium onions, quartered
2 pounds small red potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, untrimmed
Stir together first four ingredients; set aside 1 T of oil mixture. Place onion wedges and potato slices in a greased roasting pan, and drizzle with remaining oil mixture. Stir gently.
Roast at 450 degrees on top rack of oven 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasiionally.
Add green beans to pan; drizzle reserved 1 T of oil mixture over beans, stirring gently. Roast 15 to 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
Strawberry Congealed Salad (Cooks.com)
3/4 c. butter, melted3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 1/2 c. crushed pretzels
1 c. sugar
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 (9 oz.) carton Cool Whip
1 lg. pkg. strawberry Jello
1 pkg. frozen strawberries, mashed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter. Spread in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove and let cool thoroughly. Cream together sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over cooled crust. Mix Jello (using about 1 cup less water than called for on box), add strawberries, and chill until thickened. Spread over cream cheese mixture and chill several hours or overnight before serving. Serves 12 to 15.
And for dessert, David requested Pecan Pie (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (9-inch) deep-dish frozen unbaked pie shell
Preparation
1. Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.
3. Stir together eggs and next 5 ingredients; stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie shell.
4. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until set, shielding pie with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Serve warm or cold. My mom made homemade whipped cream to go with it
And I made an Italian Cream Cake (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)
It was labor intensive, but oh, so worth it.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flaked coconut
Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)
Garnishes: toasted pecan halves, chopped pecans
Preparation
Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add vanilla, beating until blended.
Combine flour and soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold into batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Spread Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if desired.
Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or i margarine, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
Preparation
Bake chopped pecans in a shallow baking pan at 350°, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until toasted. Cool.
Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat frosting at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans.
We also had Rhodes Texas rolls. Tasted like homemade. Good enough for me!
Also, for Christmas morning breakfast, I made a breakfast casserole. I've used several recipes in the past, but this was by far my favorite. Then I made super easy mini cinnamon rolls.
Breakfast Casserole (www.momswhothink.com)
Ingredients:
7 eggs
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6-8 slices bacon - chopped
8 frozen hash browns (patties)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
Directions:
1. Place hash browns in a single layer in a greased 9X13 baking dish. Cook bacon and slice.
2. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon.
3. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard. Pour over bacon.
4. Cover and bake at 350'F for 1 hour.
5. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Tiny Cinnamon Rolls (Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)
1 8 oz can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 T sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
2/3 c sifted powder sugar
2 t milk
2 drops of vanilla
Unroll crescent roll dough, and separate into four rectangles; pinch perforations within rectangles to seal. Stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle mixture evenly over rectangles. Roll up, jellyroll fashion, starting with a long side; pinch edges to seal. Gently cut each log into five slices, and place, cut sides down, in a lightly greased 8 or 9 inch round cake pan.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.
Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla, stirring until smooth; drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls. Yield: 20 rolls
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