Adventures In Christmas Menus
I was so delighted with my Thanksgiving Menus article that I thought I’d do the same for Christmas, and publish it early enough in December that it might actually be useful. So with no further ado and in no particular order…
The coffee cake that my family serves on Christmas morning has been our tradition for many years now. It’s easy to make, delicious, and freezes well (so it can be made well in advance). Oh, and one recipe makes a lot, which is always nice. My mother has tried to shake off this tradition over the years but my brothers and I have hung on. We have even managed to convert my favorite sister-in-law to making it in her fancy Pampered Chef stoneware pan. When she takes on the Christmas tradition (we take turns), she makes two batches. One for the family…and a whole one for her husband. Yes, really.
It’s not just my family who likes it. I’ve taken to bringing some of it to work Christmas parties and it’s been a hit. A couple days ago, one of my co-workers shouted across the parking lot that when I arrived at the party, I’d better be bringing “the Christmas crack.” That girl is hilarious, but she’s not wrong. It’s delicious and addictive, although our family just calls it Christmas Cherry Coffee Cake. You can find the original blog post and recipe here.
Next up is my Peppery Tri-Tip Roast. It’s a fabulously flavorful alternative to the much more expensive prime rib that my family has had for dinner on Christmases past. It’s quite easy to make and although you have to start 24 hours before it’s going to be served, it doesn’t take up much actual time. Another benefit is that, because the roast shape is not even, you get some meat that is well done, and some that is medium rare. Something for everyone. And man, is that gravy good on my sister-in-law’s mashed potatoes…blog post and link here.
My mom’s Christmas cookie recipe is epic, but we just don’t make them every year anymore. Baking and decorating them tends to be either a two-person half-day job or else a one-person all-day job. Which isn’t the end of the world, but my family is a bit spread out, so we don’t tend to do group baking very often and none of us want to spend a whole day on one recipe. I suppose if our family were in the habit of giving out many plates of Christmas treats, we’d make it more of a priority. Since we don’t do that, the Christmas cookies are rarely baked these days.
This is a serious shame because they are astonishingly delicious. The dough behaves like standard sugar cookie dough, but the taste is next level. I don’t even have the vocabulary to describe how delicious these are. If you are looking for a fantastic Christmas cookie recipe, you can’t really do better than this one.
My favorite sister-in-law brought into our lives a traditional dish from her family: Cheesy Potatoes. I don’t know how to describe it except to say that it’s essentially the ultimate American comfort food. It’s super easy and fast to make, and we just have to have it at our Christmas dinners. Find the blog post and recipe here.
Another recipe my mom has been famous for is her Peanut Butter Balls. These are rich and delicious and, while they do take a little time to make, what with dipping all those ball into chocolate, they are quite easy to make. The balls freeze well (although they tend not to last long enough to escape into the freezer) and make a lovely addition to plates of Christmas treats.
But these days, I tend to “square the circle,” if you will, and make them into bars with a layer of chocolate on the top. This is much faster and easier, and requires a lot less chocolate. Essentially, it’s peanut butter chocolate fudge. Also looks great on a plate of Christmas treats. Blog post and recipe here.
My favorite sister-in-law is an excellent hostess and really does try to make sure that big family meals are both delicious and also at least somewhat balanced. To that end, she never skips making some sort of lovely salad. One of the salads our whole family likes is Kale Salad. It’s the dressing that’s magic…transforms a somewhat tough and slightly bitter green into something tender and flavorful. And the bright little pops of flavor from pomegranate arils (or craisins, if pomegranates aren’t in season) are just the perfect topper. People tend to eat a lot of this salad so it’s best to make at least a double batch, if you’re serving a bunch of people. Blog post and recipe here.
A few years back, when I couldn’t get hold of any of Starbucks’ Cranberry Bliss Bars, I cobbled together my own recipe from a survey of options I found on the interwebs. These are even better than the Starbucks version, since they are fresh. They look very much like the original, with the only really difference being the softer frosting. Blog post and recipe here.
Happy Holidays, everyone. I hope you try and enjoy at least one of these recipes. My family plans to enjoy all of them.
