Holiday Recipes

[Kanyon71]

Ok so it's a little early for this yes I know BUT I figured I would see if we can get started a little early this year with the recipes. I will post some of the ones we use for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the next few days, one of my favorites has become the Praline French Toast Casserole, which we now make for at least one holiday every year. Look forward to seeing some of the great ones you all have posted in the past. I would think to make it a little easier even if we do link out to another place we should still post the actual recipe in this thread to make it a little simpler for people.

[Kanyon71]

French Toast Casserole:

 

Ingredients

 

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)

8 large eggs

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup milk (Whole is best)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Praline Topping, recipe follows

 

Directions:

 

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

 

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.

 

Praline Topping:

 

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

[amez74]

We live out of state from my inlaws- so they all come to our house to celebrate Christmas the weekend or two before the actual holiday. Since we end up with a houseful of guests for the weekend, I often make cinnamon rolls out of frozen bread dough. It is so simple-thaw the dough and then roll it out. Spread butter, cinnamon and sugar on then roll it up. I cut it with a thread, put the rolls in a glass pan let it rise (stick it in the fridge until morning) and then bake them. Add some frosting which is simple to make and done. Just a festive yet easy way to feed everyone before all the serious cooking begins I have made overnight French toast before too and it was well received.

[amez74]

I was wondering if everyone has started planning their holiday menus? I start early, and make a plan on when to cook it all too. We go out of state to my in laws over Thanksgiving, so my MIL plans the menu there. The last few years I've made a couple of pumpkin rolls to bring (they freeze and travel well) My family always makes Green Bean Bacon Wraps, so I introduced them a few years ago and now they are expected. You cut a package of bacon in half, then wrap each piece around 3-4 long stem green beans. Line those all up on a cookie sheet. Melt a stick of butter and mix it with a cup of brown sugar and a tsp of garlic pour it over the wrapped green beans and then bake at 400 until they start to turn crispy. Sooooo good. I hate cleaning the cookie pans, but someone always volunteers, because they love them so much.

 

Several family members are coming the weekend before Christmas to celebrate and here is my menu--I always make lots so there is hopefully leftovers and I don't have to cook the rest of the weekend

Turkey - brined in cut up oranges, lemons, salt, fresh rosemary, sage and brown sugar. I stuff it with more oranges and herbs then pour a little white wine in the pan too whe it cooks.

Ham--cooked with cola and brown sugar-topped with pineapple and maraschino cherries

mashed potatoes and gravy (made from the turkey broth!), stuffing, corn bread casserole, fresh cranberry salad, green bean wraps, a veggie tray--some sort of roll too. I am terrible at making bread, so that is my one store bought concession

I make lots of snacking food and deserts for the weekend too--this year I plan to make Buckeyes (peanut butter balls), Turtles, choc. covered pretzels, peanut butter blossoms, no bake cookies, mints and the kids want fudge too.

Desserts I'm not completely sure of yet-definitely pumpkin rolls, My kids have all put in requests for a chocolate roll, twinkie tiramisu, cherry pie, and peanut butter pie. I definitely don't need that many desserts and I'm kind of wanting to try something new.

 

Anyone else want to post their holiday menu??

[mgmckny]

I was wondering if everyone has started planning their holiday menus? I start early, and make a plan on when to cook it all too. We go out of state to my in laws over Thanksgiving, so my MIL plans the menu there. The last few years I've made a couple of pumpkin rolls to bring (they freeze and travel well) My family always makes Green Bean Bacon Wraps, so I introduced them a few years ago and now they are expected. You cut a package of bacon in half, then wrap each piece around 3-4 long stem green beans. Line those all up on a cookie sheet. Melt a stick of butter and mix it with a cup of brown sugar and a tsp of garlic pour it over the wrapped green beans and then bake at 400 until they start to turn crispy. Sooooo good. I hate cleaning the cookie pans, but someone always volunteers, because they love them so much.

 

Several family members are coming the weekend before Christmas to celebrate and here is my menu--I always make lots so there is hopefully leftovers and I don't have to cook the rest of the weekend

Turkey - brined in cut up oranges, lemons, salt, fresh rosemary, sage and brown sugar. I stuff it with more oranges and herbs then pour a little white wine in the pan too whe it cooks.

Ham--cooked with cola and brown sugar-topped with pineapple and maraschino cherries

mashed potatoes and gravy (made from the turkey broth!), stuffing, corn bread casserole, fresh cranberry salad, green bean wraps, a veggie tray--some sort of roll too. I am terrible at making bread, so that is my one store bought concession

I make lots of snacking food and deserts for the weekend too--this year I plan to make Buckeyes (peanut butter balls), Turtles, choc. covered pretzels, peanut butter blossoms, no bake cookies, mints and the kids want fudge too.

Desserts I'm not completely sure of yet-definitely pumpkin rolls, My kids have all put in requests for a chocolate roll, twinkie tiramisu, cherry pie, and peanut butter pie. I definitely don't need that many desserts and I'm kind of wanting to try something new.

 

Anyone else want to post their holiday menu??

Not sure yet, last 2 years we've gotten the Publix turkey dinner and added stuff. And for Christmas we go to the Chinese buffet. But on your green beans, couldn't you line the cookie sheet with foil and not have so much work to clean it??

[tokanm]

We always do Chinese for Thanksgiving, plus go to the movies.

Christmas is chicken or turkey and ham for Dss.

[starbeck96]

I was wondering if everyone has started planning their holiday menus? I start early, and make a plan on when to cook it all too. We go out of state to my in laws over Thanksgiving, so my MIL plans the menu there. The last few years I've made a couple of pumpkin rolls to bring (they freeze and travel well) My family always makes Green Bean Bacon Wraps, so I introduced them a few years ago and now they are expected. You cut a package of bacon in half, then wrap each piece around 3-4 long stem green beans. Line those all up on a cookie sheet. Melt a stick of butter and mix it with a cup of brown sugar and a tsp of garlic pour it over the wrapped green beans and then bake at 400 until they start to turn crispy. Sooooo good. I hate cleaning the cookie pans, but someone always volunteers, because they love them so much.

 

Several family members are coming the weekend before Christmas to celebrate and here is my menu--I always make lots so there is hopefully leftovers and I don't have to cook the rest of the weekend

Turkey - brined in cut up oranges, lemons, salt, fresh rosemary, sage and brown sugar. I stuff it with more oranges and herbs then pour a little white wine in the pan too whe it cooks.

Ham--cooked with cola and brown sugar-topped with pineapple and maraschino cherries

mashed potatoes and gravy (made from the turkey broth!), stuffing, corn bread casserole, fresh cranberry salad, green bean wraps, a veggie tray--some sort of roll too. I am terrible at making bread, so that is my one store bought concession

I make lots of snacking food and deserts for the weekend too--this year I plan to make Buckeyes (peanut butter balls), Turtles, choc. covered pretzels, peanut butter blossoms, no bake cookies, mints and the kids want fudge too.

Desserts I'm not completely sure of yet-definitely pumpkin rolls, My kids have all put in requests for a chocolate roll, twinkie tiramisu, cherry pie, and peanut butter pie. I definitely don't need that many desserts and I'm kind of wanting to try something new.

 

Anyone else want to post their holiday menu??

Here is the menu for the in-laws: My MIL and I do pretty much all the cooking. My SIL is too lazy to do anything...lol. It is a good thing that I love to cook..

I always fix:a turkey breast (I use it for the dressing, the gravy, and then for leftovers), dressing (I always fix two pans, one with onion and one without), ham, rolls, mac-n-cheese, yellow rice, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, turnip greens and a dessert (one definite dessert is oreo dirt cake for both Thanksgiving and Christmas).

 

My MIL usually fixes Potato Salad, Slaw, a big turkey, bean salad. The rest of the stuff she brings varies from year to year.

 

For dessert this year, These are some of my possibilities. Not sure which of hese I am going to fix yet though. Peanut butter cake, peach cobbler, coconut pie, strawberry cake, cookies, coconut cake (everyone loved this last year), mississippi mud cake, and I'm sure I will come up with some more...lol. I love to make junk food..lol. I make the majority of all this from scratch as well to help save money..

 

Our Christmas menu is about the same as the Thanksgiving menu. What desserts I don't fix for Thanksgiving will be fixed for Christmas.

[My3Gyrlz]

2 - 25lb turkeys, Ham, dressing, gibblet gravy, mixed greens, mac n cheese, yams, rolls, sweet cornbread, potato salad, shrimp dip, seafood deviled eggs, sweet potato pie, 7up cake, peach cobbler, and chocolate cake(i think). Christmas is pretty much the same but we add red velvet cake or cupcakes and lots of cookies.

[Kanyon71]

Thanksgiving will be our traditional, Fried Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Yams, Green Bean Casserole, Stuffing, Gravy, Can Shaped Cranberry sauce lol, Rolls, Ham. Then we make various pies. Christmas I have been making Chinese the past few years something from back home we can't get here called almond boneless chicken. I do white and fried rice, egg rolls, sometimes crab rangoon and then we do all sorts of cookies, oreo balls, pies and various other things. We do the Frenc Toast Casserole and Hashbrown casserole for either christmas breakfast or sometimes Thanksgiving brunch.

[Gator Pam]

My family always makes Green Bean Bacon Wraps, so I introduced them a few years ago and now they are expected. You cut a package of bacon in half, then wrap each piece around 3-4 long stem green beans. Line those all up on a cookie sheet. Melt a stick of butter and mix it with a cup of brown sugar and a tsp of garlic pour it over the wrapped green beans and then bake at 400 until they start to turn crispy. Sooooo good. I hate cleaning the cookie pans, but someone always volunteers, because they love them so much.

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper before putting the bundles on them.

Should help a lot with clean up.