Christmas always seems to be a time of family gatherings, presents, great food, but, after the Thanksgiving feast you had just a few weeks ago, Christmas is less remembered as far as food goes.
Main Course
Since Thanksgiving claims Turkey, most choose to have ham at their Christmas dinner. Most stores sell cooked hams that are easy to prepare in that they just need to be heated up. If you buy a pre-cooked ham, you need to place the ham in the over cut side down in a roasting pan and cover with foil. During the last twenty minutes of baking, you should remove the foil. The rule of thumb is to reheat ten minutes for each pound that the ham weighs. Periodically suck some of the juice out of the bottom and continuously pour over the ham to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Side Dish
Although you can never go wrong with the traditional mashed potato or sweet potato side dishes, I find that scalloped potatoes can be easy and delicious as well. Here is a recipe that serves around 6 that I’ve found to be extremely easy and tastes great.
Easy Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter?
3 tablespoons flour?
1 teaspoon salt?
1/4 teaspoon pepper?
2 1/2 cups milk?
1 small onion, finely chopped
Directions: Preheat oven to 350°
1. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted.
2. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
3. Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Arrange potatoes in greased 2 quart casserole in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the chopped onions and 1/3 of the sauce.
5. Scatter the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, broken into little pieces.
6. Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.
Another side dish idea to go with this Christmas dinner would be to mix together chopped apples, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Add a little bit of olive oil and lemon juice to add to the flavor. If you’re feeling extra zesty, you could serve it on a bed of lettuce. It makes for a colorful addition as well as a little bit of a holiday flavor a little off the beaten path.
Dessert
One of the most distinguished things I remember about Christmases at my house has always been cookies. Sure, there are a variety of desserts that are available for choice, but cookies are one thing that bring people together for Christmas. Here’s an original sugar cookie recipe with icing. It’s always fun to get the family together, young or old, to make sugar cookies and then decorate them. Find a few cookie cutters and cut out Christmas shapes in the dough before you cook.
Classic Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Directions: Preheat oven to 400°
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
5. When chilled, roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Assorted food coloring
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. 2. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each until desired intensity.
3. Dip cookies or frost with knife
If cookies aren’t your thing, then peppermint bark is also a classic holiday treat.
Peppermint Bark
Ingredients:
Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
2 pounds white chocolate
Peppermint flavorings, optional
Directions:
1. Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave
3. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.)
4. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm.
5. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)
Lindsey Voelker is a English Literature major at Auburn University. You can email her for more recipes at llv0003@tigermail.auburn.edu