Answers to Everyday Questions : Im cooking Christmas dinner what sides should i make? (revised question)?

Im cooking Christmas dinner what sides should i make? (revised question)?

6 Responses to “Im cooking Christmas dinner what sides should i make? (revised question)?”

1. Aussie Alex said :
   December 18th, 2010 at 2:25 pm

   It depends. Do you make more traditional, southern sides or are you open to gourmet ideas. One dish that my host family loves that I make is a spinach gratin. Search the recipe from Ina Garten on foodnetwork.com.
   I also created a creamed onion dish. I buy a couple bags of the pearl onions in the freezer section of my grocery store. Simply melt a couple Tbsp. butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions (no need to thaw) cook until just barely showing color. Add about a cup of cream (you can eyeball) a little kosher salt (not too much because the parmesan has a lot of salt content), and white pepper. Reduce the cream until its a thick sauce. Pour the onions into a broiler safe dish, sprinkle the top with fresh grated parmesan cheese, and run under the broiler until its golden brown on top.
   It sounds a little different but I promise that it’ll be a hit! I wouldn’t dare serving a holiday meal to my family of 23 without a large dish of my creamed onions. I hope this helps spark some ideas!
2. smdiner said :
   December 18th, 2010 at 3:04 pm

   Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
   Ingredients
   3 Tbsp butter
   2 lbs (about 4 medium sized) Russet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick
   1 large yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
   2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
   1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives (optional)
   2 thick slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
   2 1/2 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
   1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
   2 1/2 cups to 3 cups of half-and-half (half milk, half cream)
   Salt and pepper

   Method
   1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a large casserole dish with 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter. If you use a casserole dish that is about 9×13 (bigger than the one shown) you’ll have more surface area, more of the potatoes will brown, and the cooking time will be faster.
   2 Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with 1/3 of the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer on 1/2 of the sliced onions and 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese. Layer on 1/2 of the bacon, 1/2 of the parsley and chives. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

   Repeat by layering on 1/3 of the potato slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Layer on the remaining sliced onions, 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese, the remaining bacon, parsley and chives. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.

   Top the casserole with the remaining potato slices. Add the half and half. Dot the potatoes with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter.

   3 Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for one hour. After an hour, remove from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle on the remaining Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 30-40 minutes. When done, the potatoes should be tender, but not mushy, and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.
   Serves 8.

   For a faster cooking time, you can parboil the sliced potatoes for 8 minutes first, patting them dry, before layering them in the casserole pan. In this case the total oven cooking time is about 35-45 minutes
   ____________________________________________

   Carrot Soufflé

   Preparation time: 55 minutes

   6 servings

   * 1 1/2 pounds carrots, sliced
   * 1/2 cup butter or margarine
   * 3 large eggs
   * 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
   * 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
   * 1 1/2 cups sugar
   * 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

   Cook carrot in boiling water to cover 20 to 25 minutes or until tender; drain.

   Process carrot and remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Spoon into a lightly greased 1 1/2-quart souffle dish.

   Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until set.

   Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

   * 2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
   * 3/4 cup butter, melted, divided
   * 1 tsp. salt
   * Dash of pepper
   * 1/2 cup chopped onion
   * 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
   * 2 cups (8 oz.) Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
   * 2 cups crushed cornflakes
   * Paprika (for color)

   Stir together potatoes, 1/2 cup butter, salt, pepper, onion, soup and cheese in large bowl.
   Pour potato mixture into 9×13-inch baking dish. Top with cornflakes and remaining melted butter. Bake uncovered in preheated 325°F oven for 1 hour. Sprinkle with paprika.

   Easy Deviled Eggs

   6 hard boiled eggs (chilled)
   1/4 cup mayonnaise
   1 teaspoon yellow mustard
   1/2 teaspoon vinegar
   Salt and pepper to taste
   Paprika (optional)

   Peel the chilled boiled eggs
   Carefully cut the eggs in half lengthwise
   Remove yolks and place them in a bowl
   Mash the yolks with a fork
   Combine and mix the yolks with mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar.
   Salt and pepper to taste
   Fill the white halves evenly with the mixture
   Garnish with paprika for color (optional)

   Makes 12

   Green Beans with Bacon

   * 3 tablespoons butter
   * 8 slices bacon, diced
   * 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in 1-inch pieces
   * freshly ground black pepper, to taste

   In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add bacon. Fry bacon until crispy; set aside.

   Bring a pot of water to a boil; add beans. Boil for about 10 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached. Drain beans; add them to the skillet with bacon and butter. Toss well and heat until well coated. Add pepper; serve.
   Serves 8.

   Cranberry Chutney

   1 lb. fresh cranberries
   1 c. sugar
   1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
   1/2 c. golden raisins
   2 tsp. ground cinnamon
   1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
   1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
   1/4 ground allspice
   1 c. water
   1 c. chopped cooking apple
   1 c. chopped onion
   1/2 c. chopped celery

   Combine first 9 ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until juice is released from cranberries, about 15 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until thickened; stirring occasionally. Chill before serving. Chutney will keep in refrigerator in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

   Makes about 1 quart.

   _____________________

   Dark, Rich, Creamy, Dense Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie!

   * 1 (9 inch) pie crusts, bake
3. Thumper said :
   December 18th, 2010 at 3:08 pm

   Everyone like Broccoli Cheese & Rice Casserole for any holiday. One of my favoriates and easy

   http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Awesome-Broccoli-Cheese-Casserole/Detail.aspx
4. Noah's Mommy! said :
   December 18th, 2010 at 3:41 pm

   Corn on the cob -sweet kind
   Cook the green beans with bacon like stated above except add chopped onion SEASONING. Just a couple of table spoons. It is really good!
   allrecipes.com has a great recipe for stuffing that I use and for the dinner rolls. The rolls are called unbelievable rolls… I’ll have to look up the stuffing.
5. Katie said :
   December 18th, 2010 at 3:59 pm

   I have always made a HUGE Christmas dinner (we have a lot of family members) I have always made things like:
   1) green bean casserole
   2) candied sweet potatoes with crushed pecans or candied carrots
   3) a “relish tray”
   4) scalloped potatoes

   Recipes:
   ************************************************************
   Green Bean Casserole

   1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
   1/2 cup milk
   Dash ground black pepper
   4 cups cut green beans (see note below)
   1 1/3 cups French’s French Fried Onions

   Directions:

   Stir the soup, milk, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

   Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.

   Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

   Note: Use 1 bag (16 to 20 ounces) frozen green beans, 2 packages (9 ounces each) frozen green beans, 2 cans (about 16 ounces each) green beans or about 1 1/2 pounds cooked fresh green beans for this recipe.

   ********************************************
   Candied Sweet Potatoes

   1 can (29 oz.) sweet potatoes
   1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
   1/4 to 1/2 cup of crushed pecans
   1/2 cup brown sugar
   1 1/2 cups miniature or regular sized marshmallows

   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

   In a bowl, add the sweet potatoes, brown sugar and crushed pecans and mix thoroughly (mashing the sweet potatoes)

   Place sweet potatoes in a medium baking dish. Distribute butter pieces evenly over the sweet potatoes. Layer with miniature/large marshmallows.

   Cover and bake in preheated oven 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender and marshmallows have melted and have browned slightly.

   ***********************************************************
   Candied Carrots

   2 – 3 bags of fresh baby carrots
   1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar
   1/4 cup butter

   Place carrots in a pot of water and boil until almost tender.

   Drain almost all the water off (leaving about 1/2 cup of water in carrots), add brown sugar and butter to carrots, cook until the water/sugar/butter mix has formed a medium thickness (like syrup) and the carrots are completely cooked.

   ******************************************************

   Relish Tray -This “tray” can be placed in the center of the table during dinner or on a coffee table for everyone to snack on while you are finishing cooking! This can be a product of your own imagination but here are a few things I put on mine:

   Use a large serving tray and place a small cup/tupperware container in the center of the plate.

   Celery (cut into pieces about 1 inch long)
   Baby carrots
   Black and/or green olives
   Pickles (sweet gherkins, dill spears, bread and/or butter slices)
   Cheese cut into small cracker size pieces (colby jack, cheddar, pepper jack, swiss)
   Summer Sausage and/or pepperoni cut into slices
   Crackers – Ritz, Triscuits, Townhouse

   Arrange all of your items in a fancy arrangement, and add Ranch, Blue Cheese or French dressing into the cup in the center and place a small spoon in the cup.

   *********************************************

   Scalloped Potatoes

   1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
   1/2 cup Sour Cream
   1 cup chicken broth
   3 lb. red potatoes (about 9), thinly sliced
   1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

   Heat oven to 350°F. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and broth in large bowl until well blended. Add potatoes, 1-3/4 cups of the cheese – stir gently to coat all ingredients.

   Spoon into 13×9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

   Bake 1 hour or until casserole is heated through and potatoes are tender.

   When buying your potatoes for this dish, look for firm, smooth, well-shaped small to medium sized potatoes that are free of wrinkles, cracks and blemishes. Avoid any with green-tinged skins or sprouting “eyes” or buds.

   I hope this helps you with your menu!!!
6. Judy said :
   December 18th, 2010 at 4:04 pm

   •Easy Glazed Sweet Potatoes
   •
   •2 pounds medium sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and cut up
   •1/4 cup butter
   •1/4 cup maple syrup
   •1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
   •1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
   Preparation:
   •Place cut up sweet potatoes in a buttered 2-quart baking dish. In a saucepan, combine remaining ingredients; cook until mixture boils. Pour over potatoes; bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until hot