Update: Christmas dinner 2014

I haven't posted in a while because... Oh, does it matter? 

I cooked another Christmas dinner. This time for 12 and I kept the menu simple. I bought nearly 8 pounds of pork loin since the butcher at Wegmans suggested that would be cost effective and lead to leftovers. I'm glad I did because my family devoured close to seven pounds.

The only reason they didn't finish it is because I could only fit about 7.5 pounds in the crockpot.

The recipe was a variation of my standard pork with apples. I tossed the loin (or perhaps I jammed the loin) into the crockpot with most of a bottle of unsweetened apple juice. I sprinkled brown sugar over the top and tossed some apple slices and pear slices over that.

We cooked it on high about 5 hours and turned it down until dinner.

Meanwhile, because the crock pot was so full, I made the glaze in the skillet. I cooked about two cups of apple juice with about 3+ cups of mustard, various half used bottles from my house and my stepmom's. So I had equal parts brown mustard, yellow mustard, honey mustard and Dijon mustard. Added equal amounts brown sugar. Then when that dissolved into a sauce added slices of several apples (red delicious and Granny Smith) and pears.

When we sliced the meat, I poured this over top to serve. It all disappeared.

Sides included sweet corn that my mother-in-law purchased on a local farm this summer. My family thought it was the best corn ever and all I did was heat it. Buy local! It makes a difference!

I made two of my sweet potato pecan crunch casseroles, the same amount I did for last year's dinner for 20. They devoured those too. I experimented with one, adding dark brown sugar instead of light for the crumb topping and swirling blackstrap molasses over the topping. I love blackstrap molasses and it tasted like candy! 

My other vegetables were my roasted cauliflower that was a hit last year and I decided to make my roasted Brussel sprouts. I know Brussel sprouts are an unpopular choice but they are one of my favorites and I was the chef after all.

I wanted to make my "Buffalo style" sprouts for my dad because, like me, he likes spicy things. I think he took half the bowl. I also made a bowl of sprouts that weren't spicy.

A bowl of salad never seems to be popular in the midst of a big holiday meal so I made a tiny iceberg wedge salad for each person: a few carrot ribbons, radish slices and cashews on each, sprinkled with white sesame seeds, and topped with my homemade peanut-sesame dressing.

Christmas dinner

Christmas dinner was a success and raised my confidence in the kitchen to think I could cook dinner for twenty. I planned dinner for ten, but there was enough for twenty. 

The best part was, I only spent $100. Though I did not make the ham. My step mom made a lovely ham and her sister made her family's recipe for baked mac and cheese.

My dad said next time I had to make either appetizers or the meal because he just didn't have enough room for everything.

My stepmom mentioned my pork with apples again, suggesting we replace the ham with that.

The final meal went something like this:

My stepmom had some cookies out. She made cucumber sandwiches. We started with some basic cold food. Garden vegetable wheat thin select crackers, roasted red pepper hummus from Aldi, harissa imported from Tunisia, kalamata olives (also from Aldi), and home canned pickle spears with dill from my garden.

Then I made my popcorn roasted cauliflower, cooked my already assembled stuffed dates, and heated some Archer Farms frozen appetizers (crab rangoon and puff pastry with Brie and cranberry). Everything was a hit.

While everyone chatted and nibbled, my husband and I gutted the baked potatoes and mixed the filling for twice baking.

The filling ended up being:

- broccoli florets chopped

- ranch dressing

- four color peppercorns

- potato

- Asiago cheese

My step mom started the ham.

About an hour before the meal, we added some of the potatoes to the oven with the mac and cheese.

About a half hour before the meal, I tossed the salad (arugula, spinach and spring mix) with my homemade berry vinaigrette and Jonagold apple slices.

I started the green beans almandine. French cut green beans. I toasted the almond slices in butter. I put the green beans in a casserole dish and tossed them with extra virgin olive oil. Put the almonds on top.

Served everything with my cornbread and two quarts of home-canned applesauce.

Gingerbread-less house

We decorated a wooden gingerbread house form with this version of royal icing and every scrap of candy we could find. From my friend Gayle:

"Royal icing is made. Basically it is egg whites and 10x sugar. Easy to make with a stand mixer.

I used 1/4 cup meringue powder, 1/2 cup of water and 4 cups of 10x"

Pictures to come. I'm a tad behind.

Two Tales to Tell

This week has been nuttier than I ever anticipated.

Funny things first. 

My only days off this week (and until Christmas if you want to get technical) were Tuesday and today. My daughter had a snow day Tuesday and she decided to play restaurant and make me lunch.

She presented me with a menu and very quickly informed me that I should not worry about what we *actually* had in the house because she had a plan.

I ordered the nachos supreme and the olives, with the chocolate surprise for dessert.

My daughter is nine and a half. This becomes important to understand what happens next.

She realized we had no tortilla chips for nachos so she used some fancy water crackers, sprinkled them with finely shredded mozzarella cheese and put them in the microwave on high for six minutes.

Meanwhile, she took my fancy chocolate bar and placed a piece of it into a small plastic bowl. She placed the bowl in a saucepan and turned on the burner to create her own version of a double boiler. Except she forgot the water. Once the plastic began to melt, the smell made her panic and she called me into the kitchen.

I turned the nachos off (four minutes in) and explained to her how her theory was off on the double boiler. The saucepan and the plastic bowl went into the trash.

I added salsa to the "nachos" and are them like a good mom. She did manage to melt the chocolate in the microwave, and added a touch of coconut milk to it, to make a delicious hot fudge sauce for ice cream.

She was heartbroken seeing only her failure.

"I just wanted to take what we have and make a great meal like you always do."

I told her she did. Because she did. And she made just as many good choices as bad. I enjoyed giving her freedom and independence in the kitchen. And I think she learned a lot.

And I did enjoy the meal. 

Now, the next challenge. I volunteered to make Christmas dinner for ten. I have no plan. I have no groceries. Must shop.

Ideas:

- dates stuffed with cream cheese

- vegetable mini pot pies

- spinach/dark greens salad with homemade berry vinegrette 

- roasted "popcorn" cauliflower

- cornbread

- Brussel sprouts

- some sort if sweet potato dish with apples? Pecans?

- homemade cranberry relish 

- homemade applesauce 

My stepmom is making a ham.

Her sister is making baked mac and cheese.

Cookie exchange

Earlier this month, one of my work colleagues organized a cookie exchange. I volunteered to participate but I never heard any details so I figured it was a bust.

Wrong.

I found out today that I have to make 8 dozen cookies on my day off.

So I made the peanut butter from the child's school fundraiser, then oatmeal-strawberry-raisin, then Algerian cookies that I made the wrong shape.

And I ran out of sesame seeds and used poppy.


The Algerian Sesame Cookies http://www.food.com/recipe/algerian-helouwa-taaba-lemon-or-sesame-cookies-352938

Christmas Tradition

Every year my husband's office cooks a ham for their holiday luncheon and ever year, we get leftover ham from this luncheon. We've developed our own holiday tradition of ham and cheese omelets, using leftover ham and the leftover cheese from the cheese and cracker platter.

This year the six-year-old ate TWO for Christmas breakfast.

Now I can finally reveal that I made my stepmom and my dad pork with apples in individual portions and probably the smoothest batch of mac and cheese I've ever made. I used cheddar and whole milk for the base of the sauce, with lots of chives from my garden, and some grated Parmesan and asiago.

I also made some of my homemade granola for my husband's brother-in-law and sister. This batch used my standard sauce of blackstrap molasses, brown sugar and canola oil. Fruits included raisins, dates, dried pineapples and prunes. Nuts included some unsalted cashews and several lightly salted nuts. Some candied ginger... Some peanut butter kid's crunch cereal...

Tonight I used some of the leftover beef from the Christmas dinner my stepmom had catered to make some chili as the family is all sick. I used the beef, my usual seasonings, some black beans, some light red and some dark red kidney beans. Then, I made vegan cornbread in my Le Creuset skillet. Delicious, if not a tad contradictory.

Christmas Chicken Salad

Today is my little Christmas mixer with one of my editing clients. He told me he'd prepare hot mulled cider that we could mix with rum, cheese and crackers. When he interviewed me, he served me real tea. With loose leaves and a tea pot. That's when I knew I could work with this guy.

So, he said I could bring something but no hinted as to what.

What would complement but not upstage cheese and crackers, preferably with some fruit/veg matter?

I decided on chicken salad.

Today's Christmas Chicken Salad
- one can white meat chicken, chopped (12.5 ounces)
- half a large cucumber, diced
- one box 'sour' peach infused golden raisins
- 1/4 cup blueberries and raspberries, frozen, and thawed (reserve about two to three tablespoons berry juice for dressing)

For the dressing:
- less than 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon-dill mustard (Archer Farms)
-1/2 teaspoon organic four-color pepper
-1/2 teaspoon country herb blend
- juice reserved from berries

Mix dressing. In a bowl, mix salad ingredients. Apply dressing. Stir and chill long enough to allow flavors to blend.

Over the mountain... To Target on the way to pop-pop's

Before heading to my dad's to cook dinner, I had to stop by the liquor store and buy a bottle of French brandy ($12).  Then I stopped by Target for milk and a few last minute Christmas items.

Spent $53.47 before my discounts: $5.35 as a team member (10%) and the red card discount anyone can get $2.43 (5%). more than half of that cost was for food-related Christmas gifts. So, I can't tell you that stuff...

But for my husband's Christmas party at work there is Rold Gold sourdough pretzels ($2.33) and more buffalo blue cheese dip ($2.69-- we also got a second one for us). Market pantry rice kris pies, $2.34, and my husband asked for Market Pantry raisin bran, $2.34. and then there was that New England blueberry cobbler coffee that I like, at $5.57. 

A bottle of garlic powder for $1.47
A bag of dried pineapple for $2.49
Some individual box of "peach infused" golden raisins, $1.99 
Half gallon of whole milk, $1.94
The big box of trash bags, $6.49
The 100-count box of snack bags, $2.19

On Chocolate

Now, I'm a fan of good chocolate and for the most part I can refuse everyday chocolate. I love a dark chocolate Godiva truffle with a fruity filling of one of those candies from Antoinette Chocolatier in Phillipsburg.

But for cheap luxury, and holiday tradition, nothing beats Palmer Double Crisp. Their bunnies and "Crisp Kringles" are the best! And three little Santas about four or five inches tall is $1 at the dollar store.