The Holidays are upon us

i love cranberry sauce( the canned kind ,not the homemade stuff...bleck) ,and the fruit salad with the cool whip and marshmellows....yummmmmmmm!

Maci, sad to hear about your grandma.My cheesecake s out of this world. I will bake one for you soon.

DB---Thanks, So do you prefer boxed stuffing or homemade? I am a cornbread dressing kind of girl so I dont know the difference of the two. Originally Posted by Maci Lynn

Oh, homemade for certain!

amo---looking forward to it

DB- Do you have a recipe for a good homemade stuffing?

Used to. Dont any more.

But, I CAN tell you who makes the best stuffing around here.....

Sorry to hear about you loss Maci. I just had to put my mom in the hospital last night. I feared the worst, but we dodged a bullet there. But if I hadn't checked in on her when I did she certainly would have died. Thankfully she may be able to come home as early as tomorrow afternoon, but certainly by Monday.

I cook for her, so she's already put in her order for Christmas dinner, regardless of when we have it. And I smuggled her a little chocolate earlier today and one of her Christmas presents this evening. Tomorrow morning, I'm sneaking her in some hot chocolate in my insulated coffee mug. Fuck it, it's Christmas. A little chocolate does the spirit good. And that's especially important in the hospital.

But, I CAN tell you who makes the best stuffing around here..... Originally Posted by Damon Bradley

+1

Great thread, Maci. You know if people are talking about food, I'm there!

My holiday must-haves:

sour cream mashed potatoes - I've been making these for years and can't live without them around the holidays. They're super creamy, packed full of sour cream, neufchatel cheese and cheddar. And the leftovers make incredible potato pancakes.

green bean casserole - Nothing fancy. Frozen green beans, Campbell's cream of mushroom soup and canned french fried onions. I've tried to dress these up with fresh beans, homemade soup or a number of other things, and no recipe variation has the same comforting effect as the recipe on the back of the fried onion can.

corn bread dressing - Love it. I start with my Daddy's family cornbread recipe, and go from there. When cooking turkey or chicken, I prefer to make dressing as opposed to stuffing, because poultry stuffings can prevent proper cooking, etc. In my opinion, cornbread makes the best foundation for a dressing because of the delicate balance of density, sweetness and lightness in the bread. But I did manage a pretty delicious spinach-porcini stuffing earlier this week with country-style french bread as the foundation. When you're using rich liquids like mushroom soaking juices, you can start with a dry bread and finish with a moist, flavorful dressing.

hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps - Yes, yes, I know. Schnapps is the nectar of bums. But when you prepare a silky, dark mug of steaming hot chocolate and stir in a shot of Rumplemintz, it's like Christmas in a cup.

...when you prepare a silky, dark mug of steaming hot chocolate and stir in a shot of Rumplemintz, it's like Christmas in a cup. Originally Posted by Natalie Reign

I knew there was a reason I liked you!

I obviously need to further my culinary diversity...

Merry Christmas everyone!

I obviously need to further my culinary diversity...

Merry Christmas everyone! Originally Posted by ztonk

Yes you do!,,,, You should start with Red Meat!

Merry Christmas everybody!!

broccoli cheese rice casserole, and home made gravy for the meat. Yum! and, I eat gravy only 1-3 times a year, so, it's a special occasion, 4-sure.

2 loaves Italian or French bread (1# total), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 lb sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3 Ts chopped fresh thyme or 1 T dried thyme, crumbled
1 T finely chopped fresh sage or 2 ts dried sage, crumbled
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
2/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
18 oysters, shucked, drained, and chopped
2 cups chicken broth
Heat oven to 325. Spread bread in 2 baking pans and bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes total. Cool bread in pans on racks, then transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet. Cook onions, celery, thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper in fat in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread cubes, then stir in bacon, parsley, butter, and oysters. Drizzle with stock, then season with salt and pepper and toss well. Transfer stuffing to a buttered 3- to 3 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake, covered, in middle of oven 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until browned, about 30 minutes more.

I'm not much for tradition and I don't celebrate the x-mas holiday, but I cooked for the family this year. I started with a Chinese cabbage soup over black and white rice, added Chinese pork dumplings with all sorts of dipping sauces, teriyaki green beans and I don't know what all else. Most of it was gone before the end of the day, so I count it a success.

Maci, I'm sorry for your loss and I think picking up the cookie tradition is a great way to move forward.