Christmas Dinner Made Memorable
© Copyright 2006 Imaginary Greetings, Inc.
Christmas dinner. Is any other meal of the entire year, save the
requisite Thanksgiving feast, more anticipated? In industrialized
nations, food has evolved from being simple sustenance. It's now a
celebration; eating is an important part of our social fabric.
Gathering around a bountiful table with friends and family is part
of what makes the holiday season so special.
No wonder we dutifully plan our Christmas meals and decorate the
dining room with festive frivolity. We hang mistletoe in the doorway
and slowly but surely migrate to the kitchen well before the cook is
ready for our presence. The smell of warm Christmas cookies and
glazed ham is difficult to resist! So, if you're planning the
perfect Yuletide feast, what items are menu must-haves?
Start with a honey glazed ham. While turkey and roast beef are
popular options as well, leave the turkey to Thanksgiving and the
roast beef to Arby's. Ham is the Christmas entree of choice.
When it comes to side dishes, the choices are overwhelming, but a
feast shouldn't be any other way. Scalloped potatoes, garlic mashed
potatoes and baked sweet potatoes are all succulent options. Green
beans are a necessity, as are homemade yeast rolls, stuffing, gravy
and cranberry sauce.
For lunch, consider keeping a pot of chili on the stove that your
family and visitors can eat throughout the day. This will keep them
both warm and out of your other dishes as you put the finishing
touches on your ham!
For dessert, Christmas cookies are an absolute must. Plum pudding is
a Victorian Christmas tradition, and peanut butter fudge, chocolate
fudge, fruit pies, fruitcake and persimmon pudding are staples in
various parts of the U.S. as well.
Of course, don't forget the eggnog, peppermint flavored hot
chocolate and hot apple cider, because no all-day Christmas
celebration is complete without them!
If you're the cook in the household, don't forget to take time to
enjoy the day yourself. To avoid missing all the fun, make some
dishes the day before to ease your burden on Christmas. All the
desserts can be made ahead of time (don't forget: the cookies must
be made early ... what will Santa snack on when he drops in to
deliver gifts in the middle of the night if there are no cookies and
milk out for him?).
Many of the vegetables can be made ahead as well. In a press release
from Purdue University, chef instructor Carl A. Behnke recommends
blanching fresh vegetables the day before the meal. Then, on
Christmas day, he advises to saute them or microwave them
immediately before the meal.
If you don't have a stash of Yuletide recipes handy there are many
great resources on the Web. Simply visit Google and type
in "Christmas recipes" and you'll have more than you need at your
fingertips!
Jeremy White, a writer for Imaginary Greetings, Inc.
(http://www.imaginarygreetings.com), is a regular contributing
author specializing in features, sports, business and food writing,
and frequently contributes to a variety of print and online
publications. Imaginary Greetings offers highly imaginative
personalized family oriented products and services. To make your
holiday display magical, visit
http://www.holidaylighting.com
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