Food is a big part of our celebrations. I’m really not sure why that is so, but it always has been and I like food so I’m not changing it! We are always looking for new things to try and I generally start making menus way in advance. Just in case you are too, I give you…10 Delicious Food Ideas for Your Holiday Menus!
- Meat and Cheese Tray. Go ahead and be fancy and call it a Charcuterie Tray if you’d like. I won’t mind! It’s just meat and cheese with a few extras though (nuts, fruits, mustards/sauces). If you make it pretty enough, no one will care what it is called. If looks are important, that’s when I suggest that you let the most artistic people arrange the food! My sister happens to excel at that sort of thing, so I just go with whatever she does.
- Hot Mulled Cider. This is a great hot drink that is not just for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It will warm you all through the winter months! It’s simple to make, but people will think you slaved over a hot stove to develop the best flavor.
- Three Meat Cassoulet. This stuff is soooo wonderful. I could seriously eat it every day, but it never lasts very long! It’s not exactly like a traditional cassoulet, but it is still fabulous.
- Squash Casserole. This casserole is fairly easy to make and it has a very filling, creamy flavor. It’s great for a family dinner or heated up for lunch!
- Pineapple au Gratin. Pineapple au Gratin is definitely a family favorite. It’s served at a big majority of special occasions around here–regardless of the season.
- Creamy Corn Casserole. It’s creamy. It’s corn. What more do you need really? Oh yeah, it’s easy!
- Christmas Tea. Christmas Tea is a recipe that my Nan used to make a lot during the Christmas season. It tastes fabulous and it makes an awesome gift too.
- Apple Graham Stack Cake. I love Apple Stack Cake and I’ve only had one or two that could rival my Mammaw’s. She made it from scratch with molasses in the cake and dried apples in the apple butter though. My husband introduced me to this recipe years ago. It’s not Mammaw’s, but it has a great rich flavor and it’s a whole lot easier to make.
- Nan’s Rocky Road Fudge. I’m seriously blessed when it comes to having good cooks in the family. My Momma and Nanny are queens of the kitchen and they have always been so great at making little tweaks until they get the taste they are after. That’s basically how this fudge recipe came about. I’m pretty sure I could eat the whole batch by myself!
- Sausage Balls. These are just a must…no matter what the Holiday! They also make a pretty good breakfast. Or lunch, snack, or dinner.
This is just a small sampling of the sorts of foods we eat during the Holiday Season. In addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, we also have several other dinners that we eat with various family and friends. That gives us a chance to try all kinds of goodies. Hopefully, you and yours will enjoy that kind of abundance this year as well!
The meat and cheese tray is a great idea. It’ll let everyone just talk while they chew on something. Sometimes, everyone just gets so busy on the dinner table that no one talks of a good few minutes.
Oh my goodness, I apologize! I’m not sure how I didn’t see this comment, but it happened. I apologize again and yes, the meat and cheese tray is great! Unless you need a few minutes of quiet…then maybe you need something more substantial!!