Christmas is around the corner, and this is the time for family reunions and festivities. Many people usually celebrate special occasions, like Christmas, with delicious food. On this day, you need to relax with your family and friends at home and eat a meal together. Various dishes can make a difference on this special day.
If you want to celebrate Christmas in style, you need to grab your favorite holiday recipes. These can make for a nice change in that they are suitable for more special occasions like this. Some holiday recipes are easy to prepare. You only need the ingredients then follow the instructions, and you will prepare a wonderful dish.
Homemade dishes are suitable for the holiday season since you can customize them to suit your needs. If you want to make a change this holiday, you can try something new, and you will never go wrong. As such, I am going to share with you some of my favorite holiday recipes that I also hope will appeal to your tastes.
Recipe For Spicy Cranberry Chutney
You can use spicy chutney or relish for the meal, and it can also go along with brie cheese and crackers. Most families usually prepare a baked ham or baked turkey for the holidays, and this chutney would go perfectly with either meat. You can also make the chutney part of the appetizers.
The ingredients for Spicy Cranberry Chutney include the following:
- One cup water
- Two oranges, zested and juiced
- Eight cups cranberries
- Two limes, zested and juiced
- Three to four finely chopped jalapenos
- One and a half granulated sugar
- Fresh ground black pepper and salt
The recipe is easy to prepare since you need to place all the ingredients in a saucepot. After that, you bring the parts to a boil using medium heat then reduce it when you are satisfied. Allow the contents to simmer until they reach the desired level of readiness.
To prepare the ingredients, you need about five minutes, and the dish takes about 50 minutes to cook. In less than an hour, your meal is ready, and you can serve it while it is still fresh. The other good thing is that you can spend more time with friends instead of spending it in the kitchen.
The other notable aspect about this recipe is that it can serve eight to ten people. If you expect visitors around this figure, then relax since this chutney is a good deal for your day. There is no wait time while you prepare the other part of the meal.
Spicy Cranberry Chutney has an excellent taste, and it is not overly exotic. Your guests will enjoy the recipe, and you can add the amount of sugar you desire to improve the flavor of the chutney. The other thing is that the color and texture of the chutney are so appetizing such that it will appeal to the interests of many people.
Recipe For Cranberry-Apple Chutney
The other vegetarian recipe that you can be interested in is Cranberry-Apple Chutney. It consists of the following ingredients:
- One apple, peeled and chopped
- One pound cranberries (four cups thawed if frozen)
- One and a quarter cups sugar
- Three-quarter cup of coarsely chopped dried fruit (assorted)
- One teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Kosher salt
- Half cup pecans, chopped and toasted
- A quarter cup of apple cider vinegar
Directions for Preparing the Recipe
Put all the ingredients it the saucepan except one cup of cranberries. Bring the parts to a simmer using medium heat, and you must make sure that you stir the contents occasionally while they are cooking. Continue this process until the stage when all the berries burst and the sauce thickens. The process usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
When the sauce thickens, add the remaining cup of cranberries and cook until they are soft. You can prepare the contents for about three to four minutes then remove from the heat. The materials in the pecans and allow to cool. When cool, transfer them into a serving dish and put in the fridge for about three hours. You can serve together with the main meal after cooling the contents.
The recipe is easy to prepare, but the primary thing you should understand is that its final preparation takes a long period of about 3 hours 35 minutes. If you wish to make this recipe part of your Christmas dish, you better prepare it earlier so that you can enjoy the day with your friends.
The good thing about Cranberry Apple Chutney is that you can refrigerate it for about two weeks. This sauce is good since it gives you ample time to prepare for Christmas such that you can serve your guests with the best food. The other advantage is that the recipe is enough for six to eight servings.
Side Dish For The Main Meal
A full course meal has side dishes for the basic lunch and these differ. There are also many recipes for these side dishes, and I think your taste can determine the ideal formula. The side dish can even go as dessert, but you will need to add some mini marshmallows on top.
I think Sweet Potato Casserole is the best side dish that you can try this Christmas. It is good, and it is also easy to prepare. With all the ingredients, you can follow a step by approach to making the recipe I am going to present below.
Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
A real sweet potato casserole has this unmistakable flavor of vanilla, and you will love it. The ingredients of this favorite side dish include the following:
- Three cups mashed sweet potatoes
- Two large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- A half cup of evaporated milk (If you like, you can use regular milk, but evaporated milk will give you the best results)
The side dish also requires the following toppings
- Half a cup brown sugar
- Two tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Half a cup chopped pecans
- Quarter cup cold butter
- One teaspoon vanilla extract
The other important thing you should remember is that you need specific tools to prepare this particular dish. You need a pastry cutter all the time for cutting crusts, other pastries as well as butter for streusels. A potato masher is also essential since it helps you mash the potatoes with your hand.
Instructions For Preparing Sweet Potato Casserole
You need to prepare the sweet potatoes first, and this process usually takes about 15 minutes. The method of mashing sweet potatoes is similar to that of potatoes, so I anticipate you will not face challenges here. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into small cubes and make sure you fill exactly three cups.
Boil the chopped sweet potatoes for about 10 to 15 minutes until you are satisfied they are soft. When the potatoes are soft, remove them from boiling water them mash them while they are still hot. You can use a hand mixer to beat them so that you get a smooth mash.
You then take the mashed potatoes and mix them with eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Use a mixer to whip the contents until they form a complete blend. While performing all these steps, make sure that you preheat the oven to a temperature of about 350 degrees.
When the blend of mashed sweet potatoes and eggs is ready, you then add sugar and milk and stir the contents. You then take the mixture into a pie plate consisting of cooking spray. On the other side, use a small bowl, mix flour, pecans, and brown sugar together. You should also cut butter into small portions.
Take small portions of butter into the sugar mixture then use a pastry blender to cut the contents until they become coarse. Also, mix vanilla to streusel topping and sprinkle it over the mixture of sweet potatoes. After this action, you should then bake the contents for about 35 minutes until the top becomes golden brown.
Other Considerations For Preparing The Recipe
The total time for preparing the dish is 55 minutes which include 20 minutes of making the ingredients and 35 minutes of cooking. The most important thing you should know is that you must serve the recipe soon after baking. You can, however, prepare the casserole before baking then stores it in the fridge for up to two days.
Make sure you cover it with a plastic wrap and remove it from the fridge about one before baking. You must also ensure that the casserole is closer to room temperature before you bake it when you remove it from the refrigerator. Just follow the baking instructions as directed and you will enjoy the whole process.
Apart from enjoying the tasty Sweet Potato Casserole, you will also realize that it is nutritious. It consists of 278 calories and various components in balanced proportions. The recipe is right for your health, and it does not contain undesired compounds in excess.
After the basic meal, your guests might need some dessert. The kids need dessert, but the adults in some cases may resist it. Therefore, do not take chances and try to avoid preparing dessert. You may spoil the day so try to make sure that everything is in place.
From my perspective, I think Chocolate Toffee Saltines also known as Christmas Crack is the favorite for the family. It is suitable for both the kids and adults. Interestingly, the kids can help you make this kind of dessert. Christmas Crack is very easy to make, and it has a fantastic taste.
Recipe For Chocolate Toffee & Saltines, also known as “Christmas Crack.”
Preparing Christmas Crack is very simple. You need to get the ingredients first then follow the simple instructions, and within a short time, you will be enjoying a crunchy and tasty chocolate crack — the sweet and salty taste very addictive, hence the name. This recipe is a good one to get the kids involved. You can have them count and spread the crackers. They can help measure the chocolate chips.
Ingredients for Christmas Crack
- 40 Saltine Crackers
- One cup of butter
- One cup of dark brown sugar or packed light
- One teaspoon vanilla
- Two and a half cups chocolate chips (Choose any variety)
- ¾ cup of topping such as m&m
Instructions for Preparing the Crackers
You need to begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F when you are preparing the Christmas Crackers. You need to line a parchment paper into a half sheet pan then spread the crackers in such a way that they are even and cover the entire bottom.
Use a medium saucepan to melt butter with brown sugar using medium heat. You should stir the contents occasionally as they melt and when the mixture starts to boil, you should stop stirring. Leave the mixture to cook for three more minutes then turn off the heat.
Carefully stir the mixture in vanilla after turning off the heat then pour it evenly over the crackers. Make sure the butter & sugar mixture spreads to all surfaces and bake it for about five to six minutes until it becomes bubbly. After this stage, you then remove the mixture from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top of the mix.
You then return the contents to the oven for about one minute. Remove the pan from the oven and spread the chocolate in a layer. You can top the chocolate as you desire, like colorful Christmas sprinkles. Then allow the pan to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes.
You can also refrigerate the chocolate for about two hours until it is firm. You know from this stage that your chocolate is ready. It tastes good, and it has a crunching feeling that makes it enjoyable to chew.
Source: Little Sweet Baker, she already had a video done.
Above all, you should remember that Christmas comes once a year so you must make the best out of this occasion. Make it memorable by preparing the best dishes that will undoubtedly appeal to the interests of all your guests. You need a good recipe, and you can prepare the special food easily.