Hey everyone! Our weekend was really busy! We had Nathan’s black belt ceremony and Autumn performed her trio at Barnes & Noble for a fundraiser for her dance school. I’m starting to plan our Christmas Eve menu for next week and wanted to share what I think we’ll be serving our guests. I always enjoy menu planning and hosting and I hope you get some ideas from this menu if you plan to host, too!
Drinks
Wine
My brother and SIL always bring the wine, they’re the wine experts! The photo above is the wine they brought for Christmas in 2013! Lol! I was looking up old photos and found this one.
Sherbert Punch
I make the sherbet punch for the kids AND the grownups. 🙂 The photo above is old, but it shows the sherbet punch on the far left side.
You’ll need Country Time Lemonade, a 2 Liter of Sprite and sherbert. Follow the directions on the lemonade, but use Sprite instead of water. Pour into a big punch bowl and top with scoops of sherbert.
Starters
I have a whole picnic spread pin board (follow it HERE), because I love picnic spreads! The photo above shows a Quick & Festive Cheese Tray in 15 Minutes Top that I did for Christmas one year.
Sweet Lil Wrapped Smokies are always a huge hit! They can be made the night before and then warmed up right before the party.
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
I make this Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing for almost every family gathering. Everyone always requests it! The cinnamon candied almonds are delicious on top!
Main Dish
Beef Bourguignon & Homemade Noodles
Brian is preparing the main dish, rolls and cherry pie and I’m preparing everything else. He makes the noodles from scratch for the Beef Bourguignon. This is an old photo of him working on it.
Side Dishes
I always whip up ‘funeral potatoes’ or basically hash browns mixed with cheese, sour cream, chicken soup, etc. and topped with corn flakes. Yum! The photo above isn’t the best, but I was trying to look up old photos from previous Christmas posts to share with you what these look like!
This Parmesan Roasted Broccoli looks like the perfect warm veggie to go with the main dish! This is a new recipe this year and I haven’t tried it before.
Homemade Rolls
Brian is an expert bread maker, so he is in charge of the rolls.
Desserts
Cherry Pie
Brian will be making the cherry pie.
Holiday Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
This Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Sundae Cake has been a long time tradition in our household. I got this recipe before I was a mom and I was still learning how to cook! This is so easy and you probably already have all of the ingredients in your pantry. I prepare it early in the morning and then it cooks for 8 hours and makes the kitchen smell so good! The hot fudge sauce cooks on the bottom, so you’ll flip the cake over when serving. I enjoy serving it with some vanilla bean ice cream.
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Homemade Gingerbread & Iced Sugar Cookies (Recipes at VERY bottom of post)
I got the most amazing gingerbread, sugar cookie and icing recipe from an old coworker many years ago and it is SO good, that I’ve never tried any other recipes. It’s perfect! I usually make up both the gingerbread and sugar cookie dough the night before, wrap the big dough ball up in saran wrap and chill it overnight. Then, it is ready in the morning! We all know that cookie dough is much more manageable when it is chilled and who wants to make the dough, bake AND decorate all in one day?! Not me!! I will leave the recipes at the bottom of this post for them.
I hope you enjoy these recipes and they give you a little inspo if you’re planning your holiday menu this week. Merry Christmas!
Soft Sugar Cookies
Original recipe makes 4 1/2 dozen
Ingredients:
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
Sugar Cookie Icing (You can also use this icing for the Gingerbread Cookies)
Ingredients:
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food coloring
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners’ sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.
Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the shortening and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and molasses and beat until completely incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt and add to the mixture. Stir until combined. Roll the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Roll the balls in sugar. Place 1/2-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten the balls slightly with your fingertips. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
