Christmas Dinner Recipes
Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Cranberries, Potato Casserole
We'll help you plan a simple and successful holiday meal around a holiday brisket, pork chops with glazed pears, honey baked ham or roasted turkey.
Are you unsure of where to start your holiday meal planning? Since the most important step (besides the food itself!) can be the plan, let's get started. Do you have a small group and a set dinner time? Then a great roasted turkey, or pork chops with glazed pears would work nice as the main course. Will you have a large crowd, uncertain arrival times and need some flexibility in your menu? Then, something like a slow-cooked brisket or a honey-baked ham that can sit in the oven for a while and still maintain its heat and moisture is in order.
Follow the above links for the main course recipes, and read on for tips on how to round out each meal.
A traditional turkey meal can be decked out for the holidays with a cranberry corn bread sausage stuffing.
Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage and Cranberries Recipe
- 1 1/2 loaves Corn Bread
- 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts only)
- 3 celery ribs, chopped
- 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage (about 3 links)
- 2 cups fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Preheat oven to 325° F (180° C).
- Cut corn bread into 1/2-inch cubes and bake in middle of oven until just dry, about 20 minutes. Cut leeks into ½ inch pieces, wash extremely well and drain. Cook leeks and celery in butter in pan on stove, with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until leeks are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove sausage from casings and break into small pieces. Add sausage to leek mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until sausage is cooked through.
- In a small heavy saucepan cook cranberries with sugar over moderately high heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until some begin to burst.
- Mix together corn bread cubes, sausage mixture, cranberries, parsley, broth, and salt and pepper. Cool stuffing completely. Stuffing may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding.
- Bake stuffing in preheated 325° F (175° C). oven for 1 hour (for moist stuffing, bake covered entire time; for less moist stuffing with a slightly crisp top, uncover halfway through baking time).
If you're serving Pork Chops with Glazed Pears, or Beef Brisket, festive mashed potatoes make a great accompaniment.
Festive Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives or 2 tablespoons dried chopped chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In medium saucepan, cook potatoes in 2 inches boiling water, covered, about 12 minutes, until tender; drain thoroughly.
- Mash potatoes.
- Mix in cream cheese until melted.
- Mix in remaining ingredients just until blended. Stir gently over low heat until heated through. Makes 4 servings.
Serve a holiday ham with a cheesy potato casserole.
Cheesy Potato Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 2lb. bag of cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
- 1 can cream of potato soup
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup melted butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 2 cups crushed corn flakes cereal
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons parsley
Directions
- Spread hash browns in l13 x 9" baking dish.
- Mix together sour cream, butter, salt, onion and potato soup, and spread over hash browns.
- Top with crushed corn flakes, cheese and parsley.
- Bake at 350° F (185° C) for one hour.
Follow this link for some great holiday meal appetizer suggestions. For deserts that complement any holiday meal, try mint chocolate chip cheesecake and white chocolate chip no-bake cookies.
