It's that time of the year again.
The dreaded gain all the weight you lost during the year back again time.
Isn't it just wonderful.
I have a dilemma..
Gonna cook a bone in ham.
Gonna have homemade macaroni and cheese.
But what else?
Thought of all sorts of sides but can't make my mind up.

I should be making the traditional Finnish rutabaga and carrot casseroles and braised red cabbage. Our son is coming home for the holiday leave from the university and it may be just three of us for dinner, so I am tempted to buy ready made casseroles this year.
He is traveling by train on this Sunday, so we have to quarantine him from seeing grandparents for a week.

how bout some brussells sprouts, go as fancy as you want, and sweet potatoes or
a really good winter squash. baked potatoes would be a good option or boil them,
and mash them. perhaps scalloped potatoes?

later, use that ham bone and make a big pot of split pea soup. we made some the other
day, and have been enjoying it.

we haven't thought about christmas meal time here yet.



keith

If you froze any tomatoes from your garden you could make stewed tomatoes.

No plans for Christmas eating as yet, but there is some kind of video conference family get together in the works. So Christmas Day cooking will probably take a back seat to that, and eat something easy. I'm expecting to see my close friends/bubble peeps for lunch or dinner on Sunday and celebrate the solstice and my birthday either lunch or dinner. If it's dinner with spouses I am thinking a deep dish chicken thigh pie with parsnips on the bottom and lots of mushrooms and wine. Bought a big pack of mushrooms on my last shop trip. Crust is easy and the deep dish is about the only way I can think to feed five adults and two kids in the toaster oven! If it's lunch I will roast some pork maybe the day before, and make potato salad.
Have made some christmas traditional treats but they are disappearing as fast as made, packed up to send away, and a few kept for the guests.
IDK Worth do you really manage to gain weight over the holidays? Good idea if you do, after all it's winter and a little fat is insulation!
For some reason I usually lose weight over the xmas holiday.
Maybe I should go on a 'fudgy brownie' fast. I could do this!

Here is the half recipe Worth, which I do in the little oven. You can double it for an 11X13 pan but expect to get fat!

Combine in a bowl: 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa + 2 tbsp, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
In your mixing bowl combine and beat: 3 eggs, 3/4 cup olive oil (pure or light tasting ok), 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time and blend in.
Pour into a small rectangle pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 300 F for 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into fingers or squares. Store in a tight container or plastic bag. Keeps great if you can wait.

I'm with Brownrexx on the stewed tomatoes for Worth. I'm told they go good on mac 'n cheese.

If we have ham, there has to be potato salad.

Thanks for the ideas.
One idea made me think of something for the macaroni and cheese.
Instead of tomatoes I can fold in red roasted sweet peppers like you get in the jar.
Maybe canned black olives too.
I also like the idea of scalloped potatoes.
Got cheese running out my ears as it is.
Considering broccoli or something green.
Whatever it is it will be of the same family of plants.
Thinking of a cranberry cinnamon clove side dish.
Got two quarts of the pineapple cranberry lime marmalade stuff to play with.
Maybe a baked butternut squash with butter and spices.

Our Christmas Eve dinner will be lasagna but I am adding spinach to it this year to make us feel that it is a bit healthier. Christmas dinner will be left over lasagna but it's just going to be hubby and me, no family or guests.

We can get together with others next year, we are keeping a low profile this year with the vaccine being so close.

Got 4 giant homemade tamales left for Christmas eve.
The potato salad sounds good too.
So easy to make.

Potato salad with ham is spot on.
The big thing I think of with ham is mustard. Two tastes that go really well together.

We'll have cauliflower cheese with our gammon, (slow cooked in cider). There will be plenty of left over gammon for pickles, cheese and crackers over the period.

I'd go with something green, cuz the ham is pink & the macaroni\cheese is orange. Potato salad is white. I like to eat with my eyes too so I try for visual appeal. It's usually healthier too. So many colorful vegetables: yellow corn, red tomatoes, orange carrots, purple yams, green beans asparagus or broccoli. I think I'm hungry now & it's almost midnight. Too late to eat before bed...

Eat the rainbow !

Sometimes my macaroni and cheese is white but my potato salad is always yellow because I use mayonnaise and mustard.
I dont think anyone mentioned the lowly beet.
But [mention]svalli[/mention] mentioned rutabaga.
Something I ate at least once a week growing up.

Someone gave me a live goose to cook for Christmas one year.
I ended up making a pet out of it.

I think I have the colors covered except for blue.
And I didn't get any carrots.
One thing I got and will make is a favorite but haven't had in years.
That's a grape apple salad.
Found some lovely red and black seedless grapes that are as sweet as can possibly be.
Didn't even try one at the store because I knew they would be sweet.
The stems were dried out.
The apples are Honey crisp.
Bought macaroni but got some corkscrew looking pasta to make the pasta and cheese.
After all it's the holidays.
Bought two more pinapples too for more marmalade.
Plus some in the can for the ham.
Those will be placed on the ham with cloves and cherries in the middle.
Canned corn canned sweet peas.
Broccoli.
Purple sweet potatoes.
Pecans to make more toasted pecans in pecan oil.
Totally out of the last batch.
More of the Korean fermented pepper paste.
More sugar.
Bought two gallons of apple cider last time I was there.
And much more.
Won't be going hungry for Christmas dinner plus all set for new years too.

[mention]worth1[/mention] It all sounds so very tasty worth!

Honeycrisp is a great apple for salads, they don't brown. And they taste wonderful as well!