Christmas Dinner Menu: Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and More

I will be cooking this year for the first time. You see, my parents have moved across the country, and this leaves me homeless for the holidays. So I invited other lost souls that my husband and I know who are without a specific place to go themselves. Having said that, I think I may be cooking too much. We are expecting about 12 people, about half of whom are children. The weirdest part is that my brother-in-law from the first marriage is joining me and family from my current, third marriage. Let the fun begin!

Turkey

I personally have to have my stuffing in the bird, and absoloutely no bag! Wash and dry your bird, sprinkle the inside with salt & pepper. Sprinkle the outside with seasoned salt and keep a stick of real butter on hand for basting. Tuck the wings under, and once it's stuffed place in the roaster on a rack and cook according to the directions on the wrapper. As the turkey cooks, I just rub the stick all over to get the skin nice & crispy.

Stuffing

1 roll Jimmy Dean Regular (must be Jimmy!)

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 tbl. chopped garlic

1 package stuffing mix of choice

Cook the sausage while crumbling till no longer pink. Throw the onion, garlic and pepper in the pan and cook till they are just browned. Drain the fat and toss with the stuffing mix. Stuff what you can in the bird. Any remaining stuffing I place in a casserole and cook in the oven when the bird is almost done till it browns. Remeber to remove the stuffing as soon as the Turkey is done or you could give everyone food poisoning!

Gravy

I cheat, it works. I use 3 jars or cans of turkey gravy. But, I take juice from the turkey as it cooks and add it to the gravy. Not much or you will get thin, greasy gravy. Just enough to give it that home made taste.

Mashed Rutabega

Peel 1 large Rutabega and cut it into medium sized chunks. Cook in boiled water until soft. Drain well and mash with real butter. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

These are not my faves but I guess they are traditional. Peel about 3 lbs. of yams and cut into chunks. Cook in boiled water till soft. Drain well and mash. Add salt & pepper to taste and if you want you can add a touch of honey or nutmeg for a sweet surprise to them.

Green Beans

1 bag frozen, cut green beans

1lb bacon, cooked and crumbled, reserve 2 tbls grease

1 onion, chopped

While the bacon grease is still hot, saute the chopped onion in it. At the same time, cook the beans in boiling water until crisp-done. Drain the beans and toss with the onion, bacon and drippings. Add pepper to taste. Not very healthy but good!

Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs potatoes

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup sour cream

2 tbls. garlic powder

Peel and cut potatoes in to chunks. Boil till soft and drain very well. Mash till almost smooth. Add in butter, sour cream, garlic, salt & pepper to taste. You can add a touch of milk if they are too dry for your taste.

Baked Mac & Cheese

1 box elbow macaroni

4 bars of Cracker Barrell, orange, sharp cheddar (yes, it has to be Cracker Barrell)

1 can evaporated milk

1 beaten egg

salt & pepper to taste

Boil pasta according to package directions, being sure not to overcook. While cooking pasta, cut cheese into small chunks. Drain pasta and dump in large baking pan. Toss in cheese, egg, milk , salt & pepper. Stir very well. Bake uncovered in 350^o oven till just browned on top. Also very bad for you, which means very tasty.

Chili Cheese Dip

1 3lb bar of Velveeta

1 can of chili with beans

cut cheese in to cubes and mix with chili. Put this mixure into a crock pot turned on low. Stir every 15 minutes until thouroughly melted. This can be served with Scoops or any kind of strong chip.

I will round out all of this with some frozen pies, chips, ice cream, warmed ciderand of course dinner rolls. I'm am quite sure I will be rolling my guests out the door!

Happy Holidays!