Favorite Holiday Recipe?

Do you have a favorite, tasty recipe for Christmas/Holidays that you want to share? Something half your "family gathering" requests you make, year after year?

I'm thinking side dishes and desserts, since the Internet has tons of "turkey preparation" recipes and videos. (Unless you have a ROTFL video of that disastrous experiment in "frying" a turkey that set your garage on fire.)

I'll start. My husband and I like a simple but traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meal. And this usually includes that eternal but not real tasty staple - the Green Bean Casserole - that may be the only time of the year to get many people to consume a green vegetable.

But my husband and I quickly locked horns over the "type" of casserole. I was raised with soupy casseroles, and wanted some slush, like a can of mushroom soup usually provides. My large husband wants a loaf of bread crumbs in his, to make it more substantial. So I went looking for a recipe that we could both enjoy. Here it is, now going on its third Christmas in our house:

GREEN BEANS WITH CHEESE AND BACON
(Thanks to Kathy W. at 'AllRecipes.com')

3 Cups of fresh, trimmed green beans, snapped in half. OR 3 cans of drained green beans.
3-4 slices of bacon, cut in quarter-inch slices
6 Green Onions, chopped or sliced
1/2 to 3/4 Cups of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 to 1/2 Cups of sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 Cups of Mayonnaise
(Salt and pepper to taste)

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Light grease a 2 1/2 quart baking dish with a lid.
2) If using fresh green beans, place in a large pan with water to cover; bring to a boil and cook only until the beans are hot and bright green (about 1 minute). Drain and transfer to large bowl. (Skip this step if you are using canned beans.)
3) Cook the sliced bacon in a deep skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned and crisped (about 10 minutes).
4) Pour off all the drippings BUT for 1 Tablespoon. Return skillet to the heat and add the sliced green onions. Cook until the onions soften (about 1-3 minutes.)
5) Add the bacon mixture, cheddar cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to the green beans in the bowl. Stir then spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and cover.
6) Bake in a pre-heated oven until the casserole is bubbling and the beans are tender, (about 20 minutes).

Absolutely delicious!

And whether you are cooking or not, I wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas!

a reply to: MKMoniker

Take on small glass

Fill halfway with Bourbon

Quaff

Repeat until your consciousness is a flaky golden brown and the toothpick comes out clean.

Pretty simple recipe, get hot dogs saussges, wrap them in bacon, put in the oven at around 375 for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Eat them as is or dip them in what ever sauce you like

I miss my late mothers anisette pizzelle's. They where so good. She had a special pizzelle waffle iron to make them.

Pizzelle (pronounced with ts sound, like "pizza") (singular pizzella) are traditional Italian waffle cookies made from flour, eggs, sugar, butter or vegetable oil, and flavoring (usually anise or anisette, but also vanilla or lemon zest). Pizzelle can be hard and crisp or soft and chewy depending on the ingredients and method of preparation.

Add cornbread stuffing to your list of yummy foods. It has to have a lot of onions, celery in it. Made using chicken broth. The recipe varies from family to family, but it is good no matter who makes it. It has to be moist when done. That is the only prerequisite. It can not be dry.

Thanks for all the recipes and suggestions.

It's also interesting to read recipes from guys for dishes that "must" have some meat or hint of meat, which my mega-carnivore husband also leans toward. Here's a simple appetizer I heard from a guy in a store once:

Buy frozen meatballs, or make your own.

Mix grape jelly and soy sauce for a sweet/sour sauce.

Put sweet/sour sauce in shallow dish, add unfrozen meatballs with toothpick in each.

I'm also reading on recipe sites, that Breakfast Meal Muffins are currently popular. They go together quick and easy, and can be frozen. (Microwave one before you run off to school or work, and save $7 from that fast food drive-thru!) They are also a great way to use up leftovers, and are a nutritious snack or appetizer.

Here's a recipe I haven't made yet, of a Meal Muffin made from Holiday Dinner leftovers:

LEFTOVERS MUFFINS
1 3/4 Cup flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 egg
3/4 Cup turkey gravy
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
3/4 Cup cooked/diced turkey
2 Tablespoons jellied cranberry sauce

Combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine egg, gravy and oil - mix.

Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture until barely combined. Fold in turkey pieces.

Grease a muffin pan, and fill cups until 2/3 full. top each with cranberry sauce.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

(My husband has all our turkey leftovers in the freezer at the minute. But if anyone tries this, let me know how it turned out!)
**********************************************************************************************
BREAKFAST MUFFINS
1 pound sausage (or bacon or ham)
6 eggs
1 Cup Bisquick
2 Cups Half & Half (half milk, half cream, in Dairy Case)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups grated cheese

Lightly grease muffin pan. Mix eggs, Bisquick, Half&Half, salt and pepper.

Cook sausage, drain and slice. Put in bottom of muffin cups. Pour egg mixture over sausage in each cup.

Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

(Optional: While browning sausage, can add chopped onions, green peppers or mushrooms to pan to saute in the grease.)