Christmas Dinner, 2013
Dec. 25th, 2013 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sylkeOh, Livejournal, how I've neglected you.
I'm pretty happy with the dinner I pulled off tonight. There were a couple logistical hiccups, but my plan was solid and everyone ended up fed in the end.
MENU:
crab dip with crackers
store-bought filo dough appetizers
Ham
Whipped mashed red potatoes
glazed carrots
roasted broccoli and cauliflower
oyster dressing
crescent rolls
pie&ice cream for dessert
CRAB DIP
1 large can shredded crab (16 oz?)
8 oz cream cheese
green onions, chopped (about 4 full)
5+ TB sour cream (just dumped some in)
5+ TB mayo (same)
garlic powder (calls for 1/8 tsp, I just sprinkled some in liberally)
Old Bay (called for 1 tsp, I probably only sprinkled on 1/4 tsp if that much)
grated parm (however much was left in the container. 1/2 cp?)
salt & pepper to taste
Mix and serve hot or cold. Was very tasty, but guests arrived an hour later than expected, so there was a lot left instead of it getting munched on.
HAM GLAZE:
Old and kind of dried out whole grain mustard
Maple Syrup, 1/2 cup ish
Brown sugar, maybe 1/4 cp ish
Dijon-style mustard to make it smoother
GLAZED CARROTS:
4 lbs carrots
2 cp water
1 stick butter
1 1/3 cp brown sugar
Cut carrots into 2" pieces, slicing in half or quarter if thick. Put all ingredients in a pan, cover, bring to a boil, then uncover and stir occasionally until the water is gone and the carrots have a slight browning to them. NOTE: I left it covered too much and the carrots would've been too mushy if I hadn't taken them out of the caramel bath. Also, too much caramel. I can probably cut down on the butter and sugar and don't need to double it when doubling the carrots.
ROASTED BRASSICAS
Cut into small florets. Put in fridge for a couple hours to dry out completely. Toss with some olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast at 425 for 25 minutes, stirring/flipping once to make sure they brown on both sides.
OYSTER DRESSING
2 boxes crackers (SPECIFIC crackers from Grandmom)
1 pt oysters (ended up a little more than a pound)
1/2 stick butter
S&P to taste
2 cp concentrated turkey or chicken broth
I took a full box (4 cp) of Kitchen Basics Turkey Broth and reduced it to 2 cp. I poured a small amount (1/4 cp?) of drippings from the ham into the broth because I burned the rest of it and there wasn't enough left for gravy. Having the broth pre-warmed is important. Crumble the crackers (I only used about 3/4 of the second box) to about the size of a quarter, ish. Put crackers in a large saute pan and pour the broth in. Work with the consistency until it's a bit less moist than you want it to ultimately be. Add some pepper, the butter, and salt to taste. (With the ham drippings, it didn't need any salt.) Gently fold in oysters with their liquor. Grease 1.5 qt casserole with butter. Add mixture. Dot with butter. Protect oysters with dressing. Bake at 500 until browned, 10-15 minutes. Yes, bake, not just broil, because you want the oysters to heat up as well.
Pie, ice cream, and crescent rolls were all store-bought.
Also, first meal in my brand-new kitchen. It was a dream to cook in, I gotta admit.
I'm pretty happy with the dinner I pulled off tonight. There were a couple logistical hiccups, but my plan was solid and everyone ended up fed in the end.
MENU:
crab dip with crackers
store-bought filo dough appetizers
Ham
Whipped mashed red potatoes
glazed carrots
roasted broccoli and cauliflower
oyster dressing
crescent rolls
pie&ice cream for dessert
CRAB DIP
1 large can shredded crab (16 oz?)
8 oz cream cheese
green onions, chopped (about 4 full)
5+ TB sour cream (just dumped some in)
5+ TB mayo (same)
garlic powder (calls for 1/8 tsp, I just sprinkled some in liberally)
Old Bay (called for 1 tsp, I probably only sprinkled on 1/4 tsp if that much)
grated parm (however much was left in the container. 1/2 cp?)
salt & pepper to taste
Mix and serve hot or cold. Was very tasty, but guests arrived an hour later than expected, so there was a lot left instead of it getting munched on.
HAM GLAZE:
Old and kind of dried out whole grain mustard
Maple Syrup, 1/2 cup ish
Brown sugar, maybe 1/4 cp ish
Dijon-style mustard to make it smoother
GLAZED CARROTS:
4 lbs carrots
2 cp water
1 stick butter
1 1/3 cp brown sugar
Cut carrots into 2" pieces, slicing in half or quarter if thick. Put all ingredients in a pan, cover, bring to a boil, then uncover and stir occasionally until the water is gone and the carrots have a slight browning to them. NOTE: I left it covered too much and the carrots would've been too mushy if I hadn't taken them out of the caramel bath. Also, too much caramel. I can probably cut down on the butter and sugar and don't need to double it when doubling the carrots.
ROASTED BRASSICAS
Cut into small florets. Put in fridge for a couple hours to dry out completely. Toss with some olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast at 425 for 25 minutes, stirring/flipping once to make sure they brown on both sides.
OYSTER DRESSING
2 boxes crackers (SPECIFIC crackers from Grandmom)
1 pt oysters (ended up a little more than a pound)
1/2 stick butter
S&P to taste
2 cp concentrated turkey or chicken broth
I took a full box (4 cp) of Kitchen Basics Turkey Broth and reduced it to 2 cp. I poured a small amount (1/4 cp?) of drippings from the ham into the broth because I burned the rest of it and there wasn't enough left for gravy. Having the broth pre-warmed is important. Crumble the crackers (I only used about 3/4 of the second box) to about the size of a quarter, ish. Put crackers in a large saute pan and pour the broth in. Work with the consistency until it's a bit less moist than you want it to ultimately be. Add some pepper, the butter, and salt to taste. (With the ham drippings, it didn't need any salt.) Gently fold in oysters with their liquor. Grease 1.5 qt casserole with butter. Add mixture. Dot with butter. Protect oysters with dressing. Bake at 500 until browned, 10-15 minutes. Yes, bake, not just broil, because you want the oysters to heat up as well.
Pie, ice cream, and crescent rolls were all store-bought.
Also, first meal in my brand-new kitchen. It was a dream to cook in, I gotta admit.
