Welcome to this month’s Tracery Style Session! Paige and I decided to style a festive table to inspire all the family and friend gatherings you may have planned over the holidays.
We used a home in recently designed by the Tracery team in Rosemary Beach. Isn’t it lovely? Yep, that’s the beach on the other side of those windows…the house is a reverse living plan which means the kitchen and family room on the second level. Makes for beautiful views. I’m obsessed with those white leather side chairs. Love that they’re so chic yet you can easily wipe ketchup off of them at a family dinner. That’s what I call realistic design.
For our style session, we created two VERY easy centerpieces for a holiday dinner. By easy, I mean there is no strategic flower arranging and no hassle.
Here is the first look.
The greens are Magnolia branches I clipped from our woods here – we love bringing elements from the outside onto the table. You could use any indigenous greens for your centerpiece. We embellished the greens with painted pine cones, mercury votives from Tracery and these pretties as parting gifts. This literally took 5-7 minutes to arrange.
KID ALERT: give your little one a very small paint brush and some red paint to “help” with painting the pine cones while you spray paint the others. Keeps ‘em busy and happy.
The next version uses all of the same elements but is centered around a mossy wreath and simple hurricane with a large candle inside. It’s a little more structured and would be a great option for a square or round table.
Paige took the clipped branches and nestled them around the wreath then placed the red pine cones inside the leaves…
This one was easy peasy. And we love the pops of red mixed in!
Voila!
NOW for our giveaway…one lucky winner will receive a dainty mercury covered dish from Tracery. I have to tell you that these are super sparkly and can be used for just about anything. What a perfect little Christmas gift!
HOW TO WIN: leave a comment telling us what favorite dish you most enjoy cooking or eating over the holidays. And maybe you can share an idea for a delicious Christmas dinner menu because I haven’t planned our family’s dinner yet. Eeek! : )
Merry Merry!!!
I‘m Seleta, a city girl living the beach life with my husband, fabulous four offspring, happy horses and frisky fur babies. A former TV personality turned Designer, I love to share the sparkly side of life. Read more 
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My favorite to eat and prepare is buche de noel. My family here at http://www.down-sizingboomer.blogspot.com always look forward to it.
Beautiful tables! I love the pine cones painted red…my favorite color. Why didn’t I think of that? :) I make cinnamon rolls shaped into a wreath and decorated for Christmas morning breakfast. I love mexican food for Christmas Eve! We get so tired of the turkey, ham and all the trimmings meals and something spicy fits the bill.
I’d love to be included in this giveaway. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Oh, my! Only one dish? We have too many only to have one favorite…..Our favorites would include baked duck, sweet potato casserole, crawfish cornbread dressing, cranberry salad…..I could go on and on…..Yum! :)
gorgeous! I love the simplicity of the first set up! Here in the “great north” we could simply use evergreen branches. I’m not much for “Christmas Dinner” – Thanksgiving is my meal of the year – but the cookies are what I am in it for! I just LOVE Christmas cookies!
That table is beautiful! And I love those chairs too. My favorite holiday dish is my aunt’s green beans, with tomatoes and white wine and shallots. Delicious!
We ditched the turkey tradition 4 years ago and opted for steak, lobster, capri salad and twice baked potatoes. It leaves us stuffed but it’s so delicious!
My favorite dish my husband makes for Christmas dinner is cornbread chorizo dressing. My stomach is growling just thinking about it!
Great centerpieces, so much nicer than the expected pine boughs and brown cones. We don’t have magnolia like that available in CT but I think I could make it work with rhododendron, no?
Our family’s favorite Christmas dinner menu is roast beef (Nigella has a wonderful simple recipe), popovers, fresh green beans with butter and a squirt of lemon, oven roasted potatoes and carrots (just olive oil, s&p, garlic and rosemary). And we eat dessert hours later, usually something chocolate or Christmas cookies, always with fresh clementines.
One of my favorite things to make during the holidays is Union Square Bar Nuts. They are delicious warm or at room temp, a little sweet, a little spicy, and the rosemary gives them a wonderful holiday scent and taste. Great with cocktails or wine and always a hit with guests.
1 1/4 pounds assorted unsalted nuts — such as cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and natural almonds. I have used just almonds or almonds and pecans.
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon unsalted butter — melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a baking sheet spread nuts and toast in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes. White nuts are toasting, in a small bowl toss together all remaining ingredients. Put hot nuts and melted butter in a large bowl and pour melted butter over them (you will hear crackling, this is normal). Sprinkle nuts with rosemary mixture and mix well. Serve warm, but they are okay at room temp.
Such gorgeous table settings, Seleta. I have been a follower for a while, but this is my first time commenting.
I’d have to say that my *new* favorite holiday dishes are my gluten free/dairy free green bean casserole and my gfdf mini sweet potato souffles. Hope you and those at Tracery enjoy the holidays. Hugs, Annemarie
I bought my mom one of these for Christmas… but I would love one for myself!!
My favorite thing to make for Christmas is the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls. I baked and delivered 14 pans to friends and family today!
definitely my grandma’s sugar cookies. she must put some norwegian love in them because they’re the best i’ve ever had!
ps. new to your site and loooooove it. thanks
I skip the cranberries and heavy (but heavenly!) gravies and make a light pomegranate chutney to serve either with ham, turkey and / or even lamb!
We make homenade pasta every Christmas eve:)
What a beautiful table! My favorite thing are these raspberry sugar cookies…I don’t have the recipe, so clearly it’s my favorite thing to eat over making! And I also love mulled wine this time of year!
Thanks for the chance!
xo,
Laura
We’re Italian, so my favorites are hand-cut pasta and escarole soup…yum!!!!
I love to make cinnamon rolls this time of year and any time of year! They’re just extra special when you have them around the christmas tree.
Lovely table indeed!
My favorite for the holiday is our traditional Swedish coffeecake on Christmas morning made with cardamon. Only once a year but it’s worth it.
Love the mercury box!
{Oven~Baked French Toast with Cranberry~Maple Sauce}
~New Year’s Day 2010 Brunch~
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
4 Eggs
2-1/2 cups Milk
1 loaf (24 inches) French bread, ends trimmed, cut into 18 slices
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, divided
1 cup Maple-flavored or pancake syrup
2 Tbsp. Sugar
BEAT cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add milk, beating until well blended.
ARRANGE bread in greased 13×9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with 1 cup of the cranberries. Pour cream cheese mixture over cranberries. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
BAKE 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, bring syrup just to boil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup cranberries and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly. Cut casserole into 9 pieces. Serve topped with the cranberry sauce.
The tables are gorgeous! Thanks for the ideas. We have cinnamon sugar “picking” cake for breakfast Christmas morning. Everyone looks forward to it – yum!
I love cooking a birthday cake for Jesus. It is the same recipe every year and it is special. It is done in a b- cake pan that is fit for a king. The kids love it.
My favorite dish for the Holidays are actually my Christmas cookies.
Beautiful tables by the way!
Gorgeous tables! As always, love all of your ideas. For Christmas dinner we always have a prime rib roast with a very tasty blue cheese sauce on the side. Pure heaven!
What a great giveaway!!! The mercury box is beautiful.
The kids favorites are mashed potatoes and fancy rolls. My favorite is the turkey and grilled asparagus.
Love the table arrangements! I enjoy making (&eating) pineapple casserole for Christmas dinner. So tasty!
So pretty! I would have to say homemade macaroni and cheese if I can only pick one thing.
Oh my I love these tables. I never would’ve thought to spray pine cones. At first glance I thought they were berries.
I am looking forward to holiday ham and garlic mashed potatoes.
Brocoli and cheese casserole…my family insist on this dish
that is soo pretty! And I’m all about the fudge!!!!
I love to bake cinnamon scones for Christmas morning. I also love your blog!
I love it!
Reading simplyseleta and urbangrace makes me miss the beach so much! we only make it down there a few times a year! :(
Favorite recipe is the cracker cookies:
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 package of semi sweet chocolate chip cookies
saltine crackers
preheat 400
line a cookie sheet (covered with foil) with saltines.
in a sauce pan BOIL butter and sugar for 3 minutes (stir continuously).
Pour mixture over saltines and bake for 5 minutes
sprinkle choco chips over and spread it out with a wooden spoon.
*sprinkle chopped pecans
refrigerate for at least 1 hour
Merry Christmas!
So pretty! Most of my cooking is actually done for Christmas breakfast… one of my favorites? Creme Brulee French toast. It’s so delicious and decadent it’s almost sinful. ;-)
I am going to make shrimp and grits for our Christmas Eve family meal – a great southern classic! And speaking of southern, I too, love decorating my home with magnolia leaves!!
Beautiful table settings. We have magnolida trees so now I am inspired to create one of these arrangements. I love the pops of red! What a pretty mercury dish. Thank you for the chance on your giveaway. I have so many favorite things that I like enjoy cooking at holidays…I do love dessert at Christmas. I am going to try a new dessert recipe this year – a chocolate peppermint trifle. Merry Christmas to you and your family , Seleta.
Oh my family makes a great sausage and chicken creole that everyone loves! It’s full of veggies and delish. Whenever I make it for friends, some are not so sure when I tell them what I am making and they all ask for the recipe when they take the first bite. Such a favorite!
This dish is spectacular. Lovely giveaway. Merry Christmas!
I’m planning a lovely roasted lamb and potatoes in the oven. Its quite a tradition around here…you should have heard the gasps when I suggested something else this year! :) Merry Christmas! Thanks for the giveaway.
Love the table decorations. Our famliy traditon is homemade pasta, and plenty of love ana laughs…….
Oh, such a pretty decoration! Love it! Every Christmas I make my special Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie in Toasted Pecan Crust. It’s to die for!
Two words: Christmas Cookies! Any and all of them. Loved the centerpieces, so easy and so chic!
We have beef tenderloin, scalloped potatoes , squash and other yummy dishes. The squash is my favorite.
Probably cinnamon pecan rolls– from Cooking Light! I highly recommend their recipe– it always receives rave reviews from my friends and family and they just melt in your mouth.
Homemade sugar cookies and peppermint bark – family faves!
My favorite is what come after the Honey-Baked Ham…bean soup!
My favorite holiday treat is not really something you eat (but you do bake them!) — salt dough cinamon ornaments for the tree — my grandmother always had a bowl of dough waiting for me when we arrived at her house on Christmas eve — I would sit in the kitchen making ornaments while she finished cooking dinner — what great memories!
A delish make- ahead breakfast casserole with hash browns. No rushing around on Christmas morning, just pop it in the oven and enjoy!
What a lovely giveaway!
I love to bake around the holidays and my new favorite thing is to make sea salt caramels with a thing layer of dark chocolate over the top. So delicious and decadent.
Such a beautiful table. All it needs os some delicious food! :)
Our Christmas Eve tradition for as long as I can remember, and one I am now passing on to my children, is having fondue for dinner. Since each piece of meat cooks individually, there is no rushing through dinner. It allows for a delicious meal, active participation and good conversation.
Anything Paula Deen!! Her french toast casserole is a sure favorite & super easy to prepare Christmas Eve! Thanks for the amazing inspirations…Merry Christmas!
I love the idea of painting the pinecones red! What a beautiful (and inexpensive) table-scape.
My favorite dish during the holidays would have to be the Breakfast casserole my family enjoys on Chirstmas morning.
This will be my first Christmas being married and I can’t wait to see what traditions we create in the years to come! Merry Christmas!
What a gorgeous mercury dish! And awesome table settings! Favorite dish…hard to decide: orange rolls, sausage rolls, or cinnamon-pecan rolls (notice a theme here??!). Happy holidays!
We will be enjoying Beef Stroganoff, Seven Layered Salad and homemade rolls this year. :)
Breakfast Casserole – Make it the day before and pop it in the oven while opening presents and voila – breakfast!
1 16 oz. loaf french bread
1 1/2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese
1/1/2 cups cheddar cheese
8 oz. cubed cream cheese
1 – 4 oz. can green chili’s drained
1 dozen eggs
2 cups milk
Layer:
1. Tear bread into bite size pieces – layer in 9 x 13 pan sprayed with Pam.
2. Monterrey Jack
3. Cheddar Cheese
4. Cream Cheese -space cubes evenly over top of mixture
5. Chili’s
Mix eggs with milk – pour over top – chill several hours or overnight. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
I’ll be honest…I look forward to dessert! Chocolate pudding pie is my fave:)
My favorite kitchen blog/website is SmittenKitchen.com. The photos and recipes are awesome. I’m making lemon raspberry muffins and spinach cheese strata for our Christmas Champagne Breakfast. I’m sure there are some inspiring dinner recipes too. Good luck and Merry Christmas.
BTW- Purchased one of these boxes for a friend and so sad I didn’t get one myself!
We make a Sour Cream Coffee Cake every Christmas morning, and I look forward to it all year long! A couple of years ago my dad started doubling the cinnamon sugar topping, and we have never been able to go back to the original recipe!
I love the painted pinecones. I recently painted my small leftover pumpkins red, white and green so that they could be used as christmas decorations until they spoiled. So far they are still going strong. I just arranged them on the countertop in glass canisters, and it turned out really cute. That’s what my fiance gets for trying to convinvce me to throw away perfectly good pumpkins!
Thanks for the great tips!!! I look forward to my Mom’s Icebox Fruitcake, something about it just says Christmas morning!!!!
Our neighborhood has a pot luck brunch on Christmas day. I usually bring homemade cinnamon rolls (the one from 101cookbooks.com is fantastic) and a hash brown egg casserole. But now that I have seen Betsy’s recipe for her breakfast casserole, I will be trying that one instead!
I too make cinnamon rolls & a breakfast casserole on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning the last thing I want to do is add cooking a big breakfast to the craziness. It is so nice to have make ahead food on hand. After reading these posts, looks like I’ll have some new recipes to try!
My favorite holiday menu item is my mom’s loaded mashed potatoes. YUM!
The meal I look most forward to is my grandmothers Christmas feast! Honey glazed ham and meatballs with mash potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, fresh veggies, jello salad, my moms napa cabbage salad and grape salad. Dessert consists of apple and pumpkin pie, my uncles homemade turtle candies and chocolates, my aunts special Christmas cookies and grandma’s gingerbread cookies. For drinks my grandma always makes punch and of course we have adult drinks, soda and juice for those who are not a fan of homemade punch.
My stomach is turning in excitement at the thought of that dinner! I can’t wait. Happy Holidays Everyone!
I look forward to my mom’s yummy breakfast casserole with biscuits. Yum!
My fav is “snack style shrimp” boiled then marinated served along with a veggie tray before the “real” meal – when all the dinner company is beggin for a piece of this or a taste of that I set this out to keep them away from the formal fixings until it is time! (Too many toes in the kitchen makes mama crazy!!)
I love all the holiday food, but my favorite special holiday treat is a chocolate chip/graham cracker/nut creation we’ve named “Decadent Delights.” Yum! I won’t let myself make it during the year because I just can’t stop eating it!
My favorite dish to eat around Christmas is Yorkshire Pudding. It’s been my favorite since I was a kid, and I look forward to it every year! It’s difficult to make, so we only have it for Christmas Day brunch.
What a great idea to paint pine cones red! I definitly will do this. My favorite thing to make during the holidays is Vegetable Pie or Green Bean Bundles. The kids love the bundles. Merry Christmas to your precious family.
pecan pie, really i’d enjoy it every night…
My grandmother makes the most amazing sweet potato praline dish, I wish that she would share the recipe with me! :)
Do cookies count? My favorite “dish” is a plate of cookies.
I’m looking forward to my mom’s seafood bake (crab, shrimp, cream, etc.)
I look forward to Red Velvet Cake…my husbands family has it every year. It is delicious!
Oh and that covered dish is dreamy!!! It would look amazing in my Master bedroom!!!
I look forward to 2 dishes every Christmas. My grandmother used to make steamed 7 cup pudding with caramel sauce. She’s not able to make it anymore so I purchased a steamer from Williams Sonoma (she used to use old soup tins but I’m not that talented!) and have made it the last couple years. Not quite the same as hers but I have to have it! Then there’s the stuffing. Its just simple stuffing without anything fancy but the secret ingredient is Newfoundland savory. I don’t know why it makes it taste different but regular savory from the grocery store just won’t cut it.
I’m looking forward to eating some of my grandmother’s creamed spinach. Weird? Maybe just a little…
i always love the yummy holiday treats my friends and neighbors bring.
this year my favorite so far has been the cinnamon rolls. something I don’t make but
so fun to indulge in during the holiday season.
merry christmas and
love the mercury glass!
I enjoy this the most because I don’t have to make it. My son does, every Christmas morning for me as a gift.
Ingredients
For crêpes
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus additional for cooking crêpes
For topping
• 1 navel orange
• 1 firm-ripe finger banana or 1 (4-inch) piece firm-ripe regular banana
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur or Cognac (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation
Make crêpes:
Whisk together milk, flour, egg, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and 2 teaspoons butter until smooth. Chill batter, covered, 30 minutes.
Lightly brush a 10-inch nonstick skillet with butter, then heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Holding skillet off heat, pour in half of batter (1/4 cup), immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crêpe.) Return skillet to heat and cook crêpe until just set and golden around edges, 10 to 15 seconds. Loosen edge of crêpe with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over carefully with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 20 seconds more. Transfer crêpe to a plate. Brush skillet with more butter and make another crêpe in same manner. Reserve skillet.
Make topping and assemble dessert:
Cut peel, including all white pith, from orange with a sharp paring knife. Working over a bowl, cut segments free from membranes, letting segments fall into bowl, then squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from membranes into bowl (discard membranes).
Peel banana and halve lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
Melt butter in reserved skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add sugar, then pour juice from bowl into sugar mixture and cook, swirling skillet, until sugar is dissolved. Add 1 crêpe to sauce and cook until crêpe is coated and heated through, about 15 seconds. Fold crêpe into quarters using tongs, then transfer to a heated dessert plate. Repeat with second crêpe.
Add orange segments and banana to skillet and cook, shaking skillet occasionally, until fruit is heated through, about 2 minutes. Add Grand Marnier or Cognac (if using) and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Spoon fruit over crêpes and sprinkle with pecans.
My mom’s prime rib. Yum! I can’t wait.
Sausage apple pie!!
dessert is my favorite !
Definitely the homemade cookies (mmm) . Thanks, Maureen (jnomaxx at hotmail dot com)
Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon….I make it each Christmas Eve and it is divine.
Turkey and dressing. It’s about the only thing that I cook that I’m good at!
We have hors dourves on Christmas Eve. Everyone in our family picks their favorite and we spend the day whooping it up in the kitchen! My favorite is cheese snowflakes, my husband likes the shrimp cocktail, dad’s favorite is little pigs in the blanket, our son likes the veggie tray (!) and a few others! Merry Christmas!
Any dessert that my mom makes is my favorite. I can’t make it home this year, so she sent me some goodies to enjoy!
My absolute favorite dish for any holiday is cheesecake! Any type, any kind, any form; it’s the best!
My Aunt Sallie’s yeast, dinner rolls. We just call them “Sallie rolls” and they disappear very quick!!!
I love lefse (a Scandnavian potato flat bread) with butter and a liitle bit of sugar!
I love making Christmas sugar cookies! We always did that as a family growing up and I just love doing it with my family now! I have so many great memories of doing that while watching a Christmas movie or listening to Christmas music!
Thanks for such an inspiring blog!
Instead of a formal Turkey dinner we now do an appetizer event. Easy for the host and guests and you don’t end up stuffing yourself :)
We do a Christmas Eve dinner and a breakfast on Christmas day. My menu for both, I have to say, is fabulous! The Rosemary Biscuits for breakfast are delicious!
The sour cream coconut cake is always beautiful and delicious. A recent addition to our favorites is Martha’s mushroom stuffing…so incredible.
I think this is my first time posting, but I’ve been enjoying your pretty blog for a couple months now. You have such a gorgeous, sweet family. Congrats on the Southern Living shoot! Thanks for all the inspiration.
I’ve started a fledgling blog of my own. Come visit!
We do sticky buns – make em the night before, pop em in the oven when we get up and open presents, and they are ready when we are! Delicious and the whole house smells like cinnamon all day long!
It’s my husbands birthday so I make his favorite meal. Prime rib, stuffed baked potatoes, broiled brussels sprouts, spinach salad with cranberries & pecans. Topped off with a chocolate cake!
I look forward to Hanukkah cookies and Latkes!! and sometimes our family even makes apple cake! I just love family recipes!
We just confirmed our menu today! My sisters and I will cook dinner for the family on Christmas Day. Beef tenderloin, Jamie Oliver’s roast goose, roasted root veggies, brussel sprouts, sourdough rolls.
For starters, mini crab cakes and shrimp cocktail with whiskey sours (waiting all slushy in my freezer right now!) to drink.
A big spongy English cake with ice cream for desert. I can hardly wait!
Enjoying your blog! Have a happy Christmas.
I always look forward to my Aunt’s Pecan pie and peppermint bark.
Paula Deen’s green bean casserole–uses fresh green beans (from food network) the best!!
Super yummy!! Great paired with any type of main dish!!
Enjoy!
Swiss Potato Vegetable Gratin
Potatoes
6 large baking potatoes
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup (75 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh chives or green onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Vegetables
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter
1 medium onion, sliced
8 oz (250 g) mushrooms, sliced
2 cups (500 mL) sliced zucchini
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups (500 mL) diced fennel
2 cups (500 mL) thinly sliced cauliflower florets
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped garlic
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped chives
Topping
1 cup (250 mL) fresh bread crumbs
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped parsley
3 tbsp (45 mL) melted butter
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake potatoes until soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cool slightly.
Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the potato pulp. Discard skins. In a large bowl, mash the potatoes with masher then whisk in the butter, Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. Stir in whipping cream, chives and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve.
While potatoes are baking, heat oil and butter in large skillet. Add onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, zucchini, red pepper, fennel and cauliflower. Sauté for 2 minutes, cover skillet and cook 2 to 4 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp tender.
Uncover and stir in garlic, parsley, basil and chives. Season well. Reserve. Spread one-third of the potato mixture in a buttered deep baking dish. Spread half of the vegetables over potatoes. Top with one-third more of the potatoes. Spread remaining vegetables over potatoes and finish with a final potato layer.
In a small bowl, combine fresh bread crumbs with parsley and melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over potatoes. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is browned and filling is hot.
Serves 10
LOVE the red pine cones. I want to paint some right now. I love a yummy fillet with this potatoe and watercress salad. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Potato-Salad-with-Watercress-Green-Onions-and-Blue-Cheese-Vinaigrette-108279
Love those red pinecones!!! Hmmm….I wish I could say I cook…but my sister owns a restaurant and when I need food I just call her up!
My fave dish is NOLA style bread pudding!!
cookies!!!!
I love Christmas Cookies of all kinds. This year I am trying something new: Brandied Cranberry, White Chocolate Chip and Pecan cookies.
Heather, I am making Boeuf Bourguignon for Christmas Eve too.
My favorite is my mother’s pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. It is so moist and delicious.
It is not very elegant but my family LOVES my Mom’s recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese at the holidays…this year, I am going to attempt a gluten free version. I serve it right alongside the turkey and beef tenderloin:)
It is elbow macaroni, huge chunks of cheddar cheese and milk. all baked to melty yummy perfection. Oh and I collect mercury glass so I am crossing my fingers.
Merry Christmas Seleta!!
My favorite is my mom’s stuffing! One year I made a yummy sweet potato dish.. come to think of it, I should dig that recipe out again! Happy Holidays, xoxo
My favorite dish is squash casserole for dinner. I always make eggs benedict and a baby greens salad for my family on Christmas morning.
This is a great giveaway. Put my name in the hat!!
green bean casserole with fresh green beans and LOTS of fried onions!!! the best part!!!
Klejner, a danish cookie I used to make with my grandmother.
my favorite dish is candied yams, sweet potatoes or whatever you want to call them! as long as they have brown sugar and lots of marshmallows, i’m a fan! xo
i love cranberry salsa…..pour it over some cream cheese and serve it with pita chips!!! Yummy! It is so festive with the red cranberries and green from the green onions! Merry Christmas:)
I would have to say monkey bread on Christmas morning and my grandmothers pecan fingers Christmas cookie recipe. Both are by far two family faves!
I’m making beef tenderloin with blue cheese, roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus, butter lettuce salad with craisins, blue cheese, and candied pecans (raspberry vinaigrette dressing). Apple pie for dessert! Yummy!
My grandmother makes homemade chocolate covered cherries for Christmas every single year. I look forward to them so much!
Pecan pie is my ultimate favorite holiday treat with fresh whipped cream on top!
I host Christmas breakfast every year and I always look forward to eating what my family calls “ham rolls”. It’s a mixture of finely chopped ham, melted butter, onion, swiss cheese, mustard and poppy seeds. I cut Pepperidge Farms’ Parker House rolls in half, spread the mixture in between, wrap them in tinfoil and bake in the oven. It’s quick and easy and delicious!
my favorite for Christmas morning is always having something warm and ready while hubby and i watch the little ones open up their gifts is some Christmas blend coffee along with by best scones ever. I make variations so the kiddos can have some. This year I’m making Chocolate Cherry and Brown Sugar-Pecan Scones.
Have a wonderful Merry Christmas!
We are doing shrimp gumbo for Christmas day. It’s something we all love , it’s easy and it’s even better the next day. We live on the Louisiana coast and our daughter moved “inland” about a year ago, so she doesn’t get good seafood very often. Potato salad (a traditional gumbo side), some French bread, pecan pie and chocolate covered strawberries will round things out. We were given a set a beautiful champagne flutes today, so a before dinner toast will also be in order! Merry Christmas everyone!
We’re heading out to make Angel Wings (chrusciki) at a cousin’s house this morning. They’re only perfect when they’re so thin that they crumble apart when you try to pick one up. Dusted in powdered sugar = heaven.
I have planned to make a pork crown roast with apple peacan stuffing and brussel sprouts. yummmm. But my favorite holiday food is warm gingerbread with whipped cream. I get hungry just thinking about it.
So pretty! I’m attempting homemade eggnog this year. The kind in the carton is usually too thick and ucky for me so I’m trying out the homemade kind to see if I like it any better. Here’s hoping I don’t give the family salmonella!
My husband’s family’s Christmas Eve dinner is quite an affair. I would say a very traditional Italian meal (LOTS of food). All of the courses are delicious but it’s my husband’s meatballs that are the big hit. Around Christmas we have friends and neighbors begging him to make extras for them.
Do sugar cookies count? MMmmmm….
Love cooking for my family! Although, my husband does all of the big items, I just fill in with desserts and sides. So lucky!
my father-in-law makes a baked cranberry apple cobbler with an oatmeal topping. it is the best thing i’ve ever tasted. he makes mine gluten free in a separate dish, so i can enjoy too.
love the mercury piece…..hoping for it.
This will be our first Christmas at home and a slow roast duck with an orange-sherry sauce will be the main dish.
I LOVE homemade carmel corn! Heres the delicious recipe…
Ingredients:
2 cups butter
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup white Karo
2 cups light brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 bag of Rios popped popcorn
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In a saucepan, melt:
2 cups butter
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup white Karo
2 cups light brown sugar
stir for 5 minutes
add 1 t. vanilla and stir
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Toss Rios popcorn onto an rectangular cake pan. (You will need at least 2 pans and will probably still have a little Rios popcorn leftover)
Pour liquid on top.
Place in 250 oven for 1/2 hour.
Stir popcorn mixture and place back in oven for another 1/2 hour.
Pour onto waxed paper and let sit. The longer you let it cool—the better it tastes!
ENJOY! :)
I love to make breakfast casserole (eggs, milk, sausage, onions, mushrooms, cheese and spices, poured over stale bread chunks and baked) for Christmas breakfast. Sooo yummy and special, but makes up beautifully ahead of time, ready to pop in the oven at the last minute and serve with oj, or better yet, mimosas. ;) Mmm!
Merry, Merry Christmas Seleta, I hope it’s a wonderful, warm one filled with many beautiful memories made. ♥
~Lydia
My favorite is fresh (not the can version) cranberry relish. I love the whole cranberries and it is so good on turkey sandwiches the following day(s)! Also, it can be made a couple days in advance!
I LOVE making all of our family’s Greek foods! Christmas is the best excuse to get my favorite dishes made :)
it has to be pumkin pie. easy to make, always tastes good and you can have it for breakfast without feeling guilty…all that vitamin A and such!! Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you, Peter and the kids!
Miss you guys!
Xo
Eddie + Jaithan
I know it is an appetizer but nothing says the holidays to me like Baked Brie en Croute!
Love, love my mother- in- laws homemade tamales. So wonderful in the morning
for breakfast with over easy eggs.
No joke, my Granny’s fruitcake. Most people just haven’t had a good fruitcake.