These Christmas everyday recipes will cut your time at the stove, and at the sink, too! Christmas time is hectic enough without having to worry about elaborate meals for each day of the week.
My family members aren't the pickiest eaters in the world, but they definitely know what they like. These recipes are some family favorites.
If you have older children, you know that its hard to get everyone at home even for one meal a day. Most of these Christmas everyday recipes can be kept warm or re-heated so that each member of the family gets a healthy, tasty and nutritious meal no matter what time they get home from the store!
When most people think of everyday recipes, they think boring. These are certainly anything but! They are colorful and fun to eat - and even I think they are fun to make!
They don't take a lot of time, they aren't particularly challenging to cook, and they will rev up those worn down engines for each member of your family!
There aren't a lot of pre-prepared fresh items here, as one of the reasons for this site is helping to save money during the holidays as well. When you purchase anything pre-prepared from the store, you pay a premium for that item.
This is the time of year that canned goods are on sale at ridiculously low prices. For that reason, you will find a lot of canned items in here.
That said, if you choose to purchase those pre-cut, pre-washed, pre-whatever, fresh veggies, it will save even more time in the kitchen - so that decision is up to you.
Since I usually have more time than money, so I've put in the everyday recipes that I use.
Feel free in a crunch, to add those premium items (washed, cut and pealed veggies, etc) to your shopping list - they are just as good as home-made, and a lot quicker. A once-in-a-while splurge isn't a bad thing, after all!
Cheater's Chili
Cheesy Beef Casserole
Chicken Stew
Stuffed Peppers
One of my best Christmas everyday recipes! You can use any meat you like - sausages work great, so does ground beef, sliced up hot dogs - whatever you have on hand!
Christmas Everyday recipes like this one are wonderful for fridge-cleaning day, as you can also add other vegetables and make this into a stew! To thicken, simply add a rue (flour fried with an equal amount of butter) or a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in cool water.
28 oz can of tomatoes
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of pork and beans
Ground pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste
If you are using sausage, remove the casing, and as with ground beef, brown before adding to the pot. Otherwise, simply toss everything into a large pot and bring to a boil - then serve. Now, THAT is simple!
Serve this with some biscuits made from the pre-prepared dough like Pillsbury and such.
Versions of this using macaroni are sold in boxes, ready to add the beef and serve. Christmas everyday recipes for home-cooking the entire thing don't use that much more effort - and you can mix and match ingredients already in the fridge and pantry!
Salt, to taste
1 pound ground chuck (or regular hamburger beef)
1 large onion, chopped
6 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 cup sour cream
1 can tomato sauce
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Cook the noodles, and drain.
Brown ground beef and onions in a large skillet, and drain. Add cream cheese, and stir until melted. Add rest of ingredients, and top with the cheddar.
Put all of this into a 2-quart casserole dish, and bake at 350° until cheese starts to bubble.
This is one of those great Christmas everyday recipes that allows you to decide what ingredients you want to put in. You can substitute cubed pork, beef, game or other birds. You can use left-overs. Whatever vegetables you add to it will simply give it more flavor and make it more hearty!
Christmas everyday recipes are designed to be fast, simple and economical. Mine often use canned ingredients, however, if you grow your own - by all means use fresh!!!!! If there's a great sale on fresh produce in the store, use that. You get the idea!
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of mushrooms
1 can of carrots
1 can of whole potatoes, cubed
1 can sweet peas (drained)
2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or Velveeta)
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
Simply put everything in one pot, and cook over medium heat until the cheese is melted!
Variations:
Serve over cooked rice.
Serve stroganoff style, over cooked egg noodles.
Using 1 package Pet Ritz pie crusts, and one box of rolled, flat crusts, this will make two chicken pot pies!
This is one of my Mom's best Christmas everyday recipes. I always cook up about 2 cups of rice to mix in with it, but she never did, so I didn't put that in the recipe.
You can also use tomatoes, or medium sized zucchini. Some folks even like this mixture inside winter squash!
If you grow spaghetti squash like I do, it is simply wonderful with the pepper nested in it and a little of the juice from the baking pan poured over the top!
1 pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can cream-style corn
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon basil
Dash of pepper
½ cup soft bread crumbs (1 slice)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Cut tops from green peppers; discard seeds and membranes. Chop enough of the tops to make ¼ cup, set aside.
Cook the whole green peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain well. Sprinkle insides of peppers lightly with salt.
In skillet cook ground beef, onion and the chopped green pepper until meat is brown and onion is tender. Add tomatoes and simmer until tomatoes are cooked, about 4 minutes. Drain off liquid. Add the corn, cream-style corn, salt, basil and pepper to skillet and mix together thoroughly. Stuff peppers with the meat mixture.
Toss crumbs with melted butter to combine; sprinkle on top of peppers. Place the stuffed peppers in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes.
Hope this gives you some ideas to get you started!! And remember, most of these dishes you can make ahead so that hubby or older kids can toss them on the stove or in the oven for you -
Many Blessings
GrannySue
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