Surviving Christmas

These simple Christmas egg and cheese recipes will make creating a family breakfast simple, easy and nutritious. BUT!!! these aren't just breakfast dishes - in fact - most of them are great for other times of the day! Nothing here is difficult, but these dishes are filling and very tasty.

At our house, Christmas morning started Mom's one day off per year. After breakfast, she refused to cook again for the day, but there were always tons of things in the fridge so no one ever minded. Breakfast was simple, but always more than we could eat.

There would be a selection of coffee cakes, eggs and meat - that's it - fill up and warm the belly, get some energy, and off to enjoy the rest of the day!

Anytime Quiche
Quiche is one of those Christmas egg and cheese recipes that has been the butt of jokes, the mainstay of the pantry, and a great make-ahead meal for busy families. With the basic egg mixture, you can create endless variety.

This recipe is super-easy to double, triple, or even more. If you are doing more than one, and you intend to freeze any for later, simply bake until it is set, but not browned. Be sure to thaw to room temperature before baking the frozen one, and you will be just fine.

Another thing you can do is to freeze individual portions of fillings instead of entire quiches. This will save a lot of room in the freezer (especially if you make several at one time), and is simply a matter of thawing the filling, and baking the quiche.

Either way - quiche, with its endless variety and super simple creation, is a family friendly, fast and nutritious dinner all in one pan!

Christmas egg and cheese recipes like this are never boring. Spice it up, or pare it down - change the 'weightier' ingredients and have a ball!


Ingredients:  Pastry for 9-inch pie crust (I use Pet Ritz or Pillsbury)
2½ ounces thinly sliced deli ham, diced
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
4 large eggs
1¼ cups milk
1 cup light cream
Pinch of ground red pepper
Dash nutmeg
Sprinkle ham and cheese over pie crust.

Place eggs in medium-size bowl and beat lightly. Stir in milk, cream, red pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well and pour over cheese and ham.

Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes.

Variations:

Crab Quiche: Eliminate ham and substitute 2 cups crab meat.
Vegetable Quiche: Eliminate ham and substitute 2 cups chopped, cooked vegetables of your choice.
Bacon Quiche: Eliminate ham and substitute 12 slices crisp-cooked, finely crumbled bacon.
Spinach Quiche: Make the Bacon Quiche, but use 6 slices bacon, and 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen spinach.

You get the idea -



Broiled Egg Salad Sandwiches
A complete meal in a bun - what more could you ask?? When most people think of Christmas egg and cheese recipes, they think breakfast. You won't find any strictly breakfast foods on this page. I like eggs any time - and cheese is a better snack for me than even chocolate!


Ingredients:  8 large eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
3 tablespoons prepared yellow or Dijon mustard
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup green pepper, chopped
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon celery seeds
3 tablespoons onion, very finely chopped
3 sandwich buns rolls, toasted open-faced and buttered
2/3 cup evaporated milk
Dash of sage
Combine the eggs, cheddar, green pepper, onion, evaporated milk, mustard, salt, celery seeds, sage and pepper. Spread each bun with about ¼ cup of the egg mixture. Broil about 5 inches from the heat source until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.


Country Breakfast Casserole
Another of the Christmas egg and cheese recipes that makes a complete and wholesome meal! Everything is tossed in here, and it's served up just like those skillet breakfast plates at the local restaurant. Feel free to add to this - anything such as red or green peppers (even hot ones, if you wish!), bacon, mushrooms - use some imagination!

This is one of those wonderful dishes that you can just keep adding and adding to, and except for the size of the pan you are cooking in, there just are no limits!

Don't limit yourself - this is one of those hearty egg and cheese recipes that would be great any time of day!


Ingredients:  1 roll (12 ounces) sausage, or 1 package breakfast sausages
3 medium potatoes, cubed
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
½ cup milk

1 package country-style gravy mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch paprika

In a large skillet, cook crumbled (or sliced) sausage and cubed potatoes over medium heat until brown, stirring occasionally. Remove sausage and drain on paper towel.

Spread sausage and browned potatoes over bottom of a LIGHTLY GREASED 11x8 inch baking dish.

Whisk together eggs, water, milk and gravy mix. Pour over sausage and potatoes. Add salt, pepper and paprika, and mix into pan. Sprinkle cheese to cover top.

Bake at 325°, uncovered, for about 40 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Or, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake for 50 minutes, uncovered. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
 



Super Souped Up Deviled Eggs
I've rarely been to a holiday party where the hostess didn't serve up some deviled eggs - and I could eat them all just by myself! This is one of the best recipes I've found. It's here in the Christmas egg and cheese recipes section for now until I find a few more appetizers... Then I'll move them over to their own section.


Ingredients:
1 dozen eggs, boiled, peeled, halved lengthwise
4 heaping scoops of salad dressing
1 tablespoon +2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Pinch of paprika to garnish

Remove yolks and mash with the salad dressing.

In a small dish, blend vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Fold into the yolk mixture, add salt and pepper. Using a baggie with the corner snipped off, pipe the mixture into the egg halves and sprinkle with paprika.

 
Veggie Bake
This is a main-stay in the Christmas egg and cheese recipes I have at home. You can substitute eggplant, cooked sliced potatoes or even chopped spinach for the zucchini - let your family tastes decide! It is super fast and easy - and is a complete and healthy meal all by itself!

Veggie bake is great for dinner, but you can serve it just as well at breakfast time to make sure everyone has energy to spare for their busy day!

Ingredients:  1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup Bisquick or similar baking mix
 1 cup milk
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch ground black pepper

Layer zucchini, tomato, onion and cheese in a WELL-GREASED pie plate.

Stir remaining ingredients until blended and pour over vegetables.

Bake at 400° for about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Many Blessings
GrannySue 

In baking, more-so than in cooking, measurements must be nearly exact. It's not a science, but if you fudge too much, your baked goods will not turn out as well as they should.

Holiday cooking and baking are unique. Often, you are creating dishes for more people than you otherwise would. Since holiday cooking is done in such large quantities, sometimes it's simply easier to have a reference to go to for measurements for larger-than-normal amounts of certain ingredients.

I have often been at a loss when trying to simplify measurements in recipes that I have doubled, tripled or halved. Since I also often cook for large crowds and for markets, I found having these measurements handy is a must.

Since most folks do not cook for very large numbers of people very often, I thought it might be good to have a reference page of common measurements here for information that will simplify your cooking for parties and such.

One warning: While doubling and tripling measurements in recipes is quite common, I would not advise increasing a recipe by more than 4 times. You will find that the flavors are off, sometimes more than noticeably.

The same thing goes for halving measurements - I wouldn't do it more than once for any recipe.

If you need recipes for huge numbers of people, there are some hints and tips on another page that will make your life a whole lot easier, and still ensure wonderful finished products!


1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 3 teaspoons (tsp)
1/16 cup = 1 tablespoon
1/8 cup = 2 tablespoons
1/6 cup = 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons or 2 fluid ounces
1/3 cup = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup = 6 tablespoons
1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
2/3 cup = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup = 12 tablespoons
1 cup = 48 teaspoons, or 1/2 pint
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
1 pint (pt) = 2 cups
1 quart (qt) = 2 pints
4 cups = 1 quart
1 gallon (gal) = 4 quarts
16 ounces (oz) = 1 pound (lb)
1 liter = approx. 4 cups, or 1 quart
1 milliliter (ml) = 1 cubic centimeter (cc)
1 inch (in) = 2.54 centimeters (cm)


Sometimes I run across a recipe from another country, that does not use the same measurements I am accustomed to in the US. Here are some of the most common measurements in metric form.

1/5 teaspoon = 1 milliliter
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 fluid oz = 30 ml
1/5 cup = 47 ml
1 cup = 237 ml
2 cups (1 pint) = 473 ml
4 cups (1 quart) = .95 liter
4 quarts (1 gal.) = 3.8 liters
1 ounce = 27 gm
1 pound = 454 grams

One-Pound Measurements/Equivalents:

2 cups Butter = 1 lb
4 cups Flour = 1 lb
2 cups Sugar = 1 lb
2 cups Milk = 1 lb
9 medium Eggs = 1 lb
2-1/2 cups Oatmeal = 1 lb

 

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Other Measurements/Equivalents:

1 package of Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast = 1-3/4 tsp
1/2 package of Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast = 7/8 tsp
1 No. 300 can (14-16 oz) = 1-3/4 cups
1 No. 10 can (6-1/2 - 7-1/2 lb) = 12-13 cups

 

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"Antique" Measurements:
Many old cookbooks give rather strange measurements. These are from a forum I am part of which is based on 19th century cooking.

1 wineglass = 1/4 cup
1 jigger = 1.5 fluid ounces
1 gill = 1/2 cup
1 teacup = a scant 3/4 cup
1 coffee cup = a scant cup
1 tumbler = 1 cup
1 peck = 2 gallons - dry

1 pinch or dash = what can be picked up between thumb and first two fingers; less than 1/8 teaspoon
1/2 pinch = what can be picked up between thumb and one finger
 

1 saltspoon = 1/4 teaspoon
1 kitchen spoon = 1 teaspoon
1 dessert spoon = 2 teaspoons or 1 soupspoon
1 spoonful = 1 tablespoon more or less

1 saucer = 1 heaping cup (about)
 

1 penny weight = 1/20 ounce
 

1 drachma = 1/8 ounce
60 drops thick fluid = 1 teaspoon

Butter the size of a egg = 1/4 cup or 2 ounces
Butter the size of a walnut = 1 tablespoon
Butter the size of a hazelnut = 1 teaspoon

1 ounce = 4 1/2 tbls allspice, cinnamon, curry, paprika, dry mustard
or 4 tablespoons cloves or prepared mustard
or 3 1/2 tablespoons nutmeg or pepper
or 3 tablespoons sage, cream of tartar or cornstarch
or 2 tablespoons salt or any liquid

1 pound = 2 cups liquid

or 4 cups flour
or 8 medium size eggs with shells
or 10 eggs without shells
or 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar\

or packed brown sugar
or 4 cups grated cabbage, cranberries, coffee or chopped celery
or 3 cups cornmeal
or 2 cups uncooked rice
or 2 3/4 cups raisins or dried currants

 

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"Antique" Temperature Measurements:

Again, in very old cookbooks, no temperatures are given as such, mainly because there were no temperature controls on stoves prior to the 1900's. These measurements have been tested and re-tested in professional kitchens.

Very slow oven = below 300ºF
Slow oven = 300ºF
Moderately slow oven = 325ºF
Moderate oven = 350ºF
Moderately hot oven = 375ºF
Quick oven = 375 - 400ºF
Hot oven = 400 - 425ºF
Very hot oven = 450 - 475ºF
Extremely hot oven = 500ºF or more

 

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Food Measurements:
Many recipes, both new and old, will call for a certain amount of ingredients that cannot be readily measured. These measurements are provided so that if a recipe calls for an amount - or - a certain number of ingredients, you can tell how much or how many you need.

Apples: 1 pound (3 medium) = 3 cups sliced
Bacon: 8 slices cooked = 1/2 cup crumbled
Bananas: 1 pound (3 medium) = 2 1/2 cups sliced = about 2 cups mashed
Beans, dried: 1 pound = 6 cups cooked
Beans, green or wax: 1 pound = 3 cups cut
Beef, cooked: 5 oz. = 1 cup cubed
Bell Pepper: 1 medium = 1 cup chopped
Bread: 1 pound = 12 to 16 slices

 

1 cup soft bread crumbs = about 1 1/2 slices
1/3 cup dry crumbs = 1 slice

Butter or margarine: 1 pound = 2 cups = 4 sticks
  Size of an egg = 2 tablespoons = about 1/4 cup

Cabbage, raw: 1 pound = 4 cups shredded

Candied fruit or peels: 1/2 pound (8 ounces) = 1 cup unchopped = 1 1/4 cups chopped
Canned fruit: 16 to 20 oz. can = 1 3/4 to 2 cups drained fruit
Canned vegetables: 16 oz. can = 2 cups drained vegetables
Carrots 1/2 pound: 2 medium = 1 1/4 cups chopped = 1 cup sliced = 1 cup shredded
Cauliflorets: 1 pound = 3 cups
Cereal, flakes: 3 cups uncrushed = 1 cup crushed
Celery 2 medium stalks = 1 cup sliced
Cheese, American: 1 pound = About 4 cups shredded

Cheese, Cheddar: 1 pound = About 4 cups shredded

  4 ounces = 1 cup
Cheese, Cottage: 1 pound = 2 cups
  8 ounces = 1 cup
Cheese, Cream: 3-ounce package = 1 cup
  8-ounce package = 6 tablespoons
Cherries 4 cups unpitted = 2 cups pitted
Chocolate, baking: 1 square = 1 ounce

Chocolate Chips (morsels): 6-ounce package = 1 cup
   12-ounce package = 2 cups
Chocolate Wafers: 1 cup fine = 19 wafers
Cocoa: 1 pound = 4 cups
Coconut, flaked or shredded: 1 pound = 5 cups
   4 ounces = 1 1/3 cups
Coffee: 1 pound = 80 tablespoons = 40 cups perked
Corn: 2 medium ears = 1 cup kernels
Cornmeal: 1 pound = 3 cups

Crab, in shell: 1 pound = 3/4 to 1 cup flaked
Crackers, graham: 14 squares = 1 cup fine crumbs
Crackers, saltine: 28 squares = 1 cup finely crushed
Cranberries: 1 quart = 1 pound = 4 cups or 6 to 7 cups cranberry sauce
Crawfish, whole: 1 pound unpeeled = 3 to 4 ounces peeled tail meat
Crawfish, tails: 1 pound unpeeled = 1 to 2 cups meat
Cream, whipping: 1 cup = 2 cups whipped
Cucumber: 1 small to medium = 1 cup chopped
Dates, pitted: 1 cup (1/2 pint) = 3 cups chopped
Dates, unpitted: 1 pound = 1 1/2 cups chopped    

  8-ounce package = 1 cup

Eggs, whole: 5 large = 9 medium = 1 pound = 1 cup
Eggs, whites: 8 to 11 = 1 cup
Eggs, yolks: 12 to 14 = 1 cup
Flour, all-purpose: 1 pound = 4 cups, unsifted
  1 ounce = 4 tablespoons
Flour, cake: 1 pound = 4 3/4 to 5 cups sifted
Flour, whole wheat : 1 pound = 3 1/2 cups unsifted
Frozen fruit: 10 ounce package = 1 1/4 cups
Frozen vegetables: 9 to 10 ounce package = 2 cups thawed vegetables
Gelatin, Knox: 1 envelope = 2 1/4 teaspoons
  2 envelopes = 1 1/2 tablespoons
Green bell pepper: 1 large = 1 cup diced
Lemon: 1 medium = 2 to 3 tablespoons juice = 2 teaspoons grated rind
Lettuce: 1 pound head = 6 1/4 cups torn
Lime: 1 medium = 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons juice = 1 1/2 teaspoons       grated rind
Macaroni: 4 ounces (1 cup) 2 1/4 cups cooked
 1 pound = 9 cups cooked
Marshmallow Fluff (Creme): 1 tablespoon = 1 marshmallow
 1 (7 1/2 oz.) jar = 2 1/2 cups Fluff = 32 marshmallows
 1 (16 1/2 oz.) tub = 5 cups = 5 1/2 dozen marshmallows
Marshmallows: 11 large = 1 cup
 10 miniatures = 1 large marshmallow
Marshmallows, miniature: 1/2 pound = 4 1/2 cups
Milk, evaporated: 5.33-ounce can = 2/3 cup
  13-ounce can = 1 5/8 cups
Milk, fresh ("raw"): 1 pound = 2 cups
Milk, sweetened condensed: 14-ounce can = 1 1/4 cups
Mushrooms, fresh: 3 cups (8 ounces) = 1 cup sliced
Noodles: 1 pound dry = 9 cups cooked
Nuts, almonds: 1 pound unshelled = 1 to 3 1/21 3/4 cups nutmeats
  1 pound shelled = 1 3/4 cups nutmeats
Nuts, peanuts: 1 pound unshelled = 2 1/4 cups nutmeats
  1 pound shelled = 3 cups nutmeats
Nuts, pecans: 1 pound unshelled = 4 cups
  1 pound shelled = 2 1/4 cups nutmeats
Nuts, walnuts: 1 pound unshelled = 4 cups nutmeats
  1 pound shelled = 1 2/3 cups nutmeats
Oats, quick-cooking: 1 cup = 1 3/4 cups cooked
Onion: 1 medium = 1/2 cup chopped
Orange: 1 medium = 1/3 to 1/2 cup juice = 2 tablespoons grated             rind (zest)
Pasta: 1 pound = Appetizer or side dish for 6 people with a light sauce
   1 1/2 pounds = Main dish for 6 people with a light sauce
   2 pounds = Main dish for 6 people with a substantial sauce
Peaches: 2 medium = 1 cup sliced
Pears: 2 medium = 1 cup sliced
Peas in the pod: 1 pound = 1 cup shelled
Potatoes, white: 3 medium = 2 cups cubed cooked = 1 3/4 cups       mashed = 3 cups grated
Potatoes, sweet: 3 medium = 3 cups sliced
Prunes: 1 (12-ounce) package = 2 cups pitted
Raisins, seedless: 1 pound = 3 cups
Rice, long-grain: 1 pound = 2 1/2 cups uncooked or 8 cups cooked
   1 cup = 3 to 4 cups cooked
Rice, pre-cooked (instant): 1 cup = 2 cups cooked
Rice, wild : 1 cup = 3 cups cooked
Salt, coarse or kosher: 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
Salt, table: 1 ounce = 1 1/2 tablespoons
Scallions (green onions): 9 (with tops) = 1 cup sliced
Shortening: 2 cup = 1 pound (16 ounces)
Shrimp, raw in shell: 1 1/2 pounds = 2 cups (3/4 pound) cleaned, cooked
Sour Cream: 8 ounces = 1 cup
Spaghetti, uncooked: 7 ounces = 4 cups cooked
Strawberries: 1 quart = 4 cups sliced
Sugar, brown: 1 pound = 2 2/3 cups firmly packed
Sugar, granulated: 1 pound = 2 cups
Sugar, powdered (confectioners'): 1 pound = 2 1/2 cups unsifted =             4 cups sifted
Tea: 1 pound = 120 servings
Tomato: 1 medium = 1 cup chopped
Vanilla Wafers: 22 wafers = 1 cup crumbs
Whipping (heavy) cream: 1 cup = 2 cups whipped
Yeast: 1 cake = 1/4 ounce package

   1 package active dry yeast = 2 1/2 teaspoons
Zucchini: 1 medium = 2 cups sliced

 

So - there ya have it.... Every measuring equivalent you could ever hope to want, and some you never even knew existed!! 

 

Feel free to capture a screen shot of this if you have need of it - and - if I forgot anything, please do let me know!!

 

Many Blessings

GrannySue 

1. Do NOT – under any circumstances (Granny WILL come to your house and cuss you out!!) - over think the process. Its not rocket science, and its not difficult. Really.
   
   
2. Please make sure that if your bird is frozen, you take it out to thaw completely at least a day ahead of when you plan to bake it. (Better yet, put it in the fridge two to three days early if you have the room! Turkeys are big birds, and they take a long time to thaw.)

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!

Christmas Everyday Recipes Currently on this Page:

Cheater's Chili
Cheesy Beef Casserole
Chicken Stew
Stuffed Peppers
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Cheater's Chili
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.


Ingredients:  1 pound meat
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.

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Cheesy Beef Casserole
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!


Ingredients:  5 ounces egg noodles
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.

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Chicken Stew
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!


Ingredients:  1 chicken, cooked, diced (or 2 cans of diced, cooked chicken meat)
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!


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Stuffed Peppers
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!


Ingredients:  8 large green bell peppers
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 

There must be thousands of different special Christmas beverage recipes floating around for punch, cocoa and such. I only know this because this is one of the more sparse sections of my personal Christmas cookbook, so I have had to go looking. I have looked high and low, and tried every one of the following - if I didn't like it, it didn't get here.

All of the Christmas beverage recipes listed on this page are family friendly. There is no alcohol, no fancy shmancy stuff. Just great drinks that are easy to make, and sure to please every member of the family. Kids will love them, so will the adults.

If there are one or two adults that would like to jazz them up, several would welcome more adult content in the form of alcohol, but they can add their own. As for caffeine, if that is an 'adults only' substance at your house, there are indeed recipes here that call for black tea or coffee, so simply skip over those, or make something else special for the kids!

None of these beverage recipes requires any special machinery, either. You don't need the espresso maker, or anything like that, the most you need is a blender.

So, without further ado, quench your thirst with one of these great beverage recipes!

Beverage Recipes Currently on this Page:
Basic Hot Cocoa
Easy Ades
Homemade Fruit Syrups
Christmas Punch

Basic Hot Cocoa
Hot cocoa and winter go together. Its really simple to make with chocolate syrup or powdered mix, but here's a quick and easy way to step up the flavor a bit. All Christmas beverage recipes should be fast and easy - that way you'll make them more often!

Ingredients:  1 cup milk
2 teaspoons Cocoa
1¾ - 2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup boiling water
½ teaspoon vanilla
First, scald the milk in a small sauce pan.

In a second pot, combine cocoa, sugar and water, and bring to a boil. Add this mixture to the scalded milk, then add the vanilla.

YUP!! It IS that simple!

You can replace the vanilla with peppermint and put a candy cane in as a stirrer for a special Christmas presentation. Just about any flavoring that goes with chocolate (is there one that doesn't??) will work beautifully - all you have to do is remember to add the flavor after the pot is off of the heat.


Easy Ades
When a person thinks of an ade, generally lemon or lime come to mind. Beverage recipes abound for ades, and here is a basic recipe that will adapt itself to many different fruits. Try a little something different with one of these ideas for delicious ades!

The Christmas beverage recipes below make ½ gallon of ade. Adjust to suit your needs, and remember, sugar is to taste, so start with the lower amount and work your way up to perfection!

Ingredients:  1 pint fruit juice
4 - 5 tablespoons sugar
4 pints water
Ingredients:  1 pint fruit syrup (see below)
4 pints water
Ades are never cooked. In fact, using ice-cold-water speeds up the process and keeps the ade from getting watered down if its needed immediately - no need for added water in the form of ice cubes. If using ice, put the cubes in the pitcher, and fill to the 4 pint/½ gallon mark - don't fill with water and then add ice.

Any fruit can be used - raspberries, currants, strawberries and blueberries make a refreshing change from lemons, limes and oranges.

Homemade Fruit Syrups
Before freezers and refrigeration in general, people needed something to do to keep perishable fruit crops from spoiling before they could be consumed. In addition to pickles and jams, fruit syrups were quite common on the old homestead.

Fruit syrups have many uses, including in Christmas beverage recipes. They can also be used in fillings, toppings, and a host of other goodies.

Sugar is a wonderful preservative. The recipe below is generic - can be used for any fruit. Because of this, there is a sparse amount of sugar in it - to accommodate the sweeter fruits.

Remember two things when making fruit syrups: First, the less sugar used, the shorter the life-span of the syrup. Second, sweeten only to taste. It does no good to make a very sugary syrup that no one in the family will drink!

Ingredients:  2 parts fruit juice
1 part sugar
While you can heat the juice to speed the dissolving of the sugar, it is not necessary. Keeping the juice at room temperature or colder takes a little longer, but none of the nutrients in the fruit are destroyed by heating that way.

Christmas Punch (no alcohol)
What's a party without a punch to drink? There must be millions of Christmas beverage recipes for punch out there. Here is a very basic one with a couple variations. This is a family friendly punch, but feel free (if all the guests are adults) to add your favorite spirits or liqueurs to it!

Ingredients:  1 cup sugar
1 quart water
½ cup lemon juice
1 cup orange juic

 zest of ½ orange
zest of 1 lemon

1 quart sparkling water
Cook the sugar and water together, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Cool completely, add the rest of the ingredients except the sparkling water, and chill. Add the sparkling water just before serving.

To add variety to this very basic punch, try the following variations:

add:
1 cup crushed pineapple

1 pint of raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate or blueberry juice

1 quart grape or blackberry juice

¼ cup preserved chopped ginger root and 1 quart ginger ale instead of the sparkling water
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You are most definitely invited post any recipes or questions you'd like to share in the comments below - or - if you'd like to share a story with your recipe and/or trade links, simply contact me and we'll git er done!

Many Blessings
GrannySue