Demetri - Special Christmas Recipes: Festive, Delicious, and Healthy!

My CHRISTMAS Recipes

29Winning Dishes

Summary

There arent any holidays that bring visions of tables laden with special dishes the same as Christmas does. We search our recipe boxes for those old family favorites and we scour our resources to add new ones every year. This special Christmas report does both for you.

Weve included those tried and true dishes from years ago, and weve found new ones that are sure to please the most discerning of palates. They are simple, yet festive, delicious and healthy. Everything from appetizers to desserts is included in these pages, each of them a compliment to your menu and table.

Many of these recipes may be prepared in advance of your special day, but the rest will definitely not take away from spending time with family and friends. Several of the recipes are already suitable for a crowd and others are for small gatherings. Whatever you need for that special Christmas meal is in these pages.

With the best of wishes for this special holiday seasonwe hope you ENJOY!

Introduction

Around the world, Christmas dinner is the primary meal served either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. While the menus and traditions differ from country-to-country, the friendship and fellowship that comes with these various feasts are a favorite part of the season.

For hundreds of years before America was discovered, people in other countries celebrated this holiday by cooking a large meal. In the United Kingdom, Christmas Dinner is usually eaten on the afternoon of December 25. A typical menu includes roast turkey or poultry such as roast duck, served with stuffing, gravy, roasted potatoes and cranberry sauce. Vegetables are typically Brussels sprouts, parsnips and carrots, and desserts include Christmas (or plum) pudding and mince pies. Canada also celebrates Christmas Dinner with an almost identical menu to that of the United Kingdom, but which would also include shortbread, a pastry that is baked before the holidays to share with visitors and at the New Year parties.

In Mexico, the traditional Christmas dinner is celebrated on Christmas Eve, which is Noche Buena in Spanish. The host of the dinner, determined by each large family, contributes most of the food and decorations, but guests are expected to provide side sides and desserts. While the Mexican menus differ by regions, most of them contain tamales, pozole, menu do and some favorite flavored beverages. Stuffed turkey, roseroots and backload are only prepared at Christmas.

The prevalent Christmas customs in the United States have come primarily from the United Kingdom, especially relating to the traditional meal. Roast turkey, beef roast, cured ham, dressing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie head the most prepared dishes for American tables. One interesting note is the variety in dessert choices according to certain regions of the United States. For instance, in the Northeast, one would be more likely to serve marzipan, pfeffernusse and fruitcake, while in the South the table would include pecan pie, coconut cake and pineapple cake.

In more recent years, a Christmas Dinner main feature will be more prone to include beef or ham than turkey, because turkey and dressing have become such mainstays for Thanksgiving. The centerpiece of the meal also reflects regional favorites, such as oysters in Virginia or mashed rutabagas in the Midwest, or even venison in various rural areas. Whatever is served on American tables for the Christmas Dinner probably derived from our early American settlers as they used whatever was available locally to feed family and friends.

If your family hasnt adopted a traditional Christmas Dinner dish, perhaps this is the perfect time to select one from this Christmas Dinner report.

Table of Contents

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Surprise Date

Stuffed with bleu cheese

Calories: 78 Fat: 3g Carbs: 9g Protein: 3g

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Yield: 32 pieces (2each)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bacon with each slice cut in half
• 1 pound dates, pitted
• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice each date completely in half; stuff each half with a crumble of the blue cheese. Press the two halves back together to form a whole date again.
3. Wrap a half slice of bacon around the outside of each date and secure with a toothpick.
4. Arrange on a baking sheet that has sides high enough to catch any drippings. Bake for 35 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Turn the dates over after about 20 minutes of cooking so that bacon is crispy all over.
5. Toothpicks may be left in and used for serving.

Sweet Chile Meatballs

Perfect for an appetizer, but useful as a meal inclusion, too

Calories: 152 Fat: 6g Carbs: 17g Protein: 8g

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 1/2 hours Yield: 36 meatballs (2 each)

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle (12 ounces) sweet chile sauce
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, bottled or fresh
• 1 small jar (9 ounces) grape jelly
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound ground beef, very lean; or 1/2 pound each ground beef and ground pork
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 medium onion, grated or finely minced
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Using a whisk, beat the chile sauce, lemon juice and the grape jelly together well. Pour into a crock pot and simmer until the sauce is warm.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients; form into 36 meatballs, about 1-inch round.
3. Add the meatballs to the warm sauce and simmer on LOW for 1 1/2 hours.

Red and Green Dip

Spinach complimented by chopped red pepper

Calories: 131 Fat: 11g Carbs: 3g Protein: 5g

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced; reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish
• 1/2 cup cooked, chopped spinach (if frozen, thaw and squeeze dry)
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring the water to a boil over high heat; add the red bell pepper and spinach; return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until the pepper is soft. Drain and press dry.
2. Combine the milk and cream cheese in the same saucepan; heat until hot and the cream cheese have softened. Stir in the bell pepper and spinach mixture and the remaining ingredients. Heat until hot, stirring constantly.