CHRISTmas Menu 09

This year our CHRISTmas dinner rocked. It was the first time I'd tried brining a turkey, and every.single.thing I made this year was from scratch. In past years I've always had a box or 3 (or 5 or 6) of something I could "just add XXX" to or open & pour/heat/slice. Since changing our eating habits in January of this year, it was a huge undertaking. I made the pumpkin pie almost a week before & popped it in the freezer. CHRISTmas Eve I made almost all my other dishes, so I could just pop things into the oven, crockpot or in a pan on the stovetop as needed.

Here is what we had (Please excuse the picture quality. I got a camcorder for CHRISTmas & decided to use that instead of my "real" still shot camera for these. The camcorder has no flash option):

Brined Turkey (We tried the traditional turkey this year)
Mashed potatoes
Cornbread Stuffing & Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

Corn
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cranberry Apple Orange Relish (Which I don't have a picture of)

Gravy (made with pan dripping & my homemade chicken stock)
Dinner rolls

I also made peppermint iced tea to drink &

pumpkin pie with oatmeal crust.
Friends brought deviled eggs from their own chickens, "puppy chow" (chex mix sort of thing) & blueberry baklava (YUM!!!).

I had a GREAT time cooking all this stuff. I can't wait to get a "real" turkey for next year. This year I just could not afford a pastured turkey. But next year I will.... somehow. Baby Steps.

Hope your CHRISTmas was blessed & that you were stuffed to the gills & beyond like we were!!