By Nina Littleton
Christmas is my favorite season of the year. When I was growing up it was always a time for family (that you haven’t seen all year) and friends to get together.
My mother and grandmother always started planning and cooking two or three days before Christmas while we kids got in the way and tried to figure out what was in our packages.
Here is our traditional Christmas dinner menu, without the recipes:
- Tossed green salad
- Green rice casserole
- Cornbread dressing
- Whole wheat rolls
- Baked corn
- Pecan pie
The recipes are listed in a suggested order for an easier flow of steps in preparing the meal. The dressing, baked corn, and rice casserole can be put together the day or night before and baked Christmas morning. It’s okay to go ahead and bake the pie the day before, just be sure and hide it so it doesn’t disappear. Make the rolls Christmas morning so that you can serve them steaming hot from the oven.
Cornbread Dressing:
Make a pan of cornbread. Crumble and mix in about 2 quarts vegetable broth (you can use a combination of butter, water, milk, in place of broth). Sauté onions, celery, and mushrooms in butter and add to the cornbread. Beat 2 or 3 eggs and add to the mixture. Season with sage and salt and pepper. Bake at 375-400 for about 1 hour or until thick.
Green Rice Casserole:
- 3 T. safflower oil
- 2 cups of milk
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 t. sea salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 cup grated sharp cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
Heat a skillet. Add the oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes. Mix the parsley, cheese, eggs, milk, and salt with the cooked rice. Add the sautéed onions and garlic. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 350, 30 to 40 minutes or until firm.
Baked Corn:
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups fresh, uncooked corn, cut from the cob
- 2 T. safflower oil
- 1 T. sea salt
- 3 beaten eggs
- 1 cup grated cheese (optional)
Mix all the ingredients together, except the cheese. Bake in an oiled 8-inch casserole dish for 45 minutes at 350. Sprinkle grated cheese on top if desired.
Variation: Add 1/2 cup green pepper or one onion, chopped or about 1/4 cup of broth, sautéed lightly.
Pecan Pie:
- 1 1/2 cups unsulphured molasses or pure maple syrup. If you use maple syrup, you will need to evaporate it by boiling it until it forms soft ball stage.
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 T. whole wheat flour
- 1/4 T. sea salt
- 1/2 t. nutmeg
- 1 T. butter
- 1 cup pecans
- 9 or 10-inch unbaked whole wheat pie crust
Beat all ingredients well, except the pecans. Now stir in the pecans and pour into the crust. Bake 35 to 45 minutes at 350.
Variation: Substitute carob powder for the flour for an extra rich pie.
Whole Wheat Rolls:
(makes 4-5 dozen rolls)
- 3 cups warm water
- 2 T. dry yeast
- 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
- 1/4 cup safflower oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 T. sea salt
- 7-8 cups whole wheat flour
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Stir the water, yeast, molasses, oil, egg, and salt until well blended. Gradually add the flour and knead until smooth. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down. Shape the dough into desired rolls and place in oiled muffin tins; allow the rolls to rise until double in size.
Bake for 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 275. Remove from the oven and serve when cool enough to handle.
Leftover rolls can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. They will keep 1 week unrefrigerated, 2 weeks in the fridge, and 3 months in the freezer.
Refrigerator Rolls: When ready to serve, place on an unoiled cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes at 400.
Freezer Rolls: Place on a cookie sheet and put directly into the oven to brown without thawing first.
A good time to prepare the salad is while the rolls are baking. This is also a good time to tidy up the kitchen and get the table set. So you will be ready to serve the meal as soon as the rolls are done.
After the meal is over and the dishes are washed, you can relax around the fireplace and enjoy the company of friends and relatives. When everyone is ready, you can serve pecan pie with a scoop of freshly whipped cream and a cup of hot coffee or tea.