Christmas Recipes

For Christmas Eve dinner we had chuck roast that I was supposed to do in the crock pot but didn’t do it in time. I put it in the pressure cooker (it was 2.5 or 3 lbs) for 60 minutes then did natural release. I skipped the carrots. I made the recipe for gravy.  

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/perfect-pot-roast-and-gravy/

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/buttery-pull-apart-bundt-bread/

We also made fruit salad but didn’t like the recipe. Next time I may try just vanilla yogurt and whipped cream with blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Or just plain berries. 

We had a green salad, instant mashed potatoes, Bundt pan rolls, and hot chocolate for dessert. It was a great meal. 

Christmas breakfast was a winner. I didn’t have to force my kids to eat it. I made the casserole and the Bundt rolls the night before so I didn’t do anything except powder sugar and slice oranges and cook the casserole and Bundt rolls. We had this with egg nog. My favorite is almond nog right now. Still get flavor but don’t feel sick after. 

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/make-ahead-overnight-tater-tot-breakfast-casserole/

We ate it with ketchup, salsa, and green onions 

I through the pecans in the blendTech for a sec so they would be more like halves. All the butter and brown sugar was really good on the bottom of the rolls but there wasn’t much on the top. It would be good to add a mix butter and brown before the rolls are added. I didn’t cook them for 30 minutes. I did more like 20 I think. They did need to be covered with foil the last little while too. 

For lunch, we had cheese and crackers. 

For dinner we had leftover turkey soup with leftover fruit salad, green salad, and leftover Bundt rolls from the night before. For dinner we had a premade Oreo pie crust with York peppermint patty pudding that refrigerates for 30 minutes. Then I topped each serving with whipped cream and shaved Andes mints. 

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/the-best-leftover-turkey-soup/

I felt like every meal was simple and easy. It was a success! 

Chicken Noodle soup

 Someone brought us dinner and the soup was the best I have ever had. The chicken was cooked perfectly too. She told me the chicken is the rotisserie chicken that has already been pulled off the bones from Costco . 

Thanksgiving recipes

 I tried these blender rolls and rolled them into crescent shape to save time. They were so easy and some of the best rolls I have made! https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-fluffy-blender-rolls/

I also bought Mrs. Cubbison’s boxed stuffing and added the ingredients it called for...onion, celery, chicken broth, and baked in the oven. I thought it was so good. 

I also tried this green bean casserole and loved it. My fresh mushrooms were bad so I used canned instead. Next time I think I would like it more with extra can of green beans and a little less mushrooms but Mark liked it just how it was. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/green-bean-casserole-extra-crunchy-topping/

I used this royal icing recipe with meringue powder. It worked great. https://m.joyofbaking.com/cakes/RoyalIcing.html

Creamy garlic pasta

https://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2015/01/creamy-garlic-pasta-recipe/

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pkg mild taco seasoning

1 16 oz. can corn (with juice)

1 16 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 28 oz. can stewed tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Brown beef in saucepan. Drain and rinse. Sautee onion and add to beef. Stir in taco mix, corn, beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Top with cheese, sour cream, olives, tortilla chips, and guacamole.

I think this is Mom's recipe? My recipe card got sticky so I'm putting it here for safe-keeping :). 

Chicken Tikki Pizzas

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/chicken-tikka-pizzas/ 

This was a good easy meal. We didn't have pitas or flatbread so I used english muffins for the dough.  I also just opened a can of costco canned chicken.   

Instant Pot French Dip

 Katie told me to try french dip in the instant pot to do it quicker than the slow cooker.  It turned out really good.  I braised the meat in oil on saute setting in my instant pot first with salt and pepper. I think I was able to fit two 3 lb roasts in so I doubled this Betty Crocker recipe but substituted the water for beef broth and added a large sliced onion.  I may have added more liquid but now I don't remember.  I cooked it for 90 min high pressure in my instant pot and let it natural release.   

1

boneless beef chuck roast (3 lb)

1 1/2

cups water (beth uses beef broth)

1/3

cup soy sauce

1

teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1

teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1

clove garlic, finely chopped

1

dried bay leaf

3

or 4 peppcorns

beth adds 1 large sliced onion

Marianne’s lasagna

 

Homemade playdoh

 

Grandma Glo ham omelette for a crowd

 This is what we make every Christmas morn. 😋 

Salsa from Michelle Christensen

 This is the very best salsa to me if I can’t have pico fresh. The neighbor sells it

Grandmas glo pancakes

 

Easy breakfast casserole, kinda like Jenny’s

 From Hilary yardley when I was sick

Royal icing-unless you just want to do the egg white kind

 Egg white kind: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.food.com/amp/recipe/gingerbread-house-icing-148607

Ilene’s granola

1/3 cup syrup 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup oil 

5 cups rolled oats

2 cups nuts

Bake in cookie pan 50 minutes @325 degrees

Spaghetti sauce with garden tomatoes

 

Grace’s Banana Bread

 

Poutine

https://www.dinnerwithjulie.com/2015/04/16/pulled-beef-poutine/

We just made our own roast, made our own fries and gravy. This recipe looks good too, it’s the idea of it that is super easy. You could even buy fries from the store. It’s so good!

Cheese curds are hard to find, Harmon’s might have some. We just used fresh mozerella balls at walmart

Cinnamon Rolls

 Our new general conference tradition going on 1 year :). These are SO good. If you have another recipe you like better, I'd like to know. Found this online with over 4,000 reviews. 

I used margarine instead of butter for the bread dough and 25% of the filling, then butter for the icing. I also didn't know I was running low on cinnamon till it was too late, but 1 T instead of the called for 2 T was still yummy. They were more like sweet rolls, but we didn't mind. 

I learned something you guys probably already know too: put the dough in the microwave (without it turned on, of course) to help it when rising.

https://tasty.co/recipe/tasty-101-cinnamon-rolls

Watermelon slush

https://www.atablefullofjoy.com/watermelon-slushie/

Some of you had this at our house and it’s so delish! Matt adds ice to it sometimes as well.

Italian nachos

https://eatathomecooks.com/15-minute-italian-nachos/

These were really yummy! Surprisingly! We used provolone with the mozzerella. Added green onions. 

Copycat KFC Cole Slaw

 

1 bag of cole slaw OR 1 head of cabbage and one carrot (both shredded) 

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. Miracle Whip

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Mix all ingredients except cabbage with a whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add cabbage and stir well. It's best when the flavors have time to incorporate, usually after an hour or two. 

You usually need to double this recipe to bring to a party or just leave as is for feeding your own family. 

Zucchini Soup

 Mark especially liked this. I like using the Instant Pot.  Mark said to make double the sauce next time. 

INSTANT POT RED COCONUT CURRY NOODLES

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

 

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

 

ADDITIONAL TIME: 15 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
•  16 ounces fettuccine noodles, broken in half
•  1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk, light or regular
•  1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (see note)
•  1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste
•  1 tablespoon red curry paste (see note)
•  3 cloves garlic, finely minced
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1 cup snow peas, halved or whole
•  1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into strips
•  1 cup small diced carrots or matchstick carrots
•  Fresh, chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour two cups of the broth into the bottom of the electric pressure cooker. Layer the noodles on top of each other in 5-6 layers, alternating directions (see picture in the post for a visual) so they don't clump together while cooking.
2. Pour in the remaining two cups broth.
3. Whisk together the coconut milk, Thai chili sauce, fresh ginger, red curry paste, garlic and salt. Pour this mixture into the pressure cooker. Do not stir.
4. Secure the lid, set the valve to seal, and set the pressure cooker to cook on high pressure for 4-5 minutes. (The exact time will depend on the brand of noodles - take the al dente cooking time, cut it in half and subtract another 1-2 minutes.)
5. Quick release the pressure. If liquid spurts through the valve, close the valve and wait 5 minutes before trying again. It's ok if there is remaining liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker - it will continue to absorb into the noodles for perfect sauciness.
6. Give the noodles a good toss with tongs and add the vegetables. Close the pressure cooker and let sit for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables steam in the residual heat. Toss until combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
7. Serve the noodles with chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro, if desired.

NOTES

Noodles: the fettuccine noodles are obviously not authentic to a curry noodle dish like this, but they work great. You can try subbing in rice noodles or other noodles if you're ok experimenting with the cooking time/method.

Curry Paste: I almost always use the Thai Kitchen brand of red curry paste. It has a mild kick to it. You can dial the amount of red curry paste up or down depending on the brand or how spicy you want the noodles.

Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: I usually have the Mae Ploy brand of this sauce in my fridge, so that's what I use.

Vegetables: you can increase the veggies and customize what kind you use - zucchini, broccoli, etc.

Quinoa Salad

 This tasted fresh.  The dressing needed a kick and a bit of caesar dressing got added in.  It made a good combo. I used garden tomatoes instead of mini ones and used a quinoa grain mix from Costco. 

https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/detox-quinoa-salad/

Quinoa Recipes: Healthy Quinoa & Veggie Salad

A delicious and healthy quinoa recipe made with all-natural ingredients.

CourseMain Course

CuisineHealthy

Keywordquinoa recipes

Prep Time15 minutes

Total Time15 minutes

Servings6 servings

Calories131kcal

AuthorChelsea Lords

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa thoroughly rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 3-4 ounces spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped
• 1 can (15 ounces) corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 5-6 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 large limes, juiced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Follow package instructions to cook the quinoa. Transfer to a large bowl and aside to cool completely.
• To the bowl with the cooled quinoa, add the chopped spinach, rinsed corn, rinsed black beans, cherry tomatoes, chopped green onions, and finely chopped cilantro.
• Toss together.
• In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, ground cumin, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the salad and toss to coat.*
• Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.

Notes

*Only add dressing to what you plan on eating in the same day. Unfortunately, this salad doesn’t sit super well with the dressing. If you are planning to have leftovers, toss only what you’ll being eating on day 1 with the dressing. Other than that, this salad can store in the fridge pretty well for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcal

Tomatillo salsa

 I can’t remember if this is the recipe I used now! So frustrating because my family loved it. I think this is similar to the one  although I didn’t cook anything. A few weeks before, I threw the tomatillos in a food processor and froze it. Then I put the salsa together after defrosting. 

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/tomatillo-salsa-verde/

Shepherd’s pie

 I remember hating this when younger but this recipe is pretty good! Lucy says this is her favorite meal. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/shepherds-pie/

I just did instant mashed potatoes