We are ready for Santa at our house – we’re leaving these cookies out for him, along with a tall glass of cold milk and carrots for all the reindeer. Our dogs actually have one of the biggest Christmas mornings I’ve ever seen. It takes me hours to wrap all of their presents. By 8 a.m. on Christmas morning, there are new toys all over the house and they’ve completely worn themselves out.
I thought I’d share our Christmas menu with you – it’s just Joe and I this year so I decided to keep it quite simple. I’ve said it before, but there is such joy in being able to really share a holiday meal with someone you love. Not just salad and meat like I’ve had to do in holidays past. Having every single morsel be safe for me to eat is a freedom I don’t take for granted.
I love blogging because it allows me to share and talk about cooking and food – and those of you that read my blog and share with me have brought so much meaning to my life. It’s more than the recipes – it’s the exchange of ideas, the support, the feedback, the learning. My life is richer today because of all of you, and for that I’m deeply grateful.
I wish each of you a joy and love filled Christmas! I’d love to hear all about your holiday meals and the moments that you got to share with those you love. I’ll have a special post up sometime in the next couple of days, a new post up on Monday, and we’ll still have Slightly Indulgent Tuesday next week. I hope you’ll stop by.
Christmas Breakfast
- Whole Grain Belgian Waffles with Berry Puree
- Herbed Scrambled Eggs (A modified version of this recipe.)
- Banana, Clementine, and Apple Fruit Salad
- Oven-Cooked Crispy Bacon (for Joe)
- Fresh Brewed Espresso
Christmas Dinner
- Ina’s Perfect Roast Turkey
- Grown-Up Mac and Cheese with Gruyere and Sharp White Cheddar (Joe’s request)
- Roasted Winter Vegetables
- Gluten-Free Girl & the Chef”s Dinner Rolls
After Dinner & Dessert
- Fresh Brewed Christmas Coffee
- Anise-Almond Biscotti (I’m going to modify the recipe here – actually making them for me. I love these cookies!)
- Chocolate Mousse Pie with a Walnut Crust (Again, I’ll slightly tweak the mousse recipe and put it in a simple walnut crust.)
Lauren
posted on December 24, 2009 at 9:03 am
Amy, you’re so sweet! I too adore that connection about food and the idea exchange and whatnot! That must be fun to watch the pups completely wear themselves out =D. Your entire menu looks heavenly, so I’m sure you will have a fabulous day both food-wise and family-wise! Merry Christmas!
Hugs,
Lauren
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Amy Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 9:12 am
@Lauren, Merry Christmas to you too! Can’t wait to hear all about your celebration.
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Peggy
posted on December 24, 2009 at 9:14 am
Merry Christmas to you also! Sounds like you’ll definitely be eating well and I definitely agree with you that there’s really something special about sharing a day with someone you love!
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Morgan
posted on December 24, 2009 at 9:50 am
I hope you and Joe have a wonderful Christmas! Your menu sounds delicious-enjoy the day!
Check out my blog over the weekend for pictures and details of our Christmas!
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Lisa
posted on December 24, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Merry Christmas, Amy, Joe & pups!
Your holiday feast sounds delicious. It’s great to have a meal that you can enjoy to the fullest. I’m sure you all will have a lovely day, as well as a lot of fun. This is what we are having, which includes two Amy recipes!
Breakfast: egg-white omelets filled w/ veggies, fruit salad & a Christmas blend tea. I will probably have a green juice at some point too.
Dinner: Coq au vin (GF version), carrot / celery root puree & your crispy sweet potatoes
Dessert: your cranberry / walnut bread & a Christmas blend coffee
I look forward to your next posts!
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Amy Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
@Lisa, I can’t wait to hear how your meal goes, especially your Coq au vin. I’ve never made it because I don’t cook with wine but it sounds delightful. And, would love to know about your carrot & celery root puree. That is my kind of food!
BTW – I will have a green smoothie tomorrow morning. Just didn’t put it on the menu.
Merry Christmas to you, too. I hope your holiday is full of joy!
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Lisa Reply:
December 29th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
@Amy,
Thanks, Amy! The meal turned out great. Everyone loved your crispy sweet potatoes & cranberry walnut bread, btw.
The carrot & celery root puree is a recipe I saw Claire Robinson make on “Five Ingredient Fix”. It was easy to prepare & easy make GF b/c all I needed to do was make sure the vegetable broth was GF. Here is the URL for the recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/carrot-celery-root-puree-recipe/index.html
Aren’t green smoothies & juices the best pick-me-up drinks? Only in the food blog world is this popular b/c everyone in my life thinks the thought of them is “gross”. I’ve tried to get them to try one, but thus far I’ve been unsuccessful.
I’ve enticed my dad into drinking one w/ me. He said he tasted good, but I still doubt he’ll make them himself. LOL.
Happy New Year!
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Simply Life
posted on December 24, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Sounds like great food throughout the whole day! Merry Christmas!
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Blackswan
posted on December 24, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Thks for the lovely post & happy holidays!
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Sandy Gillett
posted on December 24, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Merry Christmas to you and Joe. I appreciate all your diligent work. You are a blessing to me. Hugs.
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Alta
posted on December 25, 2009 at 9:22 am
I wish you two the merriest of Christmases! And the dogs too. Your breakfast and dinner both sound lovely – the perfect mix of decadence and just light enough to not cause that post-meal bloat everyone complains about! Yum!
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Beatrice
posted on December 25, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I love a cheddar-gruyere blend in mac and cheese. Merry Christmas!
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Kristi Rimkus
posted on December 25, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I hope you enjoyed your meal tonight. It sounded wonderful! I hope the dogs had fun too! Merry Christmas.
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Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
posted on December 26, 2009 at 9:34 am
Love it, Amy! Merry Christmas to you, Joe and the pups!
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Danita
posted on December 27, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Amy, I just found your site today, and I love it! I cook GF for my daughter (19.5 yoa), and this year we stayed home due to the weather. It was just my husband, daughter and me, so we ate completely gluten free. Our menu: Roasted Pork Loin, GF Green Bean Casserole, GF Sweet Potato Casserole, GF Cornbread and GF Chocolate Chip Cookies. May not be the typical holiday meal, but was made by request. It has been almost 2 years since my daughter has had green bean casserole, and she was so happy. Thank you for sharing your journey!
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Amy Reply:
December 27th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
@Danita, I know how wonderful it is to have a meal everyone can enjoy. I love your menu – and that it was made with so much care. Your daughter is blessed to have a mom willing to change the menu for her.
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