It is one of the two times a year that families are guaranteed to get together for a meal. Christmas dinner with family is a big deal in most households. But, this year, plan ahead so that more time is actually spent with the family and not slaving over a hot stove.
For an easy Christmas dinner, planning saves not only time but money when it comes to having a family gathering. At Christmas, most families are filled with good cheer and a longing to reconnect. Let the family Christmas dinner be the culmination of that celebration.
Here are a few tips for an easy Christmas dinner to help that dinner turn out to be a delight instead of a disaster.
1. Find out who is coming.
We are talking about family so most people will probably attend. But, there will be the person who has to work or is out of town and can’t make it because of the weather (it does snow in a few places around Christmas!).
2. Ask everyone to bring something.
Obviously if they are traveling by plane that will be difficult, but for family members who are driving in or live nearby, it is okay to ask them to bring a vegetable dish or a dessert to the Christmas dinner. The others can pitch in on the preparations when they arrive.
3. Make side dishes in advance of the Christmas dinner.
We all like to sit and smell the delightful flavors wafting from the kitchen but that’s impractical when serving dinner to a sizable group. Before you know it, the entire house would be overheated and there would be dishes piled up in the sink for someone to wash. Fix and freeze as many side dishes as you can. A few hours before the meal, take them out and warm them up.
4. Cook the turkey early.
Turkey is the main course at most traditional Christmas dinners. Roasting the turkey early leaves plenty of room in the stove to fix smaller dishes together. It takes several hours for a turkey to cool completely, so by dinnertime, it will still be warm enough to serve without reheating the entire bird.
5. Serve dinner buffet style.
Let everyone serve themselves. Have a communal blessing over the food and then whoever is hungry can eat. It is not the sit down at the table dinner we all envision from our youth, but it is more practical. Some people like to eat early and some will be watching sports on television.
Planning a Christmas dinner for the family is about the fellowship as much as it is about the meal. Use the above tips to share the cooking and spend more time reminiscing with family and friends. Implement these easy Christmas dinner tips and have a delightful Christmas and enjoy the company!
Flipped Butter Turkey
What You Need For This Recipe:
* 1 (13 lb.) whole turkey, thawed
* 1/2 C butter
* 1 C water
How to Make It This Recipe:
1. Remove the giblets and neck from inside the turkey cavity.
2. Clean the turkey well with cold water and pat dry inside and out.
3. Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and allow the oven to heat up.
4. Place the turkey breast down in a large roasting pan.
5. Insert 1/4 C of the butter into the cavity of the turkey.
6. Place the remaining 1/4 C of butter around the turkey in the roasting pan.
7. Carefully pour the water into the pan so you don't splash the turkey.
8. Cover the turkey tightly with a piece of aluminum foil.
9. Roast 3 hours or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees and juice runs clear.
Serves 12
This recipe is one of the simplest ways to roast a turkey. The butter makes the turkey very moist and enhances the flavor. More water can be added 1/4 C at time during roasting if necessary.
Roasted Lemon Rosemary Herbed Turkey
What You Need For This Recipe:
* 2 tbsp. oil from a jar of oil packed sun dried tomatoes, divided
* 4 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
* 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
* 2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
* 1 (12 lb.) whole turkey, thawed
* 3 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth, divided
* 1 large onion, cut into wedges, divided
* 6 oil packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped and divided
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. pepper
* 1 lemon, quartered
* 3 garlic cloves, crushed
How to Make It This Recipe:
1. Place 2 tbsp of the oil from the tomatoes into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the rosemary, minced garlic and lemon peel.
3. Use your hands to loosen the skin of the turkey over the breast area.
4. Rub the oil mixture under the skin and over the flesh of the turkey.
5. Place the turkey in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
6. Place 1 C of the broth, half of the onion wedges and half of the sun dried tomatoes in the bottom of a roasting pan.
7. Place a rack that has been sprayed with a non stick cooking spray into the pan.
8. Bring the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
9. Rub the turkey with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.
10. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the entire turkey.
11. Place the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan.
12. Squeeze the lemon over the turkey and then place them in the turkey cavity.
13. Add the remaining onion, tomatoes and crush garlic in with the lemons.
14. Place a foil tent over the breast area of the turkey.
15. Roast 1 hour and then remove the foil.
16. Pour the remaining broth into the bottom of the pan and return the turkey to the oven.
17. Roast an additional 2 hours or until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees.
18. Allow the turkey to rest 25 minutes before carving.
Serves 12
Herb Seasoned Roasted Turkey
What You Need For This Recipe:
* 2 tbsp. butter, softened
* 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
* 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
* 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
* 1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
* 1 onion, cut into wedges
* 1 (12 lb.) whole turkey, thawed
* 2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth, divided
How to Make It This Recipe:
1. Place the softened butter into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the sage, thyme and garlic and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated together well.
3. Prepare the turkey by removing the neck and giblets and rinsing under cold water.
4. Drain any excess water from the turkey cavity and pat the outside dry with paper towel.
5. Rub the butter mixture over the entire turkey.
6. Fill the turkey cavity with the onion and apple wedges.
7. Spray a rack with a non stick cooking spray and place it in a shallow roasting pan.
8. Place the prepared turkey on the rack in the roasting pan.
9. Set the oven temperature on 350 and allow the oven to preheat.
10. Loosely tent foil over the turkey breast.
11. Pour 1 C of the broth into the bottom of the pan and if there are any apple and onion wedges left over place them in the pan also.
12. Bake 1 hour and then remove the foil.
13. Add the remaining chicken broth to the pan and return the turkey to the oven.
14. Continue roasting for 2 hours or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 170 degrees.
15. Remove from the oven and allow standing 20 minutes before carving.
Serves 12
Use a roasting pan that fits the turkey size. The pan should be 3 to 4 inches deep with 2 inches open on each side the turkey. If it's too wide the juices will evaporate too quickly. Also be careful with the weight of the pan. Make sure you can safely lift the pan with the bird in and out of the oven.
These Easy Holiday Recipes will make your Christmas dinner that much easier and fun.
Do you want to make your Christmas Dinner that much more special? Why not have a look at the amazing e-book Americas Most favorite Recipes with lost of famous restaurant recipes you can prepare right at home?
Download these Secret Restaurant Recipes now. Access Is Instant!
No comments:
Post a Comment