Help me complete my Christmas Menu!

[Anonymous]

I am cooking Christmas dinner this year and have decided to make a ham (mostly because I thought it would be easier than a turkey). But I've always made turkey so I'm struggling on the right menu. There are 6 of us.

Ham (with some kind of glaze?)
Scalloped Potatoes
Endive and Citrus Salad
Dried fruit and chestnut stuffing


What am I missing here? Should I do green beans? Some kind of butternut squash? Sweet potatoes? I'd love to hear what you think goes really well with a ham!

[Anonymous]

I would do another green vegetable since endive and citrus salad, although delicious, doesn't really fill that gap for me. Green beans sound great and would provide a good balance to your menu. I would make them ahead of time - steam until al dente, remove from pan, rinse in cool water to stop cooking, toss in a simple vinaigrette and serve at room temperature).

[Anonymous]

roasted or grilled asparagus or green beans, as PP suggested, another green vegetable would be great!

[Anonymous]

Third the green veggie ... brussel sprouts are seasonal too.

[Anonymous]

Baked apples with ham and at Christmas r perfect.

[Anonymous]

green veggie vote...the apples sound really yummy though.

I wouldn't add another starch--the potatoes and stuffing will be plenty.

[Anonymous]

I make baked ham regularly. This is very easy and very popular. Take the ham, put in a large oven safe Dutch oven, rub down with brown sugar and then pour apple cider (not juice!) into the bottom so that it comes up about 3-4 inches up the side of the ham. About once every 30-60 minutes, I baste the ham with the apple cider. Cook until the internal temp reaches 155 (approximately 20-22 minutes per pound). And if you want a gravy, I will take some of the cider and drippings, reduce about 1/2 and then add a roux to thicken. I've also seen people take the cider/drippings as "au jus"

I agree that you should have another green veggie that is cooked. I think asparagus goes well. I steam the asparagus and then make a simple Dijon-balsamic vinagrette for it.
I also agree that you want another starch, perhaps one that doesn't have cheese, perhaps, roasted new potatoes or a mashed potato.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much! These are very helpful. Love the make ahead green bean idea. And I would LOVE brussels sprouts (so would my husband) but my parents and my kids would stage a protest. And the apples are a great idea too! I can do both. Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

yule log for dessert.

[Anonymous]

It's unanimous on the add-something-green idea.

Another possibility for your green beans is to steam-and-cool-in-ice-bath as previous poster suggested, then store in fridge. When dinner time comes, toss those puppies in a hot skillet or wok with some olive oil for just 2-3 minutes, then add fresh squeezed lemon juice and salt. Quick and still just a bit crunchy to the bite.

Or, you could do a kale salad. Get the dark lacinato (dino) kale. Wash, remove from stems, tear into pieces, spin dry. For the dressing, start with the juice of one lemon, 4 to 6 cloves of chopped/mashed fresh garlic, and then slowly add enough olive oil to emulsify. You can do this with a whisk if you're one of those really good chef types, but it's a whole lot easier to do in a food processor, whirling the juice and garlic first and then slowly drizzling in the olive oil while it spins. In a big mixing bowl, add enough dressing to moisten/coat the kale, then toss and squeeze with your hands. The kale is tough, and massaging it helps it break down and become softer and tastier. Then let it sit in the dressing at least 15 minutes--that acid will soften it more still. Before serving, add toasted bread crumbs, a little salt, shredded fresh parmesan, and (only if it needs it) a little more dressing. Be sparing with the dressing; you can have it on the table for those who want more. (And you'll probably have some leftover to pour on baked fish or chicken for your next meal).

[Anonymous]

Thanks 17:12 for the ham method!

[Anonymous]

You could do a butternut squash soup to start and a roasted Brussels sprout recipe would be great with the rest of your menu.

[Anonymous]

Rolls and dessert.

[Anonymous]

Warm & buttery biscuits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Warm & buttery biscuits

Yes! We have ham every Christmas -- we're not Southerners, but my kids -- now in college and HS -- love it! We also have corn pudding, a fancy version of mac and cheese, a green salad with some fruit and crunch to it, and another green vegetable. DH and kids love green beans, but I get kind of bored cooking and eating them. so some years I have also done brussel sprouts, which proved to be a surprisingly big hit! Here are links to a couple of recipes:

this one is on the sweet side and might appeal more to younger kids:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/kitchenexplorers/2011/11/17/brussel-sprouts-with-bacon-maple-vinaigrette/

this one, from the Sweet Green folks, is a little more savory, but also delicious:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-cabbage-and-pine-nuts