Hi! I fucking love Christmas. It's been my favorite holiday since I was little. Cooking for big groups, days-long baking marathons, lights and glitter and the smell of real Balsam firs.
Last year, I couldn't celebrate in any of the ways I usually did. Gifts were super spare because I was in the middle of selling my house and moving. Because it was on the market, we couldn't decorate, have a tree, cook in the kitchen without having to spend hours cleaning...it was hard.
But now, I type this from my beautiful home in East Point, Georgia as I gaze at my Christmas tree, and I'm feeling.festive.af.
So I wanted to give you a few tools that help me each Christmas.
One of the very best parts of traditions is that they help us offload a lot of mental and emotional labor.
For instance, I do not ever in my life (unless I actively desire to) have to think up a Christmas Eve dinner menu. My great-grandmother, Bernice Blume, did that for me, and I don't need to reinvent the wheel.
Because I know what I will be cooking I also in turn know what groceries are needed. All I have to do is buy the things, the list doesn't change much year to year, because of this tradition.
For decades and decades, my family has eaten Chicken Stew and Garlic Bread on Christmas Eve. I'm sharing my family recipe with you, as well as a shopping list for your holiday meal and baking. There's also a handy-dandy playlist for you to listen to while you cook!
Think Pearl Jam didn't have any Christmas songs?
THINK AGAIN BABYYYYYYY.
If you play it right, you can start to let these tools think for you and allow yourself to trust that you made the lists, you checked 'em twice, and now you don't have to keep on making them, year after year after precious year.
To make the Hammie Sammies, just slice open the whole containers of rolls, spread your condiments on and layer cheese and meat, put the top layer back on and heat through. Mix melted butter with poppyseeds and pour over before cutting into individual sandwiches.
Menu
- Chicken Stew with Garlic Bread
- Hammie Sammies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Shopping List
-
Meat & Poultry
- 1 whole chicken (fresh or frozen)
- 2 lbs shaved Black Forest ham
Canned Goods
- 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
- 1 can of creamed corn
- 4-5 quarts of chicken stock
Condiments & Sauces
- 1 bottle of Pickapeppa sauce
- Dukeās mayonnaise
- Good mustard (e.g., Dijon or yellow)
Bakery
- 2 large packages of Hawaiian rolls
- 1 roll of peanut butter cookie dough
- Garlic bread
Cheese
- Swiss or provolone cheese (your choice)
Snacks & Sweets
- 1 bag of miniature Reeseās cups
Baking & Cooking
- Poppyseeds
- Butter (unsalted or salted, your preference)
Playlist
Well, that's my holiday! I hope you enjoyed it, because I know I did āØ
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