Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve, I had a few friends over for dinner. It was a huge deal, since I didn’t cook for thanksgiving. I found quite a few recipes that I wanted to try, though I knew I’d have to modify them to some extent to make them work for my new anatomy. Some of the recipes were old and true, ones that I’d inherited from my mother and others were new, taken out of the magazines and edited. The only sad part: no pictures. I didn’t get time to take them and then it was too late. I gotta get on my game for the next menu item I edit. The BHG at the end of some of the menu items stands for Better Homes and GardensHere was the menu:

Appetizers:
Toasted Ravioli Nibblers (BHG)
Roasted nuts

Starter:
Spinach salad

Main:
Slow cooked Rosemary Roasted Loin of Pork (BHG)

Side dishes:
Sweet Potatoes
Macaroni and cheese
Stuffing
Cheddar spoon bread (BHG)
Brussels sprouts
Collard Greens

Dessert:
Crimson Cranberry-apple Crisp (BHG)
Homemade Orange ice cream

Let’s start with the APPETIZERS.
Roasted nuts
1 cup walnuts
1 cup peanuts
1 cup almonds
1/2 tbsp of chili powder
½ tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp of salt
½ tbsp pepper
1 tbsp of maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350-400. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking oil. Combine all ingredients into a bowl and stir to coat. Spread out on cookie sheet in a thin sheet. Bake for 6-8 min, checking to make sure nuts are not too dark. Stir once and put back into the oven for another 6-7 min, pulling out when the smell of nuts just starts to fill the air. Allow to cool before serving.

Note: at this stage of the diet I am not allowed to eat nuts, so I had to take my husband’s word that these were good, but spicy. So be aware.

Toasted Ravioli Nibblers
ADAPTED FROM BHG
1 16 oz package purchased frozen breaded cheese flavor ravioli (about 25)
25 cherry tomatoes
25 fresh small basil leaves
25 fresh mozzarella bocconcini balls or provolone chess cubes
Flavored dipping oil or marinara sauce

Prepare ravioli according to package directions.
To serve, thread one baked ravioli, cherry tomato, cheese ball and basil leaf onto each twenty-five 6-inch skewers. Serve immediately with dipping oil or sauce. Makes 25.

Side note: I did not find the breaded ravioli’s, so I had to make my own with an egg wash and panko bread crumbs. I also didn’t have the big skewers, so I served this deconstructed, with piles of the ravioli, the tomatoes, and the cheese, all centered around a dipping sauce of olive oil and Italian dressing, heated in the microwave.
Neither of these appetizers did I eat, since I only have space for about an 1 oz of food and I needed the room for dinner.

Starter:
Spinach salad:
1 package of prewash baby spinach (16-20 oz)
1 cucumber
2 roma tomatoes
3 strips of bacon
Cook bacon in a hot skillet, browning to desired doneness. Allow to cool and drain on a paper towel covered plate. Slice tomatoes in half, then slice into moon shapes. Peel cucumber if it’s not an English/hothouse cucumber, slicing on a diagonal. Empty spinach into serving bowl, topping with tomatoes and cucumbers. Crumble bacon on top and serve.

Note: this is something else that I also did not eat, though not because I couldn’t. I just chose to eat something that would give me protein.

Main:

Slow cooked Rosemary Roasted Loin of Pork:
ADAPTED FROM BHG
1 cup of slice leeks
2 tbsp snipped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 2½ lb boneless pork top loin roast
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
(The original directions tell you to cut the pork in half and roast in the oven. I did none of that. I’m going to tell you what I did.)
Preheat your 2 ½ -3 qt Crockpot to high.
In a food processor, combine leeks, basil, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add 1 tbsp of the oil. Cover; process until a mixture forms a chunky paste. (I found that I needed to add more than one tbsp of oil to the mix to the get the right consistency. Add until it looks right.)
Poke holes in the top and sides of the roast and brush the remaining 1 tbsp of oil over the roast. Spread the leek mixture over the top and side, massaging into the meat and the inside the holes you’ve poked.
Place roast inside Crockpot, fat side down. Let cook on high for 4-5 hrs, checking periodically.
The meat will be falling apart when it’s fully cooked, nice and tender. It literally fell apart in the tongs when I tried to lift it. I did turn it once, to pull off the fat from the bottom, but that was all I did.

Side dishes:

Sweet Potatoes:
2 lbs of sweet potatoes
2 ripe bananas
2 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup splenda brown sugar
2 tbsp of I can’t believe it’s not butter
Preheat oven to 375-400
Cut up the potatoes into quarter’s or any shape you want. Just not too big. In a bowl, mash up banana into a chunky texture, adding the salt, pepper, orange juice and brown sugar. Add potatoes to mixture and stir to coat all the potatoes. Pour into casserole dish and cook for approximately 45 mins to 1 hr. Check occasionally to make sure potatoes once you get to the 45 min mark to make sure potatoes don’t overcook.

Macaroni and cheese:
1 box macaroni noodles
1 block of sharp cheddar cheese
1 block of mild cheddar cheese
1 block of Colby cheese
2 eggs
6 tbsp of I can’t believe it’s not butter
2 tbsp of salt
½ tbsp of black pepper
Milk
Preheat oven to 375°. Use Pam to oil one large casserole dish.
Cut up blocks of both cheddars and Colby cheese’s into about 2 inch blocks, setting aside in a large bowl. Meanwhile, bring water to a bowl, adding 1 tbsp of salt to water before adding noodles. Cook noodles to al dente or with just bite to them.
Add the rest of the salt and pepper to bowl of cheese. Put four tbsp of butter into bowl as well. Beat eggs, adding to bowl of cheese. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Drain noodles and put back into cooking pot. Add contents of cheese bowl to the pot and stir thoroughly. To ensure that the eggs to do not scramble, add 1/3 cup of milk to mixture, continuing to stir. Once mixture is thoroughly combined, pour into casserole dish, smoothing out to fill the dish. Pour milk over the dish until it comes up the sides, just covering the top of the noodles.
Cube remaining butter, scattering across the top of the casserole. Bake for 1 hr, checking after the 45 minute mark to check doneness. The noodles not covered by the milk will be brown and the cheese bubbling.

Stuffing:
1 12 oz package of Jimmy Deans Sage Sausage
3 Stalks of Celery
1 box of cornbread mix
1 box of stovetop stuffing
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1 tsp of sage
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
2 tsp of poultry seasoning
1 can of chicken broth
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take your celery stalks, split them down the middle, and dice them into small/medium small pieces. Also dice your onion and set aside. Brown your sausage in a large skillet, while browning break down into smaller pieces. While waiting for sausage to brown over medium heat, start your cornbread mix, following steps on packaging. When sausage is nearly brown, add onions and celery and cook until translucent. In a large bowl combine stovetop dressing mix, crumble your cornbread, and after sausage is complete add that into bowl. Add salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning. Stir until incorporated. Add Chicken Broth after mixed, to moisten mixture. Once combined, pour in a 13 x 9-casserole dish. Put it into the oven and bake 45 minutes or until top is brown.

Cheddar spoon bread (BHG):
Adapted from BHG
1 ½ cups of Milk
½ cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp of I can’t believe It’s not butter
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp of splenda sugar
¼ tsp of salt
¼ cup assorted snipped herbs (basil, chives, parsley, sage, or thyme)
4 eggs (separated)
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large saucepan, stir together milk and cornmeal. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium high heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly; remove from heat. Add the 2 cups of cheese, the butter, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Stir until cheese melts. Stir in herbs.
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Stir about one third of the beaten egg whites into the cornmeal mixture. Gently fold remaining beaten egg whites into cornmeal mixture until combined. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 2-quart casserole or soufflé dish.
Bake casserole, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the 1 cup of cheese. Bake, uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes more or until cheese melts and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If desired, garnish with additional snipped fresh herbs. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Brussels sprouts:
5 strips of bacon
1 lb of fresh Brussels sprouts
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
Cook bacon until crispy in a skillet. Meanwhile, clean Brussels sprouts (cut off ends and take off outer leaves). Take bacon out and drain on paper towels. Add Brussels sprouts to pan and sauté in the bacon fat.
Sauté for approximately 10 minutes. While sautéing the sprouts, cut the bacon up into little bits and pieces. Then add the 1 cup of chicken broth and continue to sauté until the broth has thickened and sprouts are tender yet crisp. Take off the heat, add bacon that was cooked earlier and stir in to combine.

Collard Greens:
Two bushes of collard greens
3 slices of salt pork, cut in half
2 tbsp of salt
1 tbsp of pepper
1 tbsp of olive oil
Soak collard greens in sink full of cold water, rinsing dirt and sand from the leaves. Strip greens of woody stalks, throwing the stalks away and keeping the leafs. Cook salt pork in 1 tbsp of olive oil until crispy in large stock pot. Add water to stock pot, almost to the top. Rolling the leaves into logs, slicing into ribbons. Adding the greens to the pot and handful at a time, stirring to wilt down the greens. Cook for 1-2 hours, until leaves are tender and cooked.

Dessert:

Crimson Cranberry-apple Crisp (BHG):
¼ cup to 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup of quick cooking or regular rolled oats
¼ cup packed splenda brown sugar
2 Tbsp of all purpose flour
¼ tsp of ground nutmeg or ground ginger
3 Tbsp of I can’t believe it’s not butter
2 Tbsp of chopped coconut or chopped nuts (optional) Vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or half and half (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Place the apples and cranberries in an ungreased 1 ½-quart casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle sugar-cinnamon mixture over fruit. Toss gently to coat, Bake, covered for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, for topping in a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If desired, stir in coconut. Sprinkle topping over partially cooked fruit mixture. Return to oven.
Bake, uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes more or until fruit is tender and golden brown. Transfer to a wire tack and cool slightly. Serve warm, if desired serve with ice cream. Makes 8 servings

Homemade Orange ice cream:
Adapted recipe from website

1/2 pint (250ml) double/heavy cream
1/2 pint (250ml) single/light cream
2 oz (50g) splenda (more if you prefer a sweeter recipe)
2 cups of fresh orange juice
Gently stir together the cream, sugar and orange juice and then beat until creamy.
Transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and mix/freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

So that was my complex and full meal. I only ate about an oz of it, but it was good nonetheless. Until next time…good eating.