Summary: Unlike most people, I love cooking and hosting. Here you’ll find a round-up of the recipes we used for our Christmas weekend celebrations in 2021. Enjoy!
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Does anyone else love planning a menu? Having people over? Cooking and Baking? (I’m not expecting an overwhelming YES here), but I do! I love looking through recipes, grocery shopping, and making almost everything from scratch.
We made a LOT of food (probably too much food) for the holidays this year. And I’m thrilled to share with you the highlights of what we made. Some family recipes, that yes, I’m sharing with you, and some classics that I’m sure you’ve had hundreds of times.
Make sure you pin this page or bookmark it for later so you have these recipes ready for your next gathering!
Appetizers
Party Mix
This is a Short family staple! We only make it around the holidays which makes it an extra special treat. This recipe requires a little bit of work and quite a bit of time but the end result is so SO worth it.
Shrimp Cocktail
We kept it simple this year and (no shame) bought a store-made shrimp cocktail set. And you know what, it was delicious. No shame in buying store-bought things.
Main Course
Lefton Family BBQ Brisket
This is the EASIEST recipe. It just takes time and finding yourself a good piece of Brisket. This is something we make year-round, not just on special occasions. It’s also a great winter dish that you can freeze and use anytime!
The Easiest Turkey You’ll Ever Make
I’m calling this the easiest turkey you’ll ever make because truly, it is. Just a few steps, a little (ok a lot of time in the oven), and you’ll end up with a delicious turkey that you can serve and really impress your guests.
Side Dishes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
One of my favorite sides to make all year round.
TIP: make sure you bake on a metal baking sheet. A glass pan does not turn out the same. (speaking from experience!)
Green Bean Casserole
Nothing fancy here. Just the classic green bean casserole. Not the healthiest, but a delicious treat to have every once in a while!
Mashed Potatoes
We keep the skin on when we make our potatoes because 1. less prep work and 2. more nutrients. This was a new recipe for us this year, but must say it was super creamy and I’d make it again!
Dinner Rolls with Honey Cinnamon Butter
Oh My. These are to die for. These rolls are light and airy and pairing them with butter (eyeball a little honey and cinnamon mixed in) is a perfect side to a meal like this!
Dessert
Snowball Cookies
These are my least favorite, but Jay’s favorite, type of cookies.. so we made them because that’s what good wives do (right?!). Although I don’t love these due to the giant mess they make, this recipe is definitely the best one we’ve tried!
Gingerbread Cookies
Is it really Christmas time without gingerbread? This dough is amazing and cookies last a while when stored properly. They’re easy to decorate, eat plain and taste great with coffee!
Cinnamon Rolls
I’ll be honest we ate these for breakfast, but then the leftovers quickly became dessert. These are a Christmas morning tradition in the Short household and something I look forward to all year long.
Tip: if you plan to eat them Christmas morning, prep them the night ahead so you can eat sooner in the morning!
I knew we made a lot of food, but until I typed all this out for you all, I don’t think I realized just HOW much food we made (for only 4 people too!).
My mom always taught me two things: never show up empty handed and NEVER run out of food! Safe to say- we didn’t run out of food.
I hope you all enjoyed the round up of recipes that we used for 2021 Christmas. Share with me what you use. Any recipes you loved that we should try next year?
Ps. I just want to give a quick shout out to the real MVP of all this cooking/baking: my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Really, there are no appliances required for any of the recipes that we used. But my mixer saved me time, and put way less use on my arms and hands. And well, as a chiropractor I like to protect those and use them sparingly! To date, my mixer is one of my most used appliances and if you don’t have one, I can’t recommend it enough!