Christmas Food

Christmas was crazy. I loved Christmas break for the most part. Ya know, other than me and the boys getting the stomach flu and each hating life for a couple of days. One of those days was Christmas Eve, sadly. We had such plans to spend time with our extended families, but it was not to be. Oh well. On the very very bright side, Christmas day was absolutely illness free and it was amazing. I loved being at home with the boys and getting to wake up with them and go downstairs and spend Christmas morning in our home. It was perfect. Another thing that turned out really perfect was all of the food we made on Christmas day. Mark was especially a fan and we have now declared these recipes to be Christmas tradition, so I thought I'd share. Merry belated Christmas, everyone!

Breakfast

Overnight Baked French Toast

I made this baked french toast recipe form the Pioneer Woman. Oh my goodness. It was so good. After tasting it Mark said, "I do not know why we bother making pancakes. This is so good. It's a million times better than pancakes." I would have to agree, but it's also a million times more unhealthy than the pancakes we usually make . . . so I don't think I'll be eschewing pancakes forevermore. But seriously, I made this stuff Christmas Eve night, woke up Christmas morning and popped it in the oven, and by the time we were done opening presents, this decadent breakfast was ready and waiting for us. I very much loved not having to cook first thing Christmas morning.

Dinner

Mark convinced me that a roast was the way to go, and thank goodness he did because this roast was one of the better roasts I've ever eaten. Then it's obvious that if you have a roast you must have potatoes, but I've never been a huge fan of the mushy potatoes cooked in the crock pot, so I went for this simple yet unbelievably delicious oven roasted alternative. The potatoes have a slightly crunchy skin on the outside and are incredibly creamy like a mashed potato on the inside. I kind of adapted the roast recipe from about three or four recipes, so I'm claiming it as my own. Also . . . I know the pictures are not great, I took them once we were done eating, never a wise choice, but I couldn't go back in time. Shucks.

Slow Cooker Roast

Ingredients

2.5-3 lb. chuck roast
3-4 stalks celery sliced
2-3 teaspoons salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry ranch dressing mix
3-4 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 cups beef broth

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and ranch dressing mix. Rub mixture over all surfaces of the chuck roast. Place in a slow cooker and ad in sliced celery. Pour beef broth and worcestershire sauce over top of roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Pull out and shred roast with two forks, reserving the juices in the crock pot to make a delicious gravy.

Yes, we ate that much of the roast as only two grown ups and two small children.

Roasted Red or New Potatoes

Ingredients

3 lbs red or new potatoes (the very small new potatoes are ideal, but regular red potatoes work well also)
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
6-7 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place over rack on the very lowest setting. Wash and cut potatoes into bite sized pieces (about 1-1.5 in. square), or cut potatoes in half if working with the smaller new potatoes. Toss potatoes in a large bowl with salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and olive oil. Spread potatoes evenly on a rimmed baking sheet covered in aluminum foil (If working with the new potatoes, place them chopped side down). If desired, sprinkle extra salt over top the potatoes. Pop the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes.

I'm not a food photographer . . . or any type of photographer at all. I'm just not.

So there you have it. Yumlicious. If the price of beef doesn't make you want to curl into a small ball and cry for about five years, then make these recipes stat! You won't regret it.