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Thanksgiving at our home is turkey (though I pretty much just do a breast or buy a smoked one), cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc. Pretty much like what I grew up on, except I make the cranberry sauce myself. Funny thing is mama made everything from scratch, except the cranberries; that came from a can.
When I was growing up mom did a turkey and ham for Christmas. However for our family our Christmas tradition is not to do the same thing we did last year. I've done turkey, ham, roast beef, lamb. Couple years ago we did pheasant. My in laws however are very picky eaters and set in their ways. So when the come for Christmas, I have to do a turkey breast as well.
Just our of curiosity why the breast only? The dark meat has so much flavor.
Ours is too: tamales, a big raw veggie tray, and a bottle of hearty red wine.
Christmas Day is finger/snack foods all day. In the morning I set out sausage balls, deviled eggs, pigs-in-blankets, and fruit. Throughout the day we have a variety of 'gourmet' cheeses, crackers, stuffed jalapenos, olives, finger sandwiches, raw/roasted veggies & dips, etc., along with whatever sweet treats people have gifted us. Usually there are enough gifted cookies & candy that we don't do any baking.
We keep a red wine wassail and a cider wassail (both made with a mulling mix I order from Biltmore Estates in NC) going in crockpots.
Thanksgiving we're full blown traditional turkey, ham, and sides.
New Year's Eve we eat out, usually at a place that serves decent steak.
New Year's Day is kielbasa, cabbage, black-eyed peas, and cornbread.
It seems to me that Prime Rib, or steak, is turning into the traditional Christmas main entree for a lot of people.
I wonder if more people are moving away from ham? Growing up in the 1960's and 1970's, it was always Christmas ham, at our house and for everyone we knew. Often from the Honey Baked Ham store. But as a family, we just rarely have a taste for pork much anymore (we do still love a little bit of bacon or livermush on occasion, though!).
We never had, have, ham at Christmas. Mom made a pork roast every second or third year.
I eat bacon once in a while, but that's about it for pork. In the 1960s, pork was fatty and juicy. I loved those pork roasts.
I do the same, because we are a small family and even the breast makes a lot of leftovers. I’m more about the sides though.
At my big family thanksgiving, a whole turkey was served.
That does make sense. I can remember, many years ago, just a few years before he died, my dad telling me he had ordered a 1/2 of turkey from the local grocery store It was just he and my step mom that year and it was plenty for them plus enough left for sandwiches and home made turkey soup
It used to be the same every year. Then we started to have Honey Baked ham on Christmas for something different. But had to have turkey too because one daughter hates ham.
I think this year I might try Beef Wellington. I've never made it before so I'll have to do practice run(s) before Christmas.
Christmas food varies more for me than Thanksgiving dinner, which is pretty tradition-bound.
We don't do a formal sit - down feast, because of family and church activities...we do more of an open house buffet type spread... charcuterie, soup buffet, hors d'oevres, etc.
I love soup bar the most... Usually a crock pot of chili, one of a cream based soup/chowder, one of a clear broth based soup, several fresh baked breads, homemade compound butter with herbs from the garden, cracker assortment, etc.
Thanksgiving turkey dinner again, we usually don't fix it at other times so it's still special. I get the butterball turkey breast, it's small but there's only the two of us. They have one now that doesn't even need to be thawed...Dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable, cranberry sauce and pie rounds out the meal.
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