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| (Photo by Taste of Home) |
When I was a child, our family's traditional meal for Christmas Eve was macaroni and cheese. My mother made hers with a rich cheese sauce, loaded with sharp or maybe extra-sharp cheddar. She always topped her macaroni and cheese with crushed saltines sauteed briefly in butter (a much-coveted treat for us children) and then topped the whole with paprika before heating it through in the oven. It was delicious. We often had grilled hot dogs alongside the macaroni and cheese and usually a green salad of some sort.
My mother always made an extra casserole dish full of macaroni and cheese, and took it to a neighbor couple we dearly loved, for their Christmas Eve supper. On New Year's Day, Mrs. F always made a gelatin dessert called pumpkin snow, and sent it back to us in the clean casserole dish, along with a jar of custard sauce to serve with the dessert. It was a sweet tradition between neighbors.
Recently, I tried this recipe for Saturday night supper with baked beans and salad: Ham and Broccoli Mac'n'Cheese. It was very good; the only thing I changed (other than to use, in my case, gluten-free pasta and flour) was to add a little salt. There were some lively flavors in the sauce, but the flavor seemed to fall a little flat so I added a bit of salt and that solved the problem.
It occurred to me as I prepared the dish that it might be a very nice one for Christmas Eve, as it includes the lively colors of red (sweet peppers) and green (broccoli florets). If your family prefers a meatless meal, the ham could easily be omitted. What are your family's Christmas Eve food traditions?
I'll have to hop on over and check out the macaroni and cheese recipe. The picture looks like a mighty cozy meal.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your mom's Christmas tradition with her neighbors. That sounds so sweet and would fit well in "Reminisce" magazine! :)
We invite family over for Christmas Eve and I fix a big meal. That way, Christmas day is relaxed for us and we enjoy the leftovers.
That mac & cheese looks delicious! Our Christmas Eve traditions are transitioning now that all of the kids have families and in-laws of their own. The new tradition for Dan & I is to open our gifts alone together on Christmas Eve after whatever family activity we've attended. Last year was our third year to do this and I really look forward to it!
ReplyDeleteLadies,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by my Christmas kitchen. I wasn't sure if anyone visited here much in the "off-season" and was so encouraged to see that you stopped in.
Mrs. Smith -- yes, that tradition was a sweet one. I had half-forgotten about it and am glad that the thought of mac'n'cheese triggered the memory. Your Christmas Eve tradition sounds like a nice one too.
And Vicki -- yes, Mr. T and I are enjoying having our own special traditions as empty-nesters. So many times people in our situation waste time mourning over the fact that things have changed. I say, set the kids free for their own new family traditions -- and enjoy the season in a whole new way. So nice that you and your hubby are doing that. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Mrs T,
ReplyDeleteI have some more fabric to send off to you so if you would send me your address in a comment I will try and get that off to you. Hope you are doing well. That mac and cheese sure does look yummy.
Nikki,
ReplyDeleteThat would be great! I sent you my address in an email -- I assume your email address is still the same.
We are headed out West on Wednesday, so it would probably be best if you could wait and send the fabric when we get back. Thanks so much for thinking of me!
Yes, the mac and cheese is very yummy. I'm sure your family will enjoy it if you try it out!
That looks really good, yum! I just thought I'd stop by and see what I have been missing. So glad I did! Thank you for the comment on my blog, I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteCheryl,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you did stop by! Please come and visit again anytime. The archives are full of ideas, recipes, crafts and so on that you might enjoy checking out. Have fun!