Time to think about Christmas dinner and get the shopping done for the ingredients. For many years now, we have done a Standing Rib Roast in the English tradition. Having just had turkey for Thanksgiving (with all the turkey leftovers), it is wonderful to do a special beef dish for Christmas. Yes, a bit expensive, but it is Christmas and that is only once a year. Plus these are on sale this week. Prime Rib roasts are not difficult to cook, just click on that post to see step by step how to do it.
It becomes a bit more economical when the leftover prime rib bones are used to make Beef and Barley Stew, another easy recipe. Garnished with a bit of sour cream and green onions, it is a fresh meal a couple of days later that will warm you up on a cold day.
Many like to have ham for Christmas, and I have a post that will show you how to slow cook it using two different methods. Slow Cooked Ham. For side dishes, Parsley New Potatoes With Sour Cream Sauce goes well with ham. Add a little steamed broccoli and you have a nice meal.
My Cheddar Onion Mashed Potatoes are also good for holiday meals as well as everyday. We have these with our Prime Rib on Christmas most of the time.
But maybe you just want a simple meal for two. The White Wine Chicken and Mushrooms is good, and sometimes I add artichoke hearts to make it a bit more special.
Here is my Baked Spinach with Roasted Garlic, another recipe I use with the Prime Rib, shown in the first photo.
Perhaps you love turkey, but cooking a whole one is too much. Using just a breast half to feed two, my Roasted Garlic Turkey Breast is yummy.
Another favorite turkey breast recipe is my Panko Crusted Deviled Turkey Breast. Flavorful and juicy with a lightly crunchy crust, it pleases most every palate. You can always adjust the spices and herbs to suit your taste.
From a few years back, my Rustic Egg Bread goes well with a meal, and makes great sandwiches for the leftovers. It can be made a day ahead too.
It just isn’t Christmas without cookies! If you have a cookie exchange this week or a big family coming for the holiday, make my Christmas Vanilla Sugar Cookies. But if that is too much, you can do Just a Dozen Sugar Cookies, a small batch recipe just for a few to decorate and enjoy.
What are you having for Christmas dinner?
From My Carolina Home 
It all looks so yummy……
Everything looks delicious! Your ‘just a dozen’ cookie recipe is a favorite at my house. The best way to keep us from over eating the desserts.
We are having Lasagna with my parents Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas Day we keep it simple with eating appetizers for dinner while watching Christmas movies with the kids. We used to do a fancier dinner but the kids prefer the simple meal so why do all the work at this point? 😊
I used to make a standing rib roast for Christmas with my mother every year. It’s been many years since I have made one. It brings back a lot of good memories. This year I am making ham balls with pecan praline sweet potatoes. I plan to bake some ginger snaps today. A favorite of my mailman. I’ve been putting snacks in the mailbox for him.
Well, at least you got me thinking about it, and I did take something out of the freezer just now. Ours will be a quiet day, and when the kids visit to open presents, we will be masked and not eating together…maybe next year! I would like to try your standing rib roast one day. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas…no matter what it looks like this year!
this year we will have a turkey breast for two I roast mine in a roasting bag is is very tender that way and has plenty of juices for gravy – I still have some left overs usually
We’re doing brunch with an egg and bacon casserole, Utica greens, home fries and pancakes with real maple syrup.
I appreciate you sharing all the recipes so freely.
Thank you for your upbeat posts and willingness to bring us to the next level with your shared knowledge!
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!
Dinner is still a??…but the Grands are coming tomorrow to bake cookies….Prayers would be nice …not sure who is coming but there are 7 of them 11 to 2 in age,
It all looks delightful, Carole! I’ve been hitting the grocery stores the last two weeks, as it seems never it is stocked with all the items I need at one time. It’s really pathetic going to the store lately. But our standard food fare includes ham, Cajun chicken pasta, Brussels sprouts & sweet potatot casseroles as well as scalloped potatoes, corn & green beans – plenty of choices for everyone. My sister begged me to make an easy ham/artichoke roll up appetizer, and she makes the chipped beef cheese ball to go with the shrimp. It’s a feast, for sure, one we all look forward to.
Wishing you the best in this week coming toward Christmas, and good health through it all. Your trip to Lake Lure looked fabulous. I have a friend who grew up here in town who has retired there. Her husband is soon to follow in retirement, is in the grocery management business. They love it.
All I can say is YUMMY!!!!
Your recipes are all so yummy! I just picked up a spiral sliced ham today, and will probably do some cheesy potatoes and a vegetable side dish. I’m happy with a pretty simple meal! But I do need to bake some cookies still…
beef for me too…have eaten chicken 5 days out of the last 7 and ham is verboten due to sodium…so it’s down to beef but i don’t mind….leftovers will go in a beef pot pie for new year’s day…and the chicken looks yummy!
We’re having a similar dinner: rib roast, twice baked potatoes, a big green salad and apple pie ala mode for dessert. It is a special dinner, and we look forward to it. Then R&R most of the day. LOL
Typical dinner here in central Virginia….Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, country ham, croissants…followed by dessert of pound cake, brownies and pecan pie… we have done this same menu for as long as I can remember, and everyone loves it.
This year we will have ten for dinner….included in the ten is an 18 month old great nephew…it is going to be so much fun!
My husband made eggnog on Saturday, from a recipe that has been in his family since the 1940’s…. At least one more batch will be made as well, so we will have plenty to share.
Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Looking forward to following your blog in the new year!
Sandra B
Hi Carole, I just got a cook book in from Milk Street. I was trying to figure out where it came from. I told hubby I hadn’t ordered any cook books.
Then my light bulb went on and you had sent me a email for my address because I had won a prize in the Autumn give away. You also said it would come mid December.
Well it’s here it is called Winter Vegetables. It’s has some yummy recipes. There isn’t anything in the box saying I had won a prize, I think that is what thru me off as to where it came from.
Thank you so much for having wonderful sponsors that we have a chance to win great prizes.
This book is huge, it has so many recipes and great pictures of a great many of those recipes.
Thank them as I love it. I keep saying I’m not buying any more recipe books but I’ve already went to there web site Oh My they have some wonderful books.
I just wanted you to know how thrilled I am with the book. Thank you.
Awesome!! So glad it arrived!!
Good afternoon Carole, Well, my morning has turned into an afternoon of going thru some of my older e-mails and copying things of interest. On of them is your Christmas white wine and chicken with mushrooms which I love all those ingredients so will be making as soon as I can safely go to the grocery store and get the ingredients, right now it is snowing here but it want stick as the ground is to warm but it is so pretty to watch. Haven’t had any snow for a few years her , just the ice. The wind gusts kept me awake all night. Also went to some of your other sites, button-mania, music is as far as I got so far. My father-in-law loved band music and Jay played the trumpet in the Harvey W Seeds marching band so went to a lot of parades with him. Jay also loved George Wright the pipe organist and I still have a lot of his L.P.s Hope to get them transferred onto C.D.s Between all the button projects and other things I want to accomplish I probably have enough to last me the rest of the year I think. Need to get into the kitchen and load the dish washer so yack at ya later. Phyllis
Hello Carole, Just committed the biggest sin, RAN OUT OF INK in the computer. Now have to wait till the 3rd week for my pay check. Did manage to get quite a few of the recipes of yours I wanted and the hexagon table topper for Christmas Have a lot of Christmas material so thinking of making some as gifts, get a head start on some Christmas gifts. Just need to remember where I store them, need to use one of my upper hall closets and get that project going, that ought to keep me busy for awhile. We are still looking at some cold weather as I’m sure ya’ll are too. Have a great weekend. Phyllis