Cooking for Christmas!

I promised to write more from your list of suggestions, so here I am with another one!

This time, we're talking recipes! Some of you asked for my favorite go-to recipes at Christmas, so I've gathered a list that may not be at ALL what you expected. But hopefully it helps!

Appetizers

It seems that Ryan's family usually asks me to bring a cheeseball, and this is my no-fail cheeseball recipe. While cheeseballs are not my all-time favorite thing to make, I do like it that you can make them into fun shapes. I've done snowmen and Christmas trees, and I've seen them made into pinecones using a layer of almonds on the outside!

I don't know that I have ever made this for Christmas, but I have often made it for New  Year's Eve parties. I think it would work well for either! It's a healthier version of taco dip, and it has no beans! This is huge for me, because I really do not like refried beans. It makes a 9x13 dish, so you will have plenty!

Breakfasts

Christmas breakfast was always a big deal when I was growing up. Mom usually made something she could assemble the day before and we would eat it after we opened presents!

Here is the egg and sausage loaf she always made. This was also one of the first dishes I made for work carry-ins when I learned to cook after getting out on my own! It is VERY easy to assemble and can be made the night before and baked in the morning. I AM SORRY for the lousy pictures in this post. It's a super old one, as you'll quickly be able to tell!

If eggs, bread, sausage and milk are not your gig, here's another breakfast casserole I've made many times that can also be assembled the day before and cooked the morning of. This one has hash browns and other fun additions! It is delicious! Here's a shout-out to my old stove with coil burners that made it into THAT lackluster/blurry picture!

Ryan's mom's Christmas always features breakfast for dinner, which is really fun. Ryan's step-dad makes a HUGE batch of pancakes, and they're always delicious. (They also serve eggs, cheesy potatoes, cinnamon rolls, and other great breakfast food. It's perfect in their little log cabin. Swoon.) This isn't his recipe, but these are good pancakes and make for a great Christmas meal! Can I continue to apologize for the photos?

Speaking of cinnamon rolls, this is SUCH an easy recipe to make using frozen bread dough. No yeast to mess with! I've made these for some of our own Christmases since we've been married. Delicious! I also particularly love this recipe because you make it the night before and bake it in the morning. I'm all for minimal morning work.


If you're watching the diet this year, I have two excellent suggestions from Katie at Dashing Dish. I have made both and love them. This is a crock pot breakfast omelet that is SO good. It's also not a member recipe, so you can see it even if you don't belong to her site. (Which, again, is totally worth the fee.) Another freebie recipe I love is her single serve monkey bread. Easy and delicious!

Soups

I really haven't cooked much in the main dish category for Christmas, because we usually eat somewhere that the hostess does the main cooking. But I do love the idea of soup for a Christmas meal because it's cozy and comforting. So here are a few of my favorites. 

I love cheeseburger soup and this is a healthier version of the original one I used to make. All the flavors of cheeseburger...in a soup!

Ryan makes a delicious chili, so here's his recipe. It's so good! (And look! I even made it for a Christmas-season meal last year so the tree is in the picture!)

And here's a white chicken chili recipe if you need something a little fancier. It's a broth-based chili and is quite good!

Desserts

In a crazy twist that you might not even believe, I'm still perfecting my must-have Christmas desserts. My mom makes this amazing Christmas candy that cannot be topped, so I'm still floundering about looking for my perfect dessert contribution. But here are a couple I do love!

If you're not into dipping buckeyes, but you love the taste, here are some NOT AT ALL HEALTHY but TOTALLY DELICIOUS buckeye brownies. I dearly adore this recipe.

And if you don't even LIKE to make dessert, but you need to make an impression, try this candy shop pizza. It's so easy, it's delicious, and you can get red and green M and Ms to make it all festive looking!

So there you go! Happy Christmas cooking! :)

Linking up here!