Holiday Feast!
There are so many celebratory foods during the winter holidays, some are linked with religious traditions, some are must haves because that’s what you had growing up, and some are new finds that are so good that everyone declares them essential for future celebrations.
We celebrate Christmas Eve, with my side of the family, with favorites that come from my childhood. But, because my family has grown from our original 5 to now include partners and a total of 9 grandkids, we’ve made a few little adjustments for safety and preferences.
Yes, you read that right, safety became an issue. Our traditional Christmas-Eve dinner used to include meat fondue in which oil was used to cook the meat. It became clear that having either fire on the table to keep the oil hot or extension cords extending from the table connected to multiple fondue pots filled with bubbling oil was probably not a great idea with young and quick grandkids running around. So we made a little adjustment. We started serving a slow roasted whole beef tenderloin (click here for the marinade).
We always include some sort of potato dish, Tater-Tots are a recent add that are a big hit, and some vegetables. A couple grandkids don’t eat meat so we included mac-n-cheese. We are Norwegian and always have lefsa, but I don’t have a gluten free recipe for that, not yet.
Keep reading if you’d like to learn more about what we make and serve for apps, dinner and dessert; including recipes and photos.
Appetizer:
While we have swapped the meat fondue for beef tenderloin, we still start the meal gathered around a pot of cheese fondue. Cheese fondue is naturally gluten free because it uses cornstarch as the thickener, but the bread used to dip into the cheese is not. Considering there are multiple gluten free and low carb people at our celebration, I will have two pots of cheese fondue and use our favorite gluten free bread as well as offer lightly steamed broccoli for dipping.
I like to use the simple Food & Wine recipe, click here for it.
Main:
Red Wine Marinated Beef Tenderloin click here for the marinade
Smashed Potatoes par boil small potatoes until tender, about 20 min, drain, and rest for 5 minutes. Place potatoes on parchment lined sheet pan and smash each potato with a measuring cup. Drizzle with olive oil, Herbs de Provence, S & P. Roast in a 450* oven until crispy, about 20 min.
Tater Tots & French Fries follow cooking instructions on bag.
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts trim off the stem, halve, and thinly slice the sprouts. Sauté in olive oil with red pepper flake, S & P until soft and begin to brown. Adding white wine or broth as needed if the sprouts begin to stick and burn. Bonus move, stir in crispy bacon or pancetta pieces just before serving.
Mac-n-Cheese my sister makes a gluten containing version and I make a gluten free version, click here for my mac-n-cheese recipe.
Simple Green Salad choose your favorite lettuce and toss with dressing: 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup favorite vinegar, 1 TBSP favorite mustard, 1 tsp Herbs de Provence, S&P.
Dessert:
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Disclaimer:
While we have more than eleven years’ experience of navigating the world as the parents of a child with Celiacs, we are not physicians, nutritionists, or other licensed medical professionals. The material and content contained in the Services is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for consultation, diagnosis or medical treatment by a licensed medical professional. Please consult your doctor for any medical or health-related questions. The information contained in the Services should NOT be used to disregard medical or health-related advice from a physician or licensed medical professional.