Hi there It's beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas! It's super cold
here in Wisconsin and we've got a blizzard on the way. YIKES! I know everybody is crazy busy this week so I decided to send my newsletter out a day early. I just want to thank you all so much for the love, kindness and support this year. I'm thrilled you like my new website and the look of my new newsletter too. As long as you enjoy my recipes, I promise to keep on cooking!
For the first time in a VERY long time I'll be spending the holidays with almost my whole family. Both my mom and Hoyt's parents live in the Phoenix area. We're leaving behind the cold and snow in Wisconsin to spend Christmas in Arizona this year. YIPPEE! I just hope we get there with all this snow. We are so excited to see everyone! My brother in-law Sean and I are the cooks in the family. I just love cooking
with him. We have our holiday menu all planned. He and I are going to cook up some serious memories. Bring it on! We love
putting out lots of appetizers that look fancy but are actually super simple. For Christmas Eve that's our plan. All appetizers. Now, that's my kind of night. What fun!
My grandmother was an AMAZING cook and loved to entertain. She's no longer with us but in memory of her we are making what we call Mimi's Crab Dip. She was famous for it and everybody loves it. Plus
you can make it ahead! LOVE that.
Gotta have a of couple hot dips too. My Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip is a real show stopper. Especially if you bake it in a hollowed out loaf of bread. It's a real
WOW!
My sister is making another family favorite, Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts. We always double or triple the batch. They are a HUGE HIT! I mean bacon. Come
on!
I put all of my favorite and best holiday recipes in one place on my new website so that they are super easy to find. Click Holiday Recipes for some really special recipes!
If you want to zoom in on main courses, click Dinner for a variety of memorable main dishes, or read on for other great ideas.
For Christmas Dinner, we ordered a big prime rib roast. They are a bit pricey, but we splurged this year. If it's been a while and you need a tried and true recipe and tips, here's how to make the Perfect Prime Rib Roast. We love it with the BEST EVER Whipped Horseradish Sauce. Gotta have horseradish with my prime rib! I make a mean Sour Cream Mustard Sauce too! We are going all out and we are doing both prime rib and ham this weekend. If you got a ham, why not make it extra special with my Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze? Talk about taking your ham to the next level. Just a handful of
ingredients, including a can of Coke. Sounds crazy but it is so crazy good! You just gotta try it!
On the side, we always do potatoes. My Easy Twice Baked Potatoes are my FAVE! Even easier is my Loaded Potato Casserole. I don't know about you but I like my potatoes fully loaded. Here's a secret. If peeling, boiling and making homemade mashed potatoes sounds like way too much work, I totally get it. Pick up pre-made mashers (I like Bob Evans brand) and make my wonderfully easy Loaded Mashed
Potato Bake. Confession...that's what we are serving with our ham. Nobody needs to know you didn't mash the
potatoes! Let that be our little secret. LOL! My daughter, Ireland is also flying in to join us in Arizona. She's my salad girl.
Gotta have a big beautiful salad at the holidays. My Pomegranate Orange Salad is so festive! I can't wait to surprise her with it! She loves the light orange vinaigrette dressing.
For dessert, you know me. I'm all about keeping things easy breezy. Especially during the holidays! Click Desserts for lots of treat ideas! My Cranberry Orange Cupcakes will look so pretty on your dessert buffet! Believe it or not they start with a boxed cake mix.
Got broken candy canes? Use them in my Chocolate Peppermint Trifle. Have the kids help. I always say if you don't teach them to cook, they'll never learn how. Look how cute this dessert is as mini individual desserts layered in pretty wine glasses, canning jars or even clear plastic
cups?
Let's Travel Together! Have you heard I'm hosting group vacations? Click The Cooking Mom Vacations
to learn all about what makes my trips special and different from the rest! My trips are filled with delicious food, sightseeing, and tons of fun! We’ll
stay in the VERY best hotels and may even take a cooking class or two. I have 3 trips planned for 2023 with more to come! I'm planning my 2024 trips now! Let me know where you want to go! View our upcoming trip details:
I want to wish you all A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! If you are traveling. be safe. All my love, Amy
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