Christmas Day and its festival are a curious blend of Christian, Jewish, Roman, Western pagan, and perhaps other institutions. It arose as a Christian festival as part of the adaptation of the early Christian Church to the world in which it grew up.
Christmas dinner is the primary meal traditionally eaten on Christmas Day. It is often seen as the main event of the day for which family members gather together spreading good will, tidings and rejoicing in the holiday season.
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 package (6 oz.) corn bread stuffing mix
- 1 cup chopped apple
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 egg, beaten
1 can (2.8 oz.) French fried onions
- 3 cups hot mashed potatoes
- 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
Prepare oven 350ºF. In a large saucepan, heat the water and butter until the butter melts; remove from heat. Stir in both pouches of stuffing mix, apple, celery, egg and ½ can French fried onions; mix well. Set aside. To hot mashed potatoes, add ½ cup cheddar cheese; stir. In a greased 8 x 12 inch baking dish, make 4 alternating rows of potatoes and stuffing. Bake, uncovered, at 350ºF oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle remaining cheese and onions between each row of stuffing and potatoes; bake, uncovered, 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown.
- 2 ½ cups cubed cooked potatoes, mashed
- 3 tbsp. milk
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
- ½ lb. Pasteurized process Cheese spread, cubed
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
Combine the potatoes, milk, butter, and chives; beat until fluffy. Stir in half of the process cheese spread. Spoon into a 1 quart casserole; sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with remaining process cheese spread; continue baking until process cheese spread begins to melt.
- 8 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1” pieces
- 2 tsp. salt, divided
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ½ to1 cup milk or cream
1 large saucepan, combine 5 cups water, potatoes, and 1 ½ tsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
Drain potatoes thoroughly in colander. Return to saucepan; heat over med.-low heat for two to three minutes for potatoes to dry, stirring occasionally.
In saucepan, mash potatoes with potato masher or beat with an electric hand mixer. Stir in butter, remaining ½ tsp. salt and ½ cup of hot milk. Add additional milk a little at a time if needed, beat until light and fluffy.
- 1 can Campbell’s Condensed cheddar Cheese soup
- 1 ¼ cup cold milk
- 2 tsp. hot prepared mustard
- 4 large potatoes thinly sliced [6 cups]
- 1 med. onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Combine mixture of soup, milk, and mustard with potatoes, onion and butter in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil.
Place in shallow pan. Sprinkle with mixture of cheeses.
Bake covered for30 minutes. Remove cover, bake for 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- 4 lbs. baking potatoes
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. sweet paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- ½ cup chicken stock
- Flour for dusting, if desired
Peel the potatoes and quarter them lengthwise. Place the potatoes in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish or sheet pan. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chicken stock. Turn the potatoes to coat them evenly. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 1 hour. Add the chicken stock and bake 1 hour longer, turning the potatoes a few times during cooking. You may also dust the potatoes with a little flour toward the end of the cooking time and place under the broiler for a nice browned effect.
Christmas is the feast commemorating the birth of Christ. It is fixed in the liturgical year as December 25th and is preceded by four week of fasting called Advent.