Linking up for Blogmas 2014…25 Days of Christmas. Because I LOVE Christmastime…still waiting for snow!! 🙂

Usually I do a repeat of Thanksgiving Dinner.  If we decide to visit family on Christmas day, I’ll do it on another day.  My family starts talking about Thanksgiving dinner starting in September, lol.  So they suggested that I do it all over again at Christmas, so I have been doing that for a couple of years now.  This past Thanksgiving my oldest son (19), came up to me after we ate and just hugged me and in a voice like he was crying said, “Mommy, dinner was so good…it was beautiful…what do you need me to do?….I’ll do what ever you ask me to do.” #goofball.

Since my husband’s parents are from the south, I had to learn how to make some of the southern dishes he grew up with.  A couple of years ago, I added home made Mac n Cheese to the menu.  When I first heard that Mac n Cheese was included in Thanksgiving dinner, I was a like what? I was picturing the blue box from Kraft, lol.  This is the all time favorite of the kids.  But here is what I cook, I don’t have pics to include, but I think we are all recovering from our sugar coma from reading about all the delicious cookies from yesterday’s posts, lol.

Turkey – not stuffed.  I cook mine in an electric roaster, takes a little longer, but it’s worth it.  If I do use the oven, I will use a cooking bag, can’t go wrong with a bag.

Ham – with pineapples and brown sugar glaze.  This I do the day before then I re-heat it in the crock pot with the glaze that it was cooked in.  Also my kids’ favorite.  I also do this in the electric roaster, and I pour Ginger Ale over the ham, attach the pineapple slices with toothpicks all over it.  Then I mix the pineapple juice with the brown sugar and pour it over the ham to cook, such a good flavor!!

Dressing – not stuffing.  This is what my husband is used to.  It is baked in the oven in a square pan.  The ingredients are, green pepper, celery, green onion, corn meal, bread cubes, hard boiled eggs (diced), chicken broth, seasoned with poultry seasoning.  The green pepper, onion and celery are boiled in the chicken broth until soft, then you add all the other ingredients and mix together, then put in a pan and put in the oven until lightly browned.  Served with cranberry sauce.

Two Veggies – Corn and Green Beans with Bacon.

Real Mashed Potatoes – One of my favorites.

Home Made Mac N Cheese – This actually has 3 kinds of cheese in it, including Velveeta (not sure if that’s real cheese or not, lol), Cheddar and Mozzarella.  I make one big pan, and it’s the first to go 🙂

Brown and Serve Dinner Rolls, and Hawiian Sweet Dinner Rolls.

I cannot believe how much work goes into such a big dinner, and to think years ago, people cooked most of their meals like this, with home made dishes.  I am not by any means a good cook, not my thing.  I have to have a recipe, I wish I could just throw things together and it turn out to be something, but I’m not that girl.  But what I have learned over the years makes my family happy, and I enjoy seeing the smiles on their faces, and notice they move a little slower when going for seconds. 🙂 Not to mention my middle son (13) saying, “This is the BEST meal ever.” Lol.