Christmas Round Up 2013

We may have overindulged a bit this year....

Christmas 2013 was a busy time for us, as I am sure it was for most people. 

Sue and I had so much fun coming up with recipes and treats for our families and friends this year. 

I hosted Christmas Eve at my house while Sue hosted Christmas day dinner at her house. 

She really outdid herself this year. It is going to be pretty hard to top next year. 

We wanted to share some photos of our celebrations and links to the recipes (where available) just in case you want to make the treats too. 

Sue and I are truly blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people and to have the opportunity to share such amazing food. 

Merry Christmas!

Our mom and her friend Lucille put on a dinner for some of their friends and family the week before Christmas. The tablescape was beautiful. (above)

This is the Vanderwolf side of the family at the dinner at Sue's house. That's her in the white shirt and black sweater. (That's me in the cookie monster shirt beside Sue's hubby - also wearing a cookie monster shirt.)

And this is the St. Dennis side of the family at the dinner. Pretty handsome looking bunch.

Good thing Sue has a large kitchen...that is the beginning of the line up for the buffet.

Speaking of the buffet....are you ready for the food??

There was so much delicious food. We had lobster tails with garlic butter, a turducken, ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, roasted brussell sprouts & sweet potatoes, bacon wrapped stuffing, sausage stuffing, coleslaw, broccoli salad, and cranberry sauce.

The bacon wrapped stuffing looked pretty surrounding the turducken. Also... bacon wrapped stuffing is the bomb. Oh. My. Goodness. (Find the recipe HERE.) 

The green bean casserole has to make an appearance at every family dinner. It's so simple and so delicious. (Check back for the recipe.)

Of course, it wouldn't be Christmas dinner with out creamy mashed potatoes.

Roasted sweet potato and brussell sprouts. (Check back for recipe.)

Best veggie side dish ever. Evah!

Our nephew Jordan is at school to become a butcher. He brought this lovely ham he had prepared.

Oh my gosh! Best ham ever.

Can we talk about turducken for a minute?

I don't know if you have ever tried this but it is amazing. A chicken breast inside a duck breast inside a turkey breast. *Cue angels singing*

Our mom always wanted to try a turducken. It was on her bucket list. Sue and I surprised her at Christmas dinner with it. She cried. We almost cried. Yeah...we take our food pretty seriously around here.

Lobster tails with garlic butter. 

So. Yeah.

A little over the top?

Maybe.

Most delicious addition to a Christmas dinner ever?

Yes. Just.... yes. 

Of course, it wouldn't be holiday without a bazillion appetizers and treats laying about.

These smoked salmon appetizers were a big hit. (Find the recipe HERE.) 

What about mini chicken and waffles with jalapeno jelly?

Cute and tasty. (Find the recipe HERE.) 

Ah ha! Proof that we had at least one healthy choice. 

A veggie tray in a pretty Christmas tree shape. (Okay, probably the ONLY healthy choice.... don't judge!)

Another super simple appetizer that will have your guests lining up. 

Bacon and cheddar wrapped crackers. (Find the recipe HERE.)

Crackers, cream cheese, and jalapeno jelly. 3 simple ingredients to make one of the tastiest appies ever. 

EVER.

Oh, plus it's super pretty so you will get a lot of "Aaaaaw"s. (Check back for that recipe link)

Of course we had to have some bread/bun choices.

These red & green buns will add some color to your dinner. (Find the recipe HERE.) 

Or, you could go a little bit cuter and make these Rudolph Buns.

They take a bit of time but the kids will think you are super awesome. (That's what kids say now, right?)

(Find the recipe HERE.) 

We made these sandwiches (Mini Smorgastartas) for a brunch a few days before Christmas.

These are seriously so easy to put together yet make such a huge impact on the table. Give them a try if you want something different to impress your guests.

(Find the recipe HERE.) 

Don't worry. We didn't forget about desserts and treats. 

Above is our chocolate candy cane cheesecake pie pockets. (Find the recipe HERE.)

Candy Cane Ice Cream anyone?

Make this for your guests and they will never want to go home. (Find the recipe HERE.)

While we're talking about ice cream...how about some Sticky Toffee Pudding Ice Cream on top of some Sticky Toffee Pudding?

Break out your stretchiest eating pants. You're going to need them. (Find the recipes HERE.) 

Perfect for giving as gifts or bringing to the office Christmas party, these Creme De Menthe Bars are simple and elegant and taste divine. (Find the recipe HERE.) 

Uh oh. Christmas just got serious. We broke out the booze.

Rum Balls make the holidays so much better, don't they?! (Find the recipe HERE.) 

In case you aren't a fan of the booze-y treats...how about some Maple Pecan Caramel White Chocolate Fudge? This is an easy peasy, no boiling involved, impress your guests, delicious candy.

(Find the recipe HERE.)

A light and fluffy yet still incredibly decadent dessert. Eggnog Cheesecake Mousse is a great way to end a holiday dinner. (Find the recipe HERE.) 

Give these as gifts or serve them at your Christmas party. Our Strawberry Snowball Dip is light and airy and only takes a few minutes to whip up. (Find the recipe HERE.) 

In case you haven't already wowed your guests with your impressive dinner..break out the big guns and serve this for dessert. Cranberry Cheesecake is everything you need in a holiday dessert. 

(Find the recipe HERE.) 

Sue made these teeny tiny little elf cookies. FYI - if you have any kids around for Christmas then they will love these. They are a bit time consuming as you are making tsp size cookies...but.... they are just too cute.

If you are feeling like cake for dessert... maybe you want to create a winter wonderland scene.

We made this cake for a Christmas contest and it was a big hit. (The trees are just ice cream cones piped with frosting and the bear and snowman are made from marshmallow fondant.) 

As were these adorable little snowmen and snowball cupcakes. All you need is a little marshmallow fondant and these are super quick to whip up. 

Whew.

We hope you enjoyed our recap of recipes that we created this holiday season. 

Please leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite was...or if you have any questions we would be happy to try and answer them.

Be sure to stop by Easy Life for some fantastic links!