Easy Peas Recipes

I saw a commercial lately that showed a couple restlessly preparing a Christmas dinner for their family. Despite their large kitchen, they seemed to struggle to get around one another as they juggled plates, vegetables and assorted spoons and mixing bowls. It reminded me of the anxt around the Christmas season and the pressure to prepare a showstopping dinner for family and friends. 

Christmas dinner celebrates the culmination of the year. It’s a time for us to take a breath together and recap our accomplishments. It’s a time to reunite, to rejoice, to forgive and tie new bonds. The Christmas dinner is a time of rest and good conversation after the excitement of Christmas Eve caroling and Christmas morning presents. But, for the cook of a holiday dinner, knowing the importance of this meal can make its preparation challenging. However, it’s  possible to create a delicious, beautiful four-course dinner without stress and without worrying about the outcome. And, you can even come out of the kitchen and spend time with your guests.

Firstly, it would be helpful to read Cooking Apathy and The Three P’s and then the following blogs on Planning, Preparation and Patience. I won’t repeat too many of the tips from those blog posts here, but I’ll outline some of my tips for a stress-less holiday dinner.

Planning for a large, structured dinner happens far in advance – weeks in advance. This is necessary if you need to budget for the expense, prepare for guests coming from out of town, or have dinner guests with special dietary needs. Planning and scheduling what should be done gives you the confidence that you won’t forget things as you near the Big Day. Using a planner or an app on your phone can really help with this. Or, you can use a good ‘ol notebook.

The most important part of planning is the meal itself. What is going to be the highlight of the main course? Is there a theme? For example, this Christmas, it was decided that our main course would be Smoky Slow Baked Brisket – the ultimate stress-less and show-stopping main course due to its low-and-slow cooking method. Then, my family and I listed vegetables and other courses that were good matches. Of course, there were some “favorites” on the list. When our menu was finished, a “theme” had emerged:

Southern Coast Christmas Dinner

• Paprika Devilled Eggs
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Crab Legs with Hint-O-Garlic Butter
• Mixed Greens and Ham Hocks
• Cornbread
• Baked Sweet Potatoes Three Ways
• Smoky Slow Baked Brisket
• Mushroom & Merlot Gravy
• Old Fashioned Banana Pudding
• Peach Cobbler

So, here’s how I planned and prepped.
I’m a list-maker and love checking off boxes when tasks are finished. I alter my lists as things change, and they usually do. I have task lists, recipes, shopping lists, to-do lists… I simply can’t keep all of that info in my head. I also categorize my tasks into lead-time groups. These groups fall into three categories – a month ahead, a week ahead and a day ahead.

Up to a month before, my family was putting together our Christmas menu. Involving the family in the planning makes it more fun and may even get you some volunteers in the kitchen on cooking day. You may need more lead time depending on special factors like the time needed to pre-order and receive special menu items and ingredients. In my case, I talked to the butchers at my local grocery a month ahead of Christmas to see what beef briskets they had. Since they don’t stock many, I decided to purchase one immediately and freeze it rather than risk losing it by waiting. I bought canned, frozen and non-perishable items whenever I could, especially if they were on sale.

Up to a week ahead, I purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Timing the purchase of popular holiday items like greens is important. If bought too far in advance, the greens wilt and are less tasty. If bought too late, they are picked over and possibly even sold out. Ask your grocer when they receive shipments of what you need and what quantities they usually stock. It’s been my experience that these people enjoy answering questions and are very helpful.

The day before, I prep and cook everything I can that will last to the next day and still taste fresh. For example, the day before Christmas, I made the desserts. This was a major time saver. Desserts usually taste better the next day, in my opinion, anyway. I cleaned and chopped vegetables that I knew would keep for a day, like onions, peppers and celery. I also boiled eggs for devilled eggs that would be made the next morning.

Finally, Christmas Day was here. Since the brisket needed to cook for eight hours (I actually let ours go for nine-and-a-half since it was large), I put it in the oven at 3 a.m. – and promptly went back to sleep. When we woke up later, I made devilled eggs and washed, de-stemmed and started cooking the greens, The sweet potatoes were baked an hour-and-a-half ahead of dinner time, and the cornbread was baked an hour ahead. I was lazy this year and bought the shrimp frozen/pre-cooked, so the shrimp cocktail was a breeze. The crab legs were bought this way also – I only needed to steam them in the oven for fifteen minutes. I made gravy and melted butter while the brisket had its final browning in the oven, and voilà! A four course, delicious, elegant, memorable and easy dinner was made.

To be fair, there are other things here and there that will come up and need to be prepared. Don’t forget those family members who have a part in planning dinner for The Big Day. Let them help you in the kitchen. Chat about this and that as you go, and let it be a fun time. If the tasks are simple, and delegated with grace and kindness, just about anyone will be happy to lend a hand. Just remember, a stress-less holiday dinner is as easy as easypeas.recipes!