New Holiday Traditions
Amanda:
Writer and
Snack Mom
Open the Door to Fun Holiday Dinners
Posting by Amanda
My fondest holiday memories are gatherings at my grandparents’ house to impatiently wait all day for the roasting pig to finish cooking. The smells coming from my grandmother’s kitchen were heavenly: black beans, white rice, boiled yucca, and homemade flan! Yum!! But all those foods took so much time to cook, and even longer to prepare.
As the years go by, the cooking responsibilities have shifted. We still gather at my grandparents’ house but it’s the younger generation’s turn to sweat over a hot stove while the older generation sits back and relaxes. While my mom and uncle have taken over making the main staples, the rest of us bring the side dishes and dessert.
Since I haven’t gotten the knack of making my grandmother’s recipes, my contributions tend to lean toward the quick and easy! So this year, I’m making a cream corn casserole. I use a sleeve of crackers and a small box of Cheez-It Crackers, which the boys happily “smoosh” inside storage bags for me. My little assistants love pounding the crackers until they are completely crushed!
My Cream Corn Casserole recipe
Cook Time: 45 mins Level: Easy
Ingredients:
- 1 sleeve of Keebler® Town House® Crackers
- 1 16-oz box Cheez-It® Crackers
- 4 12-oz cans of cream corn
- 2 sticks butter, melted
Directions
- Mix the crushed crackers with 4 cans of cream corn
- Add 1 cup of melted butter to the Cheez-It crumbs to top the casserole
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees
While a cream corn casserole doesn’t quite stick with the family’s theme of Cuban cuisine, it meets my three prerequisites: it’s tasty, simple to make and takes practically no time to prepare. That means there’s plenty of time left over for the fun stuff, like watching the kids open their coveted presents while sipping on eggnog and enjoying the company of loved ones.
Vanessa:
Snack Mom,
Writer, Chef,
and Mom
Children’s Menu: Serving Up Yum and Fun
Posting by Vanessa
When my parents divorced, I thought that it would be the end of our Christmas family dinner. But a few weeks after the big announcement, I came home from work to find a huge cardboard box on my stoop from my mom. Inside, nestled amidst decades of yellowing newspaper clippings, were all our tree ornaments.
I had officially been put in charge of Christmas.
Ten years later, our Christmas traditions are as entrenched as ever. My sisters and their families converge upon our house for a week of family quality time, culminating in a marathon dinner featuring smoked salmon, foie gras, oysters, shrimp, turkey, cheeses, and yuletide log. Cooking for the feast takes days and I have little time to dedicate to creating the children's meal, but I still want them to have a special night. Thankfully, over the years I've devised a few strategies to ensure they have a memorable dinner, too, without making me crazy.
My 5 favorite tips for the big holiday feast:
- Children's palates are not sophisticated and they don't expect fancy ingredients. For them, the night is all about tradition and fun.
- A gorgeous table is half the battle. We break out special holiday paper plates and tablecloths.
- To set the tone that this meal is different, we begin with appetizers. I focus on simple food presented beautifully, like crackers topped with American cheese in holiday shapes.
- For the main course, we opt for the familiar: chicken nuggets or noodles.
- Our last course is a dessert platter featuring familiar ingredients presented with a holiday touch like crackers topped with Nutella, banana slices, and sprinkles or these chocolate-dipped Rice Krispies Treats.
This recipe was submitted by a Cheez-It® Crackers and Keebler® Town House® Crackers fan. Cheez-It® Crackers and Keebler® Town House® Crackers do not test or endorse any of the recipes submitted by users.
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