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Christmas Foods A to Z

All the recipes for Christmas Foods A to Z—from Appetizers to Zinfandel and all the salads, side dishes, sauces, ham, and prime rib in between—plus tools, tabletop, and encouragement you need for a perfect Holiday. Scroll down for the recipe for a perfect Christmas Dinner!

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Plus the actual Christmas menu for this year, December 2022 at the end.

Skip ahead to individual letters using these links:

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A is for Appetizers and Hors d'ouevres

My family makes the huge mistake of going H.A.M. (pun absolutely intended) every Holiday dinner because we graze from a vast spread of appetizers all day long while cooking and are painfully full by dinner time.

Nevertheless, you still have to hand an overfilled glass of Champagne to every person who walks through the door and serve hors d'ouevres because you just do, Ina. Here are some "light appetizer" ideas.

Little Bites

Dips and Spreads

cranberry cream cheese stuffed brioche french toast casserole
Cranberry Stuffed French Toast Casserole

B is for Brunch on Christmas Morning

B is for beets, bread, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and butternut squash, but the Holidays are nothing without Brunch on Christmas morning, booze included.

Sweet Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

Savory Breakfast and Brunch Recipes

christmas charcuterie board

C is for Crudités, Cheese and Charcuterie Boards

If you only build one board this season, let it be the epic red and green Christmas Charcuterie Board pictured above.

But you're not only making one board, are you, Host with the Most? Here are some more:

Step-by-step guides and free downloadable shopping lists for putting together PERFECT cheese and charcuterie boards every time:

cranberry moscow mule with cranberries ginger and rosemary in glasses

D is for Drinks

I know. D is Dessert, but in this house, drinks are dessert. Mix up one of these Holiday cocktail, and if throwing a few sugared cranberries into your go-to cocktail is all you got, that's great, too.

  • Cranberry Moscow Mule Cocktail with vodka
  • Cran Royale, like a Kir Royale but with cranberries instead of creme de cassis
  • Cranberry Sgroppino
  • Gold Rush Cocktail with Bourbon
  • Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail

Oh you prefer wine? Scroll down to Z.

Kimchi Deviled Eggs with Bacon and Scallions
E is for Eggs, the deviled kind

E is for Eggs, Endives, and Entertainment

If you need a Holiday food that starts with E, serve deviled Eggs as an appetizer. Or make Endives with whipped crème fraîche and caviar as a starter. I don't serve Eggnog because I don't want to poison anyone with salmonella, but Eggnog French Toast is fully cooked.

Otherwise, E is for Entertainment, from board games before dinner to movies after dinner, to the music playlist for the whole night.

Board Games

Does your family play board games after dinner like every other normal family? You might think your family is weird because after dinner, everyone gets super competitive when playing board games. But my family doesn't even play board games, and still gets competitive by taking our resting heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels after dinner and comparing to see who has the best vitals.

My Dad gave me and my sisters blood pressure monitors for Christmas a few years ago. For you normal families, these are the board games you should have:

Music Playlist

Start putting together a playlist now. My family doesn't let me play anything except Christmas carols all day, but for all those hours I am gleefully alone in the kitchen zone washing, prepping, and cooking ahead of time, I play Sadé, Led Zeppelin, Michael Bublé, and WuTang. Don't call me a grinch. I listen to Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You year-round.

lemon olive oil cake with fresh berries

F is for Fruit Cake

There is no recipe on The Delicious Life for an actual fruitcake, the brandy-soaked brick studded with dried fruit of suspicious color and character. There are, however, cakes with fruit:

arugula pear salad walnuts pomegranate, plated
Arugula Pear Salad with Walnuts and Pomegranate

G is for Green Salad

No one eats salad during the Holidays. NO ONE. I don't know why we even bother with this here. But I swear I will eat an entire bunch of unwashed cilantro including the rubber band holding it together before I serve any kind of meal without a fresh salad, even if it sits pristinely on the table untouched. If nothing else, throw whatever fresh greens you can find into a bowl and douse it with this so-good-it's-drinkable Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

bourbon maple glazed easter ham plate

H is for Ham

What else? Bourbon Maple Glazed Ham.

citrus roasted wild salmon

I is for Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes

This is my favorite menu of the year, will full details here. However, here are a few recipes to get you started toward the seven:

pinot prune jam on cheese board

J is for Jams, Jellies and Other Spreads and Sauces

Whether spread on toast for your Christmas brunch or on a cheese and charcuterie board, jams and jellies are going to make an appearance a few times during the Holidays. Sure, you can buy, but why not DIY:

Sweet

Homemade Bacon Jam on Bread
bacon jam

Savory

meat-thermometer kitchen tool

K is for Kale Kitchen Tools

To avoid the obvious answers here, Kabocha squash, Kale Salad, and Kimchi, let's talk about Kitchen Tools instead.

When it comes to the Holidays, there are a LOT of fancy tools, equipment, gadgets, and electronics to help with cooking the dinner, but there is only ONE tool you MUST BUY if you don't have one already: a meat thermometer.

Everything else, from an extra-large roasting pan with rack to food mill, is nice to have. If you have the money, buy them, but you probably already have something that you could tweak to work and use the money you save for some new Loubs. But there is nothing that can accurately tell you when the turkey is ready for showtime, i.e. cooked all the way through, not over cooked, killed any possibility of foodborne illness except for a thermometer.

That all being said, the following is a list of all the tools, gadgets and equipment we use in the kitchen for Thanksgiving, generally in order that you will need and use them.

Knives and Cutting Boards

  • LARGE CHEF'S KNIFE: this is the knife I use every damned day. Pro-tip: get all your knives professionally sharpened the first week of November. If you've never had your knives sharpened before, it will change your life.
  • KITCHEN SHEARS: I cannot live without kitchen shears. If you don't have a pair, I have no idea how you are able to live.
  • MANDOLINE or Japanese Benriner. I have used this my entire life.
  • CUTTING BOARD: I have these cutting boards in all different sizes, especially for Thanksgiving time when there is a lot of prepping, potentially by multiple people.
  • LARGE WOODEN CUTTING/CARVING BOARD: This is the very large cutting board I use to carve the turkey. The other 364 not-Thanksgiving days of the year, it doubles as a cheeseboard. A board with a trench is nice to have to catch the juices for gravy when you're carving the turkey, and this one is the exact same one as mine, but with the trench on one side. I originally called the trench a "moat," in case you're wondering what I'm talking about.

Gadgets and Small Appliances

  • FOOD PROCESSOR: My time with my food processor that I've had for 15+ years is coming to an end because it's just getting old, and they don't make replacement parts for this exact model anymore, so it's time to move on... to the EXACT SAME equivalent food processor because I love it and it's on MAJOR SALE.
  • SLOW COOKER: You will use on the day of as a container or to keep something like mashed potatoes warm, with the intention of transferring to a pretty serving bowl but will end up just handing someone a large spoon and telling them to scoop straight from the slow cooker. The next day, you will use this to make bone broth with the leftover turkey bones. I have this one. It's a little small for a very large turkey, but works for almost everything else.
  • KITCHEN TIMER: I know. You can use your phone's timer. But... "Have you seen my phone?" I don't know about you but I set my phone down ALL OVER THE PLACE and lose track of it ALL THE TIME, so having a designated kitchen timer and one that has multiple timers that's like, stuck to the refrigerator door or something, is helpful.
  • SALAD SPINNER: I don't know why I am including a salad spinner when we all know that no one eats salad, so why are you even going to make one? That being said, you still need to have a salad on the table BECAUSE YOU JUST DO.

Tools and Equipment for Turkey, Prime Rib, and Ham

  • TWINE: to truss large roasts. This brand is eco-friendly.
  • HEAVY DUTY ALUMINUM FOIL: The obvious brand. 
  • ROASTING PAN with RACK: This is the one I have been using for my entire Holiday-hosting life. I have the larger one, which will hold up to a 25-pound turkey or prime rib. The smaller one will hold up to 15 pounds.
  • FAT SEPARATOR: You need this for gravy and when you make bone broth. This is the fat separator I have, the kind that pours broth like a teapot out from a spout at the base of the pitcher, as opposed to dropping broth out of a hole at the bottom of the pitcher like a crop duster. 
  • SHORT-HANDLED LADLE: for "basting." The bulb-ended syringe traditionally used for roasting turkey is annoying, and also a waste of space for its one job a year.
  • CARVING KNIFE and FORK: Every food blog, site, magazine, what have you is going to tell you need a "carving knife and fork set." You don't. You need your sharp-as-a-mofo chef's knife and a pair of kitchen gloves because I will tell you right now it is INFINITELY EASIER to carve a turkey grasping the side of the bird with your gloved hands than it is with a stupid giant fork that you will use one time, this year, and never again, because you will realize that using your gloves hands is just easier. Don't buy a carving knife and fork. Unless you want me to earn $0.12 commission off your purchase at amazon.

Tools and Equipment for Large Holiday Dinners

  • RICER, MASHER, or FOOD MILL: for mashed potatoes. In the end, a large fork does well enough and won't cost you $20, but this is one of very few situations in which the tool really does make a difference in the texture. I use a ricer.
  • BAKING SHEETS: I have always had and used half sheet pans my entire life, but only a few months ago, during quarantine when I was roasting FOR ONE ok, I discovered the glory of the quarter sheet pan, and even when cooking for a larger groups, the smaller size comes in handy because it just does. Both sizes work well as trays or "cheeseboards."
  • WIRE RACKS for sheet pans. To bake or roast things that need air circulation while baking, also to use for cooling.
  • CASSEROLE DISHES: I have a bunch of "vintage" corningware casserole dishes from my Mom, and a couple of LeCreuset stoneware ones.
  • PARCHMENT PAPER to line baking sheets to make cleanup easier, or when you want to roast things without using a lot of oil. This eco-friendly (-ish) brand is available at Whole Foods, and also online.
  • CAST IRON SKILLET. I don't know what you will need this for right now, but trust me, on the day of, if you have it, you will use it. I have this one in graphite gray.

For Storing Advance Prep and Leftovers

  • Silicone Ice Cube Trays for storing leftover broth, sauces, and condiments
  • STORAGE CONTAINERS/BAGS. Use the obvious brand.
  • DELI CUPS: for liquid leftovers like gravy, and also for all that turkey bone broth you are absolutely going to make, right?
latke and smoked salmon platter

L is for Latkes

Go all-out with an epic Latkes and Smoked Salmon Platter with caviar to really make it shine for Hanukkah.

sauteed lions mane mushrooms

M is for Mushrooms

Most mushrooms—from brown creminis to shiitakes—are in-season year-round because they are cultivated in climate-controlled indoor "farms." However, we tend to associate mushrooms with the fall and winter, so here we are.

N is for Nuts

citrus salad with avocado feta and pistachios

O is for Oranges and All the Winter Citrus

Office Holiday Party Potluck, Ornaments, Oranges, Other vegetables, and of course, Oysters.

But like, oysters on the half? One of the big magazine sites suggested doing raw oysters as a starter to a Holiday party, which sounds like just about the worst idea I've ever heard. Not only am I terrified of raw oysters and am even moreso for prepping LIVE food myself, but the idea of a starter that requires THAT much work IN THE MOMENT is just unrealistic for a cook who is hosting quite possibly the biggest, most chaotic dinner of the year. I do, of course, understand the reasoning behind serving raw oysters as an appetizer: they're "light," they presumably taste like nothing else that will be served during dinner preventing palate fatigue, and because they aren't cooked, don't occupy the kitchen.

Anyway, let's stick with Oranges and citrus, in any and all formats because winter is the season that citrus shines:

pomegranate salsa

P is for Pomegranate

quinoa salad with roasted mushrooms

Q is for Quinoa, Rice, and Other Grains

Q is for Quesadillas, Quiche, Quince, and Quinoa.

chef thomas keller prime rib with blowtorch
Thomas Keller's Prime Rib

R is for (Prime) Rib Roast

There are two types of people in this world, those who make prime rib with a blowtorch, and those who don't make prime rib. The blowtorch is a trick of Thomas Keller that I learned later, and while it is a fun party trick, the regular way of blasting the rib roast in a 500° oven first, then roasting. Both methods here:

S is for Sweets

Chocolate and Candy

Cookies and Brownies

Cakes

T is for Table Setting

T is for Tamales, Truffles, and Turkey with all the Trimmings, but we're going to talk about the Table.

I set the EXACT SAME table setting every year, and also pretty much for every special occasion. I don't have separate dishware for different holidays or fancier dinner parties, and only "dress up" my everyday dishware with...nothing. Also, I don't have anything else to dress them up either because why? That being said, here are the very few things I have/use to set the table:

 

Individual Place Settings and Tableware

  • CHARGERS: The large decorative "plates" under regular dinner plates are an inexpensive way to add some height/depth to the table. These gold ones are plastic so they're pretty affordable. They're from Michael's, and the same brand is also available online here.
  • PLATES: I use the SAME plain, basic white dinner plates, salad plates, and bowls for every holiday, occasion, party, and meal. The advantage of simple, elegant white is that they work for everything. The disadvantages of simple elegant white dishes is there are no disadvantages.
  • NAPKIN RINGS: The tiny leaf wreath napkin rings in the above photo are from Cost Plus (no longer available). These are even prettier and will work for Thanksgiving and winter holidays! Options: tie an herb sprig or colorful fall leaf around the napkin with twine. Place a spray-painted pumpkin or pine cone on the napkin. Fold the napkin into an origami turkey! Just kidding don't do that last one.
  • NAPKINS: The same "all-white" philosophy goes for napkins. As you start adulting, you will use cloth napkins, so get simple, inexpensive white cotton napkins that you can replace easily if they ever get really stained, which will be every time you use them.
  • PLACECARDS: The kids made place cards, which were cute for our dinner, but not for the photo. Sorry, kids.
  • FLATWARE: I bought gold flatware a few seasons ago when it wasn't very easy to find gold flatware, almost regretting it because I thought gold would be a passing trend. So far, so gold: you can find gold flatware anywhere (though these are closest in appearance to mine)! If you like entertaining with both gold and silver, this flatware is more perfectly versatile for both. Just make sure it's dishwasher-safe (if you're into that sort of sanity-saving thing).

Glasses and Stemware

  • GLASSES and STEMWARE: Wine glasses are probably the only tabletop item on which I have spent more than a few dollars. Embarrassingly, even as recent as a few years ago, my stemware was an eclectic-aka-garage-sale collection of wine-tasting souvenirs, corporate swag, and a few random three- and four-piece sets I had inherited from framily when they had broken too many others in a set. When I started adult dinner partying in a new home, I asked family for decent wine glasses as housewarming gifts. I have Riedel wine glasses in three different size/shapes, as well as an extra set of Champagne flutes because you can never have too many Champagne glasses.
  • CHAMPAGNE GLASSES: Quick note on Champagne glasses because I know everyone loves the default coupe, which is retro and curvy and the tall; and the skinny flute, which is super sexy. But both of these glasses are not ideal for Champagne. The coupe has a high spill risk and because the bowl is so wide, lets the bubbles escape pretty fast. The flute is better, but because the diameter is so narrow, doesn't let the aromas of Champagne out. The best glass for Champagne is actually a regular white wine glass. I know. You're still gonna use that tall skinny flute, me too.
  • CENTERPIECE: We don't arrange a complicated tablescape/centerpiece because we usually have to move all of it to accommodate all the food on the table. We grabbed a few leafy branches from the yard and threw the leftover Halloween pumpkin on the table with some candles and it looked pretty good!


U is for Upside-down Cake

U is for Upside-Down Cake, but we covered that under Fruit Cakes above. This time, "U is for Unique, P is for perfection and you know that we are freaks." Supersonic. Can you tell someone has already had too many Cranberry Moscow Mules?

Anyway.

U is also for Ugly Christmas Sweaters, which isn't a food but I ain't about to try and incorporate Ube, Ugli Fruit, Unagi, and Uni into Christmas this year. Thank you, next.

whole roasted cauliflower heads

V is for Vegetables

Broccoli Recipes

Brussels Sprouts Recipes

Cauliflower Recipes

Kale Recipes

  • Creamed Kale
  • Kale Slaw
  • Kale, Kimchi, and Green Apple Slaw

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

roasted butternut squash
roasted butternut squash with feta and pomegranate

W is for Winter Squash

Winter belongs to squash like acorn, butternut, honeynut, kabocha, and all the beautiful, beta-carotene-rich winter squash that we don't get the rest of the year.

Winter squash get their own section separate from V is for Vegetables because first of all, they just do and second, squash is botanically a fruit.

X is for Xtras

These are the little details that didn't fit anywhere else on this list, like what ingredients, foods, or other things to have extra on hand because you never know what's going to happen. These are the perfect response to your Thanksgiving guests who ask "What should I bring?":

  • Bottles of wine: you will never, ever, ever, have "too much wine." Ever.
  • Ice: Your refrigerator ice maker can't make ice fast enough for a dinner party. Bag of ice might come in handy for chilling wine and drinks in other places besides the kitchen.
  • Chicken, beef, and/or vegetable stock. Ideally, you will have already simmered your own in a crockpot and frozen quarts of it, but a half dozen quart boxes of organic stock in the back of your pantry will save your dried out stuffing ass in an emergency.
  • Butter (if you don't use extra butter, you can freeze it, though you will probably use it very soon for Holiday baking)
  • Fresh herbs, namely parsley. Use extra herbs in your cooking. Use extra herbs as garnish.
  • Garlic and onions
  • Fruit and things to garnish the turkey serving platter
  • Disposable storage containers to send leftovers home with guests
  • Fresh flowers: put them in any room where a guest might wander in
  • Alka-seltzer, advil/tylenol, and tums

triple whipped sweet potatoes

Y is for Yams and Sweet Potatoes

I have tried to stop serving sweet potatoes during the Holidays because we eat them year-round (though in different formats), so they mostly take up valuable space that could be given over to things we don't get to eat year-round, like pomegranates and persimmons. But when we do serve Sweet Potatoes, like in so many things, we seek balance, and go waaaay savory with salt, vinegar, and funky cheese. 

champagne in ice

Z is for Zinfandel, Zweigelt, and More Wine

Please don't say zucchini, because zucchini is a summer vegetable, and Christmas in the northern hemisphere is in the dead of winter. Z is for zinfandel, maybe zweigelt if we can figure out how to pronounce it, and all the wine.

The tl;dr list of Best Wines for the Holidays:

  • Easy breezy sparkler for everyone to start the day; literally, aren't we starting with mimosas-hold-the-oj at 9 am when we start roasting the turkey? Highly-rated Roederer Estate NV Brut from northern California's Anderson Valley is the obvious choice here. Classic old-world Champagne taste on a nouveau American budget. Fun fact: Roederer Estate's extended family is Louis Roederer, who makes one of my all-time fav Champagnes, Cristal.
  • Classic California chardonnay for the aunties and the moms:
  • California sauvignon blanc: Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc
  • for the cool aunties who have 4 million tiktok followers: Stolpman Love You Bunches Orange wine
  • for your rich brother: Kistler Pinot Noir
  • for your own Mom for "dessert" because she doesn't like things that are "too sweet": Quady Essensia, made from orange muscat grapes
  • for grandpa who won't drink anything but Napa Cab:
  • for your uncle who is actually younger than you because of the modern blended family:
prime rib roast

This Year's Christmas Dinner Menu

This is the Christmas Dinner Menu we are having this year. Previous years' menus follow for those of you curious about the level of information hoarding that goes on in The Delicious Life, and just to see how very little shit changes over the years.

christmas charcuterie baord
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Perfect Christmas Menu

The Perfect Classic Christmas Dinner Menu featuring Prime Rib with Jus, Horseradish Cream, Salsa Verde, and Pomegranate Salsa, as well as all the bright, colorful vegetable side dishes!
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: christmas, holidays
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

Starters

Main

Sides

Instructions

  • Prep and cook Blowtorch Prime Rib, Salsa Verde, and Pomegranate Salsa.
  • Assemble Dessert Charcuterie Board, cover, and keep at room temperature until serving.
  • Make the Christmas Charcuterie Board and set it out as a self-service appetizer station.
  • Make Cranberry Moscow Mule cocktails in the large batch format to allow guests to serve themselves.
  • Make Arugula Pear Salad, Roasted Mushrooms and Lentils, Crispy Shredded Brussels Sprouts, and Whipped Sweet Potatoes.
  • Serve Dessert Charcuterie Board.
when you make this recipe, let us know!Mention @TheDelicious or tag #thedeliciousmademedoit!

This Year: Christmas Foods A to Z, 2022

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Comments

  1. Sheila A says

    5 stars
    Hello! Would you please tell me where you got your tear-shaped condiment/dip bowl? I love the way it looks on your various boards. Thanks in advance for your response.

    You are a "Master" at Charcuterie Board making. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. I am grateful! :)

    Reply

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