Erin's 2015 Christmas Menu

We do beef on Christmas. In Christmases past, we've made Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Shallots, Bacon, and Port. It's good stuff.

This year we're celebrating the holidays with the husband's family in Seattle. Now that we also live here in the Northwest, it's the first year that we get to sleep in our own beds and wake up to our own Christmas tree and still see family. We're pretty excited about it!

As I've mentioned a plethora of times, my mother in law is pretty much the best cook ever. I've learned so much from her! On Christmas, the husband will help her make a prime rib seasoned with a blizzard of salt and pepper, seared over high heat to form a crisp crust, and roasted in a low oven to buttery perfection. It's divine.

I'm in charge of some sides this year. On Christmas Eve I'm bringing my mom's Cheesy Potatoes to the extended family gathering. For Christmas dinner I'm contributing Potato Gratin with Smoked Cheddar Cheese. My MIL has made this one several times, and it's good. She said it's pretty easy if you use your food processor to slice the spuds. And it transports easily. I'll just bake it at home and we can re-heat it at her house.

Because there's never enough cookies on Christmas, I'm also bringing Cardamom Cookies. They have all the flavors of the holidays.

Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes

The husband and I were planning some meals over the holidays, and he had a grand plan, "Why don't we make some of the classics?" He suggested.

My mind is always moving on to the next thing, and I forget about those crazy-good things that I've already made. It's high time that I remind myself just how delicious a few of my favorites really are. So over the next few months, I'm going to sprinkle in a few of the classics with the new stuff. I'll take new pictures and bring these recipes up front and center where they belong.

I started with my Mom's Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes.

This is ultimate comfort food. If you turn up your nose at cream of chicken soup from a can, stop now. But I'm telling you, these Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes are the stuff dreams are made of. Savory, salty, delicious dreams.

My original post for this recipe was January 11, 2011—almost exactly three years ago. Back then I was bemoaning the frigid 16 degree temperatures we'd been experiencing.

Well, Past Self, this week you survived temperatures of -15...with a wind chill of -40. Positive 16 degrees? Heck, that's balmy.

Hope you enjoy this blast from the past as much as I did!

Mom's Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes
Originally posted January 11, 2011

Serves: 8

1 can cream of chicken soup
16 ounces sour cream
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
32 ounce bag of frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (Mom uses the cubed hash browns.)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups Grape Nuts Flakes cereal*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together soup, sour cream, onion powder, and garlic powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in potatoes and cheese. Pour mixture into the baking dish. 

In a separate bowl, stir together butter and Grape Nuts Flakes. Spread on top of the potatoes. 

Bake the cheesy potatoes for one hour. (If you check partway through the cook time and the topping is getting too brown, cover with foil and continue baking.)

*Make sure you get Grape Nuts FLAKES and not regular Grape Nuts. I don't know why Mom started using Grape Nuts Flakes, but they have a subtle malty sweetness that makes her cheesy potatoes ridiculously good.