Merry Christmas, Friends! I hope you had a wonderful holiday! Just a little quick newsletter and recipe today as I sit here among the post-Christmas chaos and try to remember what day it is.
For me, this week between Christmas and New Year’s is a strange twilight zone kind of place where one day bleeds into the next and I feel a little lost. There are plenty of things I should be doing, but instead I’m going to just curl up and read through the new cookbooks Santa left under my tree.
New Year’s Eve will come up on us fast, and we’ll have a few friends over. I have never in my life been accused of being a party animal, so we will just have a laid back evening of snacks and games and me shooing everyone out the door around 10pm. This is the party we have every year, and everyone seems relieved to have an excuse to head out early and get the kids to bed. Right, guys?
Really it’s my excuse for one last night of “party food” before the reset of a fresh new year. I’ll make some little sandwiches and a snack tray (I love doing some pickled things to offset the richness of other snacks) and then also make the Caramelized Onion and Asiago Chip Dip you see below. It’s my homemade version of the onion dip you can buy in the chip aisle, and while it’s fairly simple, the creamy, fresh taste beats the tub from the store every time.
Until then, we’ll float through the rest of this week on leftovers and simple meals and continue to ask each other, “wait, what day is it?”
MONDAY - Christmas Day!
With 11 people over at my mother-in law’s we went easy with just a rotisserie chicken, sliced ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and hawaiian rolls. I always forget how much I like those little hawaiian rolls. Leftover ham sammies? Yes please.
TUESDAY - Chicken Enchiladas, Rice, and Salad
We’re still feeding a crowd, and everyone loves these enchiladas. I’ve mentioned them before on our meal plans; they’re a repeat dinner for sure. Southern Living Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
WEDNESDAY - Chicken and Rice Soup
After several days of too much everything, a simple soup for dinner sounds really nice. I really don’t even want to fuss with a salad or a grilled cheese, just a big mug of soup.
THURSDAY - Pick up night (one night early)
We normally pick up dinner on Fridays (but there’s nothing normal about this week, so here we go). My brother’s family is coming in and should arrive right around dinner time, so we’ll pick up something to have ready and then do the big dinner tomorrow.
FRIDAY - Standing rib roast and potato gratin
Christmas dinner, part deux. We’ll all be at dad’s - he’ll do the beef roast (one of those recipes where you salt the roast overnight and cook it super low and slow then finish it under the broiler), I’ll bring the potatoes - I love this recipe from Serious Eats for Hasselback Potato Gratin. Salad and a green veg to go alongside. And I think I’m going to try a chocolate chess pie for dessert.
SATURDAY - Leftovers
Good gracious there’s food everywhere and a little leftover clean up is in order!
SUNDAY - New Year’s Eve!
I’ll contribute party sandwiches (now that I’m stuck on hawaiian rolls) and the best chip dip ever. See recipe below. Oh and the prosecco - I have that already chilling.
Caramelized Onion and Asiago Chip Dip
Makes about 2 - 2 1/2 cups.
· 2 White or Yellow Onions, diced
· 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ¼ teaspoon ground black Pepper
· 1 ½ teaspoon fresh Thyme, minced
· ½ cup Mayonnaise
· ½ cup Sour Cream
· 1 cup finely shredded Asiago Cheese
· ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
Caramelize the onions – in medium size skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir to combine. Once onions start sizzling, lower heat to medium.
Over the next 45 minutes to an hour, frequently stir onions and lower heat as necessary to keep them from burning. You don’t want the onions to brown because they are burning, you want the onions to slowly take on color as they caramelize. I keep a small cup of water near the stove and add a little splash (1-2 tablespoons) whenever it looks like my onions are starting to stick. The onions are done when they are medium brown and very soft.
Cool the onion mixture to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, asiago cheese, and lemon juice. Stir in cooled onions. Serve immediately or cover and keep in fridge up to 4 days.
Yes, you could serve this with veggie sticks. But I named it Chip Dip. Get the kind with ridges.