Don't turn on that oven in the summer heat! Enjoy some creative ways to have a traditional Christmas feast in July, without heating up your kitchen.
Christmas in July parties are so much fun. You get to lug out the decorations, wrap presents, and enjoy the merry festivities without having to shovel any snow. Your theme and food choices are pretty easy too!
If you're going all out and having a traditional Christmas feast, you can do your turkey on a rotisserie on the barbeque, or just buy boneless turkey breasts to cook directly on the grill. If you want something different, try grilling turkey drumsticks the same way you would with chicken drumsticks; just increase your cooking time since turkey legs are usually bigger. Or use ground turkey in place of the ground beef and make turkey burgers. Mix some canned cranberries with mayonnaise for a tasty festive topping for these juicy burgers.
No matter what you decide on for your main course, haul out the crock pot to make some comforting, light stuffing without having to heat up the oven. This stuffing recipe is very basic - you can make it your own by adding chopped mushrooms, dried cranberries or raisins, chopped walnuts or cashews, or diced apples. Mix up the flavor and texture with an assortment of different types of bread. Or you can add some diced cooked sausage if that's your preference.
Slow Cooker Stuffing
(makes 12-16 servings)
- 2/3 cup butter
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 cups thinly sliced celery
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 12-14 cups stale bread, cubed
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes, or 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 beaten eggs
- salt and black pepper to taste
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and parsley; stir fry until just softened. Remove skillet from heat.
Place the bread cubes in your slow cooker, but don't pack them down. Spoon the skillet contents over top, add seasonings, and pour broth over all. Add beaten eggs, and mix well to combine.
Cover and cook on high heat for 45 minutes. Turn heat to low and continue cooking for 4-8 hours. Serve hot.
~~~
Christmas desserts are traditionally things like fruitcake, mincemeat pie, or something equally decadent and time-consuming. For a summer party, however, cool and refreshing would be much more appropriate.
This Peppermint Ice Cream Pie is just the ticket! Use premium French vanilla ice cream for best results, or try using 1 quart each of vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Striped peppermint candies are available year-round, but if you have a stash of candy canes somewhere, these would be perfect as well.
Peppermint Ice Cream Pie
(makes 8 servings)
- 3 cups chocolate baking crumbs
- 12 tablespoons butter
- 2 quarts good-quality vanilla ice cream, softened
- 2 cups crushed peppermint candies, plus extra for garnish
- Chocolate dessert topping
Melt butter in a mixing bowl in the microwave; add chocolate crumbs and stir well to combine. Press mixture on bottom and up sides of a 10" pie plate. Set aside.
Stir crushed peppermint candies into softened ice cream. Spoon ice cream mixture into prepared chocolate crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Place pie in the freezer for several hours or overnight.
Remove pie from freezer and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with a drizzle of chocolate dessert topping and the remaining peppermint candies.
Merry Christmas in July!
