Since I have a few hours between Monday Murals and T Time, I thought I would show Christmas, but not at my house.
A couple of days before Christmas I stopped by my bank and took a photo of their tree, since all my trees are very small. 
I provided my own tree, though. Granted, I got this idea from Jan who shared it here. Mine didn't look as good as the original, possibly because I should have only used two carrots at the bottom. And of course, I didn't have a star to top the tree. I also added the Craisins (dried cranberries) before I roasted it, rather than after. However, it really WAS a show stopper.
I also made orange rosemary carrots using fresh rosemary from my plant and orange zest along with the squeezed juice of two oranges.
My friend made the pie, but it wasn't spicy enough for me and the crust came from the store. Sorry, but pie is MY thing and I would never have made anything like that. 
My old favorite is of course something I make every holiday: green bean casserole. However, I used cream of celery soup and added fresh mushrooms. 
I made scalloped potatoes which may have been my favorite of all the things I made.
I also made the glaze for the ham. 
which turned out rather good. Yes, I tasted it. 
Of course, I HAD to take ONE more shot of the tree, my favorite recipe of the day, even though I got a bit too much EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) on the pan.As an aside, with the new year and thoughts of diets and dieting, I've been reading about all these diet plans and the best one seems to be the Mediterranean diet. It's been voted number 1 the third year in a row. It focuses on lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and EVOO. Coffee and tea are acceptable to drink, as is water, but soft drinks and fruit juices should be avoided.
I also liked the Flexitarian, which is plant based. Per the diet, it is
a combination of the words flexible and vegetarian - was first coined by registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner in 2009.
Mediterranean is #1 and Flexitarian is #1 in plant based diets. It was ranked #4 overall. Keto was ranked #33 of 34 diets ranked, even though I know several people who swear by it. I only say this because I looked at the meal I fixed, and it appears I am following these two above diets based on my Christmas meal.The diet encourages being a vegetarian most of the time, but allowing yourself to have meat when you have a craving.
As I've said before, this is NOT a cooking blog, but I do cook on occasion! Thanks so much for stopping by to share my Christmas dinner I cooked.
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14 thoughtful remarks:
Looks good, love the edible tree, yummy! Valerie
Hmmm, I love both trees, especially the yummy one!
You gave me a good chuckle over the pie :-)
Oh, it ALL looks so yummy, can you come over here and repeat this? ;-)
Such yummie food Elizabeth! Gorgeous!
Big hugs, Susi
The bank tree is quite lovely, but the edible tree looks very festive and yummy. I don't eat a lot of pork products, but that ham sure looks good, and potatoes are my thing. Not so much with pie tough. I tend to eat only cherry or key lime pie. Thanks for all the great pics of our holiday! Hugs, RO
Oh it sounds yummy. We had brussel sprouts too. Yum. I really like your tree. You had more dishes than we did and they all look delicious. And I am a pie person also too. Most store bought pies are not so good, but occasionally you come across a good one. But still, never quite the same as home made. Have a super Monday. I'll get that article copies and emailed over to you later as I am off to work shortly. Hugs-Erika
What a "delicious" tree, Elizabeth! Very clever idea! Kisses, my friend.
Your tree is deliciously clever. I'll skip the green bean casserole. Not a fan, but the rest of the meal looks delicious.
Variety is the spice of life, and I'd be happy to see food posts :) I'm not a good cook, though I do well enough to keep me fed, and I always use a store-bought crust on the rare occasions I make a pie. Day-to-day I tend to eat fruits raw and veggies roasted. Your potatoes look delicious, and that ham glaze is the perfect touch!
I've tried out low-carb eating but not low enough to count as Keto, and I've tried the Mediterranean diet. I don't tend to stick to a strict eating plan, and I'm heading into the New Year recovering from an overindulgence on sweets since Halloween. Healthier eating in the new year is my goal :)
we was knot a loud ta haza tree heer...wunder why mackerull but any way; heerz two a happee healtheez new yeer two everee one...we will bee happee ta help ewe get rid oh de spare spudz ;) ♥♥☺☺
I am so pleased I am not hungry, the photos of the food you have been making looks so delicious. I adore the way you displayed the vegetable tree, it would be also a good idea to tempt children to eat more vegetable when it looks like this.
I am still on the old and slow computer, no news from the workshop about the main one.
Yvonne xx
WOW! Well done :)
Your Brussels Sprouts Christmas Tree looks fantastic … it must have tasted wonderful :)
All the best Jan
Your dinner looks fabulous! We usually have the green bean casserole and didn't this year -- which made me a little sad because I love it. The Brussels sprouts are magnificent! What a great presentation. I like YOUR tree very much!
It all looks very tasty Elizabeth! I love the carrots and sprouts tree idea.
Alison xx
Brilliant sprout tree Elizabeth! All of your food looks delicious Hugs,Chrisx
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