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Celebrating the Holidays with a Few Festive Recipes

I don’t know about you, but I’m having a hard time believing it’s just a few days before Christmas. I’m looking forward not only to the presents, the overall holly jolly, and the Christmas meal, but I’m already looking forward to leftovers, thanks to some fun ideas from some of my friends.

In our family, we usually have two big meals. On Christmas eve, we usually opt for a traditional turkey, stuffing, and other sides.

Then, on Christmas morning, we have a breakfast of beef tenderloin served on English muffins. But it’s not just any beef tenderloin. Never one to leave well enough alone, my sister Kathy adds several layers of amazing to this already fabulous cut: she sears individual tenderloin steaks in a frying pan, then finishes the steaks by cooking them in plenty of butter and garlic salt, then she adds a dash of Worcestershire sauce to that. And she serves the steaks with Boursin cheese, which we slather on top before serving them on the English muffins, which have been doused in the buttery garlicky cooking sauce. It’s ridiculously rich, and truly delicious. Veuve Clicquot is often involved. After opening presents, we spend the remainder of the day in a food coma.

As for the turkey, I’m not a big fan of it on the day of, but I do love the leftovers. Senior Staff Writer Rebecca Coffey with her daughter recently made a Boxing Day pie, which turned into a fun project that included watching reruns of The Great British Baking Show. Her family also makes a tradition of day-after turkey curry. Our editor, Brian Boyd, has become a big fan of stuffing waffles. He also came up with a Thanksgiving pizza, which would work well as a Christmas pizza as well. And Michelle Naranjo, who covers the Connecticut River valley for us, has recommended Christmas egg rolls, stuffed with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

If you’re already looking ahead to New Year’s Eve, we have several great cocktail recipes for you, one from Robert Marcarelli and Bryan Earles at Liv’s Oyster Bar in Old Saybrook. It’s called Smoke, Spice & Everything Nice, and it was inspired by the Azteca Brownie Sundae developed by Lara Taylor, Liv’s pastry chef. And, over at Carson’s on Whitfield in Guilford, bartender Anthony DeSerio is working his magic again with one of my all-time favorite ingredients, Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup, along with other related ingredients.

And, to round out the fun, I’m going to give you two of my favorite appetizer recipes, one for crab dip and the other for artichoke dip. Yes, they’re both the old fashioned dishes our parents put out for their friends at the holidays. That’s part of why I love them. They remind me of my mom. And, my friends are always happy to gobble them up. I hope your friends like them, too.

What are you making for Christmas? What are your plans for leftovers? What’s your go-to recipe for New Year’s Eve? Let us know in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you!