Tell us about the best meal you ever cooked.
Since one of my journaling prompts last month was cooking, I almost changed today’s prompt because I didn’t think I would have much more to add. Good grief! To think that I actually considered that I wouldn’t have anything to say?
I really had to think hard about the best meal I have ever cooked because nothing specific was coming to my mind. However, my mind kept going back to the biggest meal that I have ever prepared: Christmas Eve 2011. David and I bought our house the week after Christmas in 2010, so we had been in our house for almost a year. We decided to host Christmas Eve dinner for the first Christmas in our new home.
While I didn’t cook everything for the meal that day, I did prepare a good portion of it for the 20 guests that we had that day. And because I am a super planner, I mapped everything out for the day in my Google Calendar to time everything to be cooked in time. I even worked in time to nap, shower and clean my room.
The items that I prepared was ham, turkey, dressing, monkey bread, green beans and snacks. It was stressful to get it all done, but I loved it! I loved preparing everything, planning it all out and hosting 20 of my friends and family in my home. It was perfect!
My parents recently remodeled their house and want to host Christmas Eve at their house this year. I’m looking forward to the holiday again and while I wish I was hosting again this year, I’m glad that my parents have a nice home to share with us. Maybe I’ll see if we can alternate years.
Monkey Bread Recipe
Prep Time: 25 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 5 Min
Makes: 12 servingsINGREDIENTS
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury Grands Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired
1/2 cup raisins, if desired
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, meltedDIRECTIONS
- Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large -storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.
- In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
- Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.
Do you have an awesome meal that you prepared? What’s your Christmas Eve tradition?
Proof of my insane Christmas Eve planning.
Frogdiva Dot Com 
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oh man , you are too funny! I wish I could be that organized. My planning consists of chicken scratch on paper lists and trying to time things in my head. I will have to pin your monkey bread recipe. When we lived in the south , I used to have monkey bread alot, but never in a bundt pan like this. THis looks yummy. I know it is so unhealthy, but it’s good comfort food! YOur Christmas sounded fun. 20 is a lot of guest to cook for! My Christmas eve tradition varies depending on if the extended family Christmas is on that day or not. If it’s not , then I usually spend a few hours having Christmas treats and maybe watching Christmas movies with Matt or my parents, followed by quiet time alone. Typically I spend a couple hours before bed with the tree on and all the candles lit and I will spend time in thought or prayer and maybe sing Christmas carols while finishing up last minute things. If it’s snowy I will take a walk , but this year not sure, as I don’t have the dog to take now. It’s not as fun walking alone at dark-plus we have talked about the whole dark thing before haha. I am sure these traditions will change once married!