Food and Recipes while under Coronavirus quarantine #3

[PayrollNerd]

Started my trip with brunch with the besties at Station400 in downtown Sarasota. I had the Greek omelet. Hash browns and cinnamon raisin toast. So very good!!

 

[Shamrock1]

Anyone want to help me with sides for our Christmas Day menu? Main dish is ham. Here’s the kicker: Everything has to be free of gluten, dairy, coconut, soy, rice, all grains (oat, rice, etc), and beans/legumes. Eggs and nuts are fine. I have no idea what pairs with ham in general, let alone with all these restrictions. My go-to is arugula with olive oil and pine nuts, with guests having the option to add their own Parmesan.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Anyone want to help me with sides for our Christmas Day menu? Main dish is ham. Here’s the kicker: Everything has to be free of gluten, dairy, coconut, soy, rice, all grains (oat, rice, etc), and beans/legumes. Eggs and nuts are fine. I have no idea what pairs with ham in general, let alone with all these restrictions. My go-to is arugula with olive oil and pine nuts, with guests having the option to add their own Parmesan.

Green eggs?!!! ( thats a joke btw)

How about a version of braised red cabbage?

Red cabbage recipes | BBC Good Food

 

[Quiet Time]

Started my trip with brunch with the besties at Station400 in downtown Sarasota. I had the Greek omelet. Hash browns and cinnamon raisin toast. So very good!!

Looks good.
I like the idea of the cinnamon raisin toast.
That's different.

 

[Quiet Time]

Anyone want to help me with sides for our Christmas Day menu? Main dish is ham. Here’s the kicker: Everything has to be free of gluten, dairy, coconut, soy, rice, all grains (oat, rice, etc), and beans/legumes. Eggs and nuts are fine. I have no idea what pairs with ham in general, let alone with all these restrictions. My go-to is arugula with olive oil and pine nuts, with guests having the option to add their own Parmesan.

How 'bout corn? Some kind of creamy corn casserole. Use almond milk, some kind of dairy free cheese (does that even melt?)

One of my gfriends mother used to make a squash and corn casserole.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Anyone want to help me with sides for our Christmas Day menu? Main dish is ham. Here’s the kicker: Everything has to be free of gluten, dairy, coconut, soy, rice, all grains (oat, rice, etc), and beans/legumes. Eggs and nuts are fine. I have no idea what pairs with ham in general, let alone with all these restrictions. My go-to is arugula with olive oil and pine nuts, with guests having the option to add their own Parmesan.

Why not ask your guests what they CAN have and/or foods that they would enjoy? I'm sure you want your dinner to be successful and that you want to please them, so don't be afraid to ask for suggestions.

You didn't mention fruits in the list of foods that you can't serve: Fruit of any kind generally goes well with pork products. How about a fruit and nut "charcuterie" board with a variety of fruits, jams/fruit spreads and nuts paired with gluten-free crackers and non-dairy cheeses? Deviled eggs are always festive and can be made with many different ingredients that your guests can enjoy. I've made deviled eggs with avocado instead of mayonnaise and topped them with crispy bacon - a big hit! You can probably find recipes for crustless mini-quiches that would make nice appetizers or sides, as well.

 

[155etta]

Anyone want to help me with sides for our Christmas Day menu? Main dish is ham. Here’s the kicker: Everything has to be free of gluten, dairy, coconut, soy, rice, all grains (oat, rice, etc), and beans/legumes. Eggs and nuts are fine. I have no idea what pairs with ham in general, let alone with all these restrictions. My go-to is arugula with olive oil and pine nuts, with guests having the option to add their own Parmesan.

Asparagus is lovely with ham. So are roasted red potatoes.
Mrs. Dash Roasted Potatoes Recipe

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I have never had a hot chocolate bomb! Interesting. I wonder if I can make it non dairy?
Happy Holidays to you!

I wonder that too, and might try it with coconut milk and/or almond milk.

It sounds like it's the heat that makes it work, so it should work in any hot liquid.

@mickey2942 , please report back how it went making them!

 

[Catmommy]

A perfect side with ham? Greens!!! Collard, mustard, turnip - take your pick. You can even combine them all together. That's how we do it down South anyways.

And a safe and happy Holidays to one and all

 

[MimosaMornings]

My grandmother always had some type of potatoes with ham. Potato salad, sweet potato, roasted potatoes with other veggies.
I was always the potato peeler.

 

[mickey2942]

What a lovely looking cake! Special treats our family will be making include baklava, cream wafer cookies, decorated sugar cookies, and the most delicious brownies in the whole wide world. I love this time of year when I feel totally justified having a sweet treat first thing in the morning with coffee!

It has been interesting to go shopping at the grocery store, seeing everyone's carts full of specialty items. Looks like people are very excited for Christmas this year.

We went out for lunch yesterday, at a very nice restaurant, quite extravagant for our budg

I wonder that too, and might try it with coconut milk and/or almond milk.

It sounds like it's the heat that makes it work, so it should work in any hot liquid.

@mickey2942 , please report back how it went making them!

I am not sure how to make them "non dairy". The chocolate has dairy, and inside the "chocolate bomb" is hot cocoa mix, and marshmallows. The hot cocoa mix has dairy in it.

So...I don't know. Can they even make melting chocolate "non dairy"? Maybe those melty things, which are not real chocolate. I don't think that would taste very good.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

I am not sure how to make them "non dairy". The chocolate has dairy, and inside the "chocolate bomb" is hot cocoa mix, and marshmallows. The hot cocoa mix has dairy in it.

So...I don't know. Can they even make melting chocolate "non dairy"? Maybe those melty things, which are not real chocolate. I don't think that would taste very good

Ah, I didn't read the ingredients carefully enough! I didn't realize that chocolate (or marshmallows? thought they were just sugar) had dairy in them. I would have guessed about it being in the hot chocolate mix but I didn't register that ingredient. Darn!

I don't drink dairy milk, but have no problem with a modest amount of cheese, ice cream, and other dairy in my diet. So I might try these bombs by putting them in hot almond or coconut milk and it sounds like they would probably work in making a tasty and nicely-textured hot chocolate.

But for someone who needs to avoid all dairy, you're right, the bomb itself wouldn't pass muster.

 

[mickey2942]

I love my Instant Pot! Tonight, I chopped up a bunch of vegetables, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, put it in the IP with broth...dinner, 15 minutes. I added cheese, a can of Cream of Chicken soup. And some sage/thyme/rosemary from our garden this summer. Perfect for a cold, wintery night.

 

[anneg]

I love my Instant Pot! Tonight, I chopped up a bunch of vegetables, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, put it in the IP with broth...dinner, 15 minutes. I added cheese, a can of Cream of Chicken soup. And some sage/thyme/rosemary from our garden this summer. Perfect for a cold, wintery night.

I did something similar, although I don't have an Instant Pot. I found a recipe for Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup on Food.com and cut the ingredient amounts down by half for just us two. Made enough for two meals. Delicious! I didn't have celery, and I put in less cheese than the recipe calls for. And no added salt.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup Recipe - Food.com

 

[mickey2942]

@anneg, that is very close to what I made tonight. I love homemade soup.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I've been making an effort to use my slow cooker at least once a week. Last week, I made chili. I put all the ingredients in the pot (didn't brown the ground round) and started it on high. When I could smell the chili, I turned it down to low and let it continue cooking for a couple of hours. It tasted every bit as good as chili that I'd cook on the stove and was practically effortless. After the holidays, I would like to try a whole turkey breast and brisket in the slow cooker.

Except for a trip to Nino's for items for Christmas weekend, we are finished with our holiday errands. I thought this Christmas season would be different than last year, but with the omicron variant spreading quickly, I'm glad that we didn't make too many plans for the holidays.

 

[anneg]

It turns out that we are hosting three close friends for Christmas dinner, all in our 70s. Two are a couple who had originally planned to travel to spend Christmas with their daughter and grandchildren, but the grandkids are not vaccinated and our friends decided not to go. The third is a single man who was going to be alone. We've known all of them for close to 50 years! All of us are triple vaxxed and are careful with mask wearing and distancing. Fingers crossed that none of us get exposed to any nasty viruses over the next few days!

I'm going to make beef stew with onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, maybe some fennel, and red wine. We'll also have rolls and apple crumb pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The couple is bringing fruit salad. We will also have cheese and crackers and butter roasted pecans sprinkled with Lawry's seasoned salt. I'm debating whether to also have a green salad. It's starting to sound like a lot of food!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

^ So very kind of you to host your friends for Christmas dinner. I'm sure it will be lovely and much appreciated

 

[HongKongPhooey]

It turns out that we are hosting three close friends for Christmas dinner, all in our 70s. Two are a couple who had originally planned to travel to spend Christmas with their daughter and grandchildren, but the grandkids are not vaccinated and our friends decided not to go. The third is a single man who was going to be alone. We've known all of them for close to 50 years! All of us are triple vaxxed and are careful with mask wearing and distancing. Fingers crossed that none of us get exposed to any nasty viruses over the next few days!

I'm going to make beef stew with onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, maybe some fennel, and red wine. We'll also have rolls and apple crumb pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The couple is bringing fruit salad. We will also have cheese and crackers and butter roasted pecans sprinkled with Lawry's seasoned salt. I'm debating whether to also have a green salad. It's starting to sound like a lot of food!

I love the sound of your menu Anneg. It sounds so welcoming. It's all very turkey here for Christmas, but a beef stew would be my preference any day.

 

[anneg]

I love the sound of your menu Anneg. It sounds so welcoming. It's all very turkey here for Christmas, but a beef stew would be my preference any day.

Thanks. Our oven is not working right or we would probably be doing roast beef. I don’t do turkey anymore. But fortunately we all love beef stew and I have always cooked it on the stovetop.