Out of all the holiday dinners, Thanksgiving was always my favorite. We would always have a large Turkey roasting away in the oven all day long. The smells that filled the air always exuded the wonderful scents of fall. Paired with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry relish only made the turkey even more delectable.
And then as the weather grew colder and colder, I had nothing but dread set in when it came to Christmas dinner. Don’t get me wrong, I loved spending the entire day with family as we laughed, shared stories, and created lasting memories. However, I always had an enemy on Christmas Day. The enemy I’m referring to is the big ‘ole ham in the oven. Ask me if I like ham and you’ll likely get an immediate answer along the lines of “No.” Simply put, I can’t stand ham.
I would never consider myself a picky person. I’m always up for trying new foods and I’m of the nature where I can’t officially say I don’t like a particular food until I at least give it a try. As for ham, I’ve tried and tried. My Mom would always pack ham sandwiches in my lunchboxes growing up and I would always try to find ways to trade it for better sandwiches. I’ve come to terms with the fact that we just don’t get along.
My fingers were always crossed every year around the holiday season because I had high hopes that one day that Christmas ham would be replaced. Unfortunately, my grandpa loved ham…and he hated turkey. We would always joke around with each other during Thanksgiving and Christmas when it came to our meat preferences. At least one of us was pleased during each holiday!
My Christmas fears and trepidations were soon calmed when my cousin’s husband introduced beef to the Christmas menu one year. My mom even started preparing tenderloin for the Christmas Eve dinner. My fears around Christmas dinner have calmed down drastically over the past few years…now the only thing that I really need to worry about is my uncle’s shrimp cocktail sauce…or should I say horseradish sauce…? There’s enough horseradish in it to clear out your sinuses for an entire year. We used to have competitions to see who could eat the most. If that stuff is wrong, I don’t want to be right. It’s painfully delicious.
Although my grandpa is no longer with us, we still prepare the traditional Christmas ham. I mean, the holidays are all about tradition, right? Sorry, ham lovers. Thankfully, the Mom It Forward team is on my side when it comes to the main entree for Christmas Dinner. In our virtual Christmas dinner, we’ve shared with you Goat Cheese Pops with Herbs, Pecans and Bacon for an appetizer and Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Fresh Sage as a side dish. The main entree is definitely a crowd-pleaser. We’re featuring a simple yet delicious Prime Rib Roast Recipe that everyone will love, even if you do have a few ham lovers in your family.
If you are interested in finding out more about this recipe and potentially making it for your family and friends during the holidays, be sure to stop by Mom It Forward to get the recipe! I know this year, as is the same with the past few years, I’ll be piling my plate high with…you guessed it…beef. Sorry, ham…better luck next year.
Leave a Reply