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Alanna Kellogg is the second-generation author of Kitchen Parade, a food and recipe column that features seasonal recipes for every-day healthful eat...
 
 
 
 

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Make-Ahead Recipes for Christmas Morning

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From hectic to relaxed, this year, of all years, let's make it a make-ahead Christmas morning.

YUMMY BREADS & COFFEE CAKES
Photo by Swanky Panky
Photo by Swanky Panky

Bake/Shake ~ Filthy, Gooey Gluttony: Make-Ahead Monkey Bread "I used to hate making things ahead, demanding that their flavor and texture suffered or that it wouldn't really save time. ... But this works, completely, and after a night in the fridge, an hour on the counter the next morning and a few extra minutes in the oven, a blissful, sticky dome of yeasty rolls cloaked in caramelized sugar and butter, with toasted pecans adding crunch, thumped and slurped out of its Pyrex dish (my preferred, Bundt-less pan of choice for the even browning it promotes) and was devoured by many fingers."

Joy the Baker ~ Cranberry Coffee Cake "The thing that makes it over the top, crazy delicious is the crunchy streusel topping. And I’ve got tricks. I take a few handfuls of the streusel topping and swirl it into the coffee cake batter. Yea! Awesome! Delicious! I take the rest of the topping, which is seriously ample and layer it on top before baking. The coffee cake bakes up a delicious golden color, the streusel topping is perfectly crunchy, and the cranberries add the perfect bright tartness. For reals."

EGGS & PROTEIN
Photo by 80 Breakfasts
Photo by Photo by 80 Breakfasts

Apartment Therapy ~ Breakfast Pizza "So good! The advantages to this breakfast are that most of it can be made ahead. Have guests? Just set out the pizza dough and toppings in the morning, then pop into the oven for five minutes. These are so thin that they don't take long to cook at all."

Thrifty Kitchen ~ Egg Strata "... horizontal layers of English muffins, Canadian bacon, tomato and/or spinach. The layers are sprinkled with cheese, soaked in egg and baked to a golden doneness. ... it was so nice to not be in the kitchen at the last minute, nor have any prep dishes to clean up when guests leave."

80 Breakfasts ~ Bacon & Egg Pies "I liked this dish at first sight – a savory tart (something I love but don’t get to eat often) that seemed to be created for a breakfast-lover (and a bacon and eggs lover!) just like me."

Real Mom Kitchen ~ Breakfast Casserole "I got this recipe from a coupon section of my Sunday paper years ago. It uses sausage and some other veggies. I don't add the tomatoes or mushrooms due to my family's tastes. I do think it would be even better with those in there. Since I don't put those veggies in there, my husband like to drizzle a little syrup on his serving."

Diane's Dishes ~ Sausage Balls and Vegetarian Sausage Balls "... I LOVE bacon and sausage, though I didn't eat it very often. ... I've found mock "chicken" and "mock" meat that I like, but up to this point I had not found a "sausage" and still have not found a "bacon" that worked. Today I tried out a sausage substitute and adapted the old sausage ball recipe I used to use and it worked out PERFECTLY! Trust me, you'll never know the meat sausage is not there!"

FRENCH TOAST
Prudence Pennywise ~ Blueberry Maple Overnight French Toast "I can never lose this recipe for overnight French Toast. I made it one night when we had 12-yep TWELVE, twelve overnight guests spending the night in my house. ... The least I could do was make them a lovely mapley french toast breakfast, bejeweled with sweet blueberries."

Juju & Family ~ Crème Brulee French Toast "My Aunt is really good about trying out the recipes from our local newspaper. (Something I admit to not being good about). This special gem she tried one year for Christmas morning. It's awesome because you make it the night before and then in the morning, when all you want to do is visit with your guests, by golly you can!"

A WHOLE MENU!
Pithy & Cleaver ~ Feeding a Crowd: Make-Ahead Brunch "Mission: feed ten people (including vegetarians) a brunch feast including sweet and savory on a Sunday morning without panicking, running out of burners, wishing you'd moved to the suburbs where they have real kitchens, or missing out on the fun once your friends show up and start mixing mimosas!"

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MidwestMom 5 pts

Both my side of the family and my husband's side make a savory breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. 

It has: 6 eggs, 2 slices of white bread (cubed), 1 tsp dry mustard, 2 cups milk, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1tsp. salt, 1 pound pork sausage (cooked). 

You beat the eggs with the mustard and milk, and layer the bread cubes, sausage, and shredded cheese in a loaf pan.  Pour the egg mixture overtop, refrigerate overnight and bake for an hour at 350 on Christmas morning. 

To serve, just slice it up.  It feeds our family of 5 perfectly! (And no one has to slave over a hot stove on Christmas morning!)  Now *that's* a great gift! 

Thanks for the fun post.  I'll be sure to check the links for some different tastes of the season!

Julia at Midwest Moms ( http://midwestmoms.blogspot.com )

grannysu 5 pts

Granny Sue Stories from the Mountains and Beyond www.grannysu.blogspot.com ( http://www.grannysu.blogspot.com ) susannaholstein@yahoo.com

Thanks for the great recipes!  I'll be trying a few over the holidays. 

Apple spice muffins and a winter fruit salad are easy to make ahead and so pretty for breakfast. I posted the recipes on my blog last year, along with a photo of the fruit salad. It's so simple--just cut up oranges and bananas, toss together with sugar to your own taste (I like to add a little extrra orange juice too), and refrigerate. I add some maraschino cherries for color and an extra taste treat; pineapple or diced apple are also good additions. 

maggie-pithyandcleaver 5 pts

Thanks for mentioning us! I really think make-ahead brunch is essential—who wants to do something complicated in the kitchen before the coffee is made?

SavoryTv 5 pts

Because who wants to be stranded in the kitchen on Christmas and miss out on family time?    I have never thought of making breakfast ahead of time!

 The bacon and egg pie looks wonderful, doesn't it?  Thank you for sharing!

Heidi

Savory Tv ( http://savory.tv )

kazari 5 pts

We used to get the single-serve cereal boxes in our christmas stocking - all the crazy stuff, like fruit loops, that we weren't allowed to eat during the year.

This year, it's just my husband and I, so I'll be sorting through these recipes with glee!

Alanna 5 pts

What great conditions for a special family time!

Alanna Kellogg
Kitchen Parade ( http://kitchenparade.com/ ) &
A Veggie Venture ( http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/ )

AmberS 5 pts

When I was a kid the Christmas morning rule was that you had to eat your whole orange first, but then you could gorge yourself on chocolate.  At my husband's house Christmas was the one day of the year they were allowed 'sugar cereal'.  So now this is is the one morning we don't worry about nutrition.  I'm feeling a little sheepish in the face of all these fabulous dishes, though.

~ Amber

www.strocel.com ( http://www.strocel.com )