Christmas Breakfast Archives

Christmas Breakfast for a Crowd

December 5, 2014 · by Maria · 6 Comments

My family loves Christmas. My family loves to eat. My family comes over to my house Christmas morning ~~to eat~~ to spend time together and enjoy each others company. Seriously, my home has become the Christmas morning hub and I love it! My boys are blessed to have so much family that loves them and wants to see them open their presents and laugh together and reflect on how limitless Gods love for us is. But you know what isn’t limitless, time and croissants. We have to value our time together and we have to know how many croissants to buy. Did I just say all that in an effort to introduce a post about how to make Christmas breakfast for a crowd? Yes, I did.

So what do you cook when you don’t even know how many people are stopping by and when they are stopping by? Do you want to be sweating over the stove while everyone is eating fruitcake and singing carols? Ok, maybe you do. Bad example.

What if it was carols and these bad boys… Chocolate croissants. Do I have your attention?

Having lots of family over on Christmas morning is always going to be hectic, know it and own it. However, It can be hectic and fun if you have a plan. Sometimes, it’s as simple as selecting the right dishes and prepping some things the night before, which is exactly what I do.

I only make one item on the spot and last year is was the croissants above. They rose overnight and they went in the oven in the morning. Totally worth it, totally delish.

I made a sour cream bundt cake a few days before and it was off my list. You can also buy one and make it even easier for yourself. It goes great with coffee and even people that are not “breakfast” people will have a slice with coffee.

We buy a ham every year since it can be eaten room temperature.

Choose 2 casseroles, one sweet and one savory and make sure that they can be prepped ahead of time. Casseroles are the best options because you can prep them the night before and put them in the fridge. Christmas morning they go in the oven and you set your timer and sit with the kids. I did buy two warmers so that the casseroles stay warm for a couple of hours. Anything to not have to fuss over food is a good thing.

Set up a drink station the night before, without the beverages of course but with the carafes or pitchers in place. Take out coffee cups, stirrers, sugars, small pitcher for cream (not a tiny one that you will have to refill), and marshmallows if you are serving hot chocolate.

Prep your coffee maker the night before. Grind the beans (if you buy whole bean) and place the water in the container so that you only have to push a button in the morning.

Invest in purchasing one or two thermal pitchers so that you don’t have to worry about warm or cold coffee. These are the ones that I have and the coffee stays really hot for hours so that everyone can serve themselves throughout the morning.

Create a Cold drink station. This is a big bowl with ice and champagne and orange juice for mimosas or peach nectar for bellinis. That milk jug (which I love) is full of homemade egg nog (which I love too) that my husband (who I love most) makes every year. This way no one asks where they can find things in the fridge, it’s all there.

Of course, set out the basics – cups, utensils, napkins, serving utensils for everything you are serving and have extra garbage bags handy for all the wrapping paper.

But whatever you do, don’t throw away these moments, because they are better than chocolate croissants. And that says a lot because those things are good!

Enjoy this beautiful day, with an even more beautiful meaning. Enjoy your beautiful gifts, knowing that the best gift of all is knowing that God’s love is something you can never get enough of. Because even croissants you can tire of. It’s never happened to me, but I hear it happens.

Maria

Breakfast Scones

December 24, 2013 · by Maria · 2 Comments

I wanted to take the time to thank you all for your support of Graceful Order and for your comments, emails, suggestions…all of your time!

This blog has been so much more fun than I ever imagined and I look forward to a new year with new ideas to share with all of you!

Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy this recipe for Cranberry Scones. The recipe is from Ina Garten and I have modified it very little by adding extra sugar. These scones are not super sweet, just sweet enough.

I usually make the dough ahead of time, I cut the scones and then freeze them in a single layer with instructions on the bag on how to bake them. I make the drizzle right before I bake them.

Enjoy!

4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn’t stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles (or triangles).

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones. Enjoy!

Love you all!

Maria

Christmas Morning Breakfast

December 10, 2013 · by Maria · 14 Comments

Every Christmas morning we host a pajama breakfast at the house. Our whole family knows that they are invited to swing by, eat and hang out. They also know that they are welcome to come in their pajamas. I really look forward to this day and so do the boys!

The menu is plentiful but the cooking is really simple because most of all, I want to enjoy my boys opening their gifts.

The night before, I prepare a couple of casseroles and I place them in the fridge. These casseroles are supposed to be refrigerated so that the flavors can marry. One is sweet and the other is savory. As soon as I wake up, I turn on the oven, get the casseroles in there and turn on the timer.

My husband buys a ham the day before. I prepare a fruit platter the night before. I bake some cookies with the boys the day before and also bring them out to the table.

I prefer to buy or make everything myself because that way I know that all the food is laid out on the table and I don’t have to fuss with it again. If I delegate the dishes, then I constantly have to come back to the table to re-arrange once the guests arrive, I have to re-heat dishes…you get the point. It may sound easier to delegate but if your goal is to spend time with little kids…consider an easy menu that you can execute yourself.

My husband gets up really early and starts making the hot cocoa and grinding the coffee beans.

We put both the coffee and the hot cocoa in carafes so that they will stay hot for the duration of the breakfast. Thermal carafes are a great investment because you wont have to re-heat or make more coffee. These are pretty inexpensive and you can find them “here“.

I set up this coffee/cocoa station the night before. Hence the dark cell phone picture!

I sometimes make scones and freeze them in zipper bags with instructions for baking. If I have any left in the freezer come Christmas morning, then I will bake them but only if I have extra time. They are delish! The ones below are cranberry scones.

Whatever you do, keep it simple. Do as much as you can ahead of time. Buy some of your items, they don’t all have to be homemade. Have a checklist. Have fun! Whatever you do…don’t miss this!

These are my boys opening their gifts…this is my favorite part. There is no scone that is yummier than this moment.

I love you all! Remember to give. Remember to live.

Maria

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6”