An indelible memory I carry from childhood is of Christmas morning breakfasts. In our home, there was no charging from the bedrooms to see what Santa brought, no race between siblings to be the first to the tree. Oh no, if there was one thing we were good at, it was stretching out the Christmas experience.
The order of events was faithfully followed — family breakfast, then stockings and then “Santa” in the morning. Later, a full-bore silver and china dinner would be followed by happy, chaotic hours of “Tree,” the ritual by which the youngest children, as elves, took every single gift-wrapped present under the tree to my daddy (in Santa hat) so he could read aloud the tag.
Elves would then deliver each gift to its intended recipient. There was plenty of communal oohing and aahing as opening commenced — and never a shortage of laughter. You could always count on a little elf to goof a delivery; then you get something like Uncle Stanley opening lacy unmentionables intended for one of my sisters. Good stuff.
But back to those breakfasts. Mother would be up very early in the kitchen. I recall delicious aromas that just added to the pleasure of those mornings, when excitement and anticipation ran high for what was to come. Only later in life did I come to truly appreciate the value of that comparatively quiet family time, sharing the day’s beginning, before the house filled with relatives and guests.
If your Christmas morning calls for breakfast or brunch, recipes in today’s food pages may offer a fresh idea or two. All You magazine suggests your favorite breakfast casserole paired with a gingerbread granola-yogurt parfait, winter fruit salad, peaches-and-cream French toast and sweet, peppery bacon. Cap it off with a festive, sparkling breakfast punch.
All these can be made ahead of time, so there’s no last-minute fussing. The parfait even keeps up to two weeks in an airtight container and delivers seasonal flavor all through the holidays. You can find even more recipes at allyou.com/food/celebrations/christmas-breakfast.
My Christmas mornings, no doubt like yours, have changed greatly since childhood. My beloved parents are gone, as is one of my siblings. I eventually got to be the one up early in the kitchen, making a special breakfast for my husband and son. Then we would have stockings, and then “Santa,” keeping the time-honored order of things intact. There aren’t as many of us now, but we still do “Tree” on Christmas night. Thank goodness my niece has kept us supplied with little elves. We still ooh and aah and laugh, cherishing the little rituals of family. And we remember. I wish the same for you.
WINTER FRUIT SALAD
Makes 8 servings
8 oranges
4 grapefruit, preferably pink
1 pineapple
6 kiwis
1 1/2 cups pomegranate seeds, optional
(Source: All You, December 2010)
GINGERBREAD GRANOLA-YOGURT PARFAIT
Makes 8 servings
3 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup golden raisins, optional
1 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
(Source: All You, December 2010)
OVERNIGHT PEACHES-AND-CREAM FRENCH TOAST
Makes 6 servings
1 8-ounce loaf French bread, sliced
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 15-ounce cans sliced peaches packed in juice, drained
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream
(Source: All You, October 2011)
SPARKLING BREAKFAST PUNCH
Makes 8 servings
3 cups orange juice, chilled
2 cups pineapple juice, chilled
3 cups pomegranate juice, chilled
1 liter ginger ale, chilled
1 liter club soda, chilled
(Source: All You, December 2010)
SWEET AND PEPPERY BACON
24 slices bacon
2-3 tablespoons pepper
2-3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
(Source: All You, December 2010)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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