BBQ put some south in yo mouth baby!!!

You think I can become a pit master In 2 weeks. 😹😹😹.

I’m kind of a perfectionist when it comes to the visual look of my parties, which is crazy. Like I could easily make a gumbo (also from the south) but, if I do that I couldn’t use my Christmas China. And then the poppers/crackers I got for my table settings won’t match my regular China. As I type that I see I sound absurd.

DB, great idea! My mom has the best pork loin recipe! And I can easily do green beans, kale salad, and red potatoes!!

piopio12 wrote:

DB, great idea! My mom has the best pork loin recipe! And I can easily do green beans, kale salad, and red potatoes!!

 
Lol that sounds exactly like my mom's Christmas menu.

My Mom's Lasagna 👌

1 lb mozzarella cheese (shredded)
16 oz ricotta cheese
3 eggs
Appx 1 tbsp Parsley
Appx 1 tbsp Basil
Appx 1 tbsp Oregano
Appx 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese (shredded)
Appx 13-15 oz pasta sauce (I use 2 jars of Wegmans Tomato Basil sauce, but you can use other brand or homemade)
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 box lasagna noodles (uncooked!)

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

In large bowl, mix mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, basil, oregano and parsley.

Brown the meat, add sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

In rectangular baking dish (9x13), layer uncooked noodles, cheese mix and sauce.

I usually save a handful of mozzarella and Parmesan and a bit of parsley to add on top layer. Sometimes I also cut up a fresh tomato (thinly sliced) and layer on top to pretty it up.

Cover with tinfoil. Bake 1 hour then remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.

Bonus: You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking.

We’re very English traditional lol Thanksgiving & Christmas....turkey, 2 types of stuffing, squash, mashed potatoes & green beans with slivered almonds. Dessert switched up, we’ll have mince tarts, and that rum cake stuff you set on fire. Christmas pudding maybe?

FKFriday wrote:

We’re very English traditional lol Thanksgiving & Christmas....turkey, 2 types of stuffing, squash, mashed potatoes & green beans with slivered almonds. Dessert switched up, we’ll have mince tarts, and that rum cake stuff you set on fire. Christmas pudding maybe?

 
Idk but I live for sticky toffee pudding!

If the pork loin doesn't work out or you just need something much easier...I definitely second the honey baked ham!  I did a fancy ham sandwich bar one year with one.  Fancy mustards, cheeses and toppings so everyone could make their own mini sandwich/slider.  It was a hit!

On_Point wrote:

One side of the family is always prime rib. The other is New York Strips. Win, win in my book. 

My grandma had always made what we call Christmas pie. It's a coconut pie (served with sliced strawberries or raspberries over top), ingredients include meringue, flour, gelatin, and coconut. Oddest recipe I've ever seen, most delicious pie I've ever had. I can post the recipe later if anyone is interested! 

Another fun tradition on one side is for someone to bring a food item from Oprah's Favorite Things list. Usually something fancy (to us lol) and something we'd never try otherwise. 

I'm interested! I LOVE coconut cream pie, so I'm sure I'd like this!

Welp, don't know what the hell I'll eat for Christmas dinner....for about 4 years we've thought I had Celiac/gluten intolerance, so I cut out wheat and gluten long ago. But still have had tons of GI issues so recently decided (after regular doctors couldn't figure out what my problems were after multiple tests, CT scans, colonoscopy, etc.) to see an allergist. Found out this morning I'm allergic to wheat, soy, citrus fruits, peanuts, and milk. Fantastic...just ducky. So I guess for Christmas dinner I'm just gonna eat a vegetable tray and booze, lmao. FML. 

On_Point wrote:

One side of the family is always prime rib. The other is New York Strips. Win, win in my book. 

My grandma had always made what we call Christmas pie. It's a coconut pie (served with sliced strawberries or raspberries over top), ingredients include meringue, flour, gelatin, and coconut. Oddest recipe I've ever seen, most delicious pie I've ever had. I can post the recipe later if anyone is interested! 

Another fun tradition on one side is for someone to bring a food item from Oprah's Favorite Things list. Usually something fancy (to us lol) and something we'd never try otherwise. 

 
Yum! We always have prime rib too (w/horseradish sauce of course), garlic red potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. Last year, we ordered the Key Lime cake from Oprah's Favorite Things list - it was sooo delish!!

We also have a Polaxican (Polish/Mexican) friend who is a sweet baby angel and at Xmas time, I trade him some green and he brings me peirogis from his mom's and tamales from his dad's. Dude. Win-win 🙌🏼

Hawr-rible wrote:

Welp, don't know what the hell I'll eat for Christmas dinner....for about 4 years we've thought I had Celiac/gluten intolerance, so I cut out wheat and gluten long ago. But still have had tons of GI issues so recently decided (after regular doctors couldn't figure out what my problems were after multiple tests, CT scans, colonoscopy, etc.) to see an allergist. Found out this morning I'm allergic to wheat, soy, citrus fruits, peanuts, and milk. Fantastic...just ducky. So I guess for Christmas dinner I'm just gonna eat a vegetable tray and booze, lmao. FML. 

did they mention histamine intolerance?  Sounds like that might be part of it too!   
I don't eat any of those things and really don't miss them.  I'm not sure how people eat PB when almond butter tastes soo much better.  And get you some probiotics!!  Yes, I know I'm beating that one to death!  how do we not have a dead horse emoji?

Hawr-rible wrote:

WhosBecky? wrote:

Hawr-rible wrote:

Welp, don't know what the hell I'll eat for Christmas dinner....for about 4 years we've thought I had Celiac/gluten intolerance, so I cut out wheat and gluten long ago. But still have had tons of GI issues so recently decided (after regular doctors couldn't figure out what my problems were after multiple tests, CT scans, colonoscopy, etc.) to see an allergist. Found out this morning I'm allergic to wheat, soy, citrus fruits, peanuts, and milk. Fantastic...just ducky. So I guess for Christmas dinner I'm just gonna eat a vegetable tray and booze, lmao. FML. 

did they mention histamine intolerance?  Sounds like that might be part of it too!   
I don't eat any of those things and really don't miss them.  I'm not sure how people eat PB when almond butter tastes soo much better.  And get you some probiotics!!  Yes, I know I'm beating that one to death!  how do we not have a dead horse emoji?

They didn't mention a histamine allergy- although that was the control shot she gave me and it did swell to a 9 along with the foods I'm allergic to...so maybe? But she said it was normal for that to swell, and never mentioned it again. Weird thing is I can't take anti-histamines, they make my scalp crawl and I feel like bugs are crawling all over when I take it. I do take probiotics everyday, and she told me to get on a multi-vitamin, too. I can't believe how much food I have to cut out- soy is in flippin' everything!!! (It's even in the gum I chew- WTF) So, I'm a bit overwhelmed but I'll get the hang of it. Thought the gluten free diet was hard enough, but this is making that diet look like an all you can eat buffet, lmao! 
 

Have you tried all the different anti-histamines?  I guess they're all a little different and target different things.  Allegra is the only one that works for me and I still have to take quercetin on top of it.  Give quercetin a try too.  You have to take a lot of it to make it effective though.  I've taken up to 6 tablets a day.  I'm down to one these days though.  I really think you can reduce allergies but with lots of time and patience and a good diet.   Check out the histamine chef, or healing histamine.  I forget she changed her name when she got better.  I'm not gonna lie, she's more than a little kooky, but her research is spot on!  There are also two other diets you might wanna try...AutoImmune Protocol (AIP) and Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).  If you have gut issues, I'd def check that last one.  Again all are a bit kooky, but work for lots of people.  I'm convinced some of us have really wacky biochemistry.  Good Luck and let me know how it goes.  Oh and enjoy the holidays and start after the first of the year!
 

Hawr-rible wrote:

Thanks for the info! But I've already started the elimination and I feel so much better- couldn't wait until after the holidays, I was desperate to feel better. I was in so much pain and am finally getting some relief. Merry Christmas to me!!

That's great!  Good luck and keep me posted!  
yes, I'm weird and fascinated by the gut and biochemistry! 

Hawr-rible wrote:

WhosBecky? wrote:

Hawr-rible wrote:

Thanks for the info! But I've already started the elimination and I feel so much better- couldn't wait until after the holidays, I was desperate to feel better. I was in so much pain and am finally getting some relief. Merry Christmas to me!!

That's great!  Good luck and keep me posted!  
yes, I'm weird and fascinated by the gut and biochemistry! 

Lol, you and me both, girl! It's amazing how much I've learned about the gut through this whole thing- just not something you have to think about when yours functions properly, but now I feel like I'm getting a degree in Gastrointestinal Medicine for all the research I've had to do. People have no idea how much something as simple as gut bacteria rules their entire body.....
 

Stuff You Should Know did a podcast episode about fecal transplants a while back. It was fascinating, gross, and funny all at once.