A Christmas Day of Recipes in Brighton

Christmas is all about spending time together with the family, celebrating unity, life, and love. But let’s face it, Christmas is also about eating. No celebration is complete without delicious food. Prepare for a long day of delicious eating where carbs are not an issue. You have a whole year to burn them off anyway. This time Great Harvest of Newtonville has prepared a whole day of Christmassy recipes involving wonderful bakery bread.

Breakfast

If you’re going to have a busy day of cooking ahead, give yourself a little help by preparing breakfast the night before. You’ll wake up with warm food waiting for you to serve and dig in.

Slow Cooker Casserole

Nothing is easier than throwing a bunch of ingredients in the slow cooker and letting it do its magic. This time breakfast will be on the savory side, let’s leave the sweets for snacking. What you need:

• 30 oz of shredded potatoes (frozen and prepackaged or fresh)
• 1 lb ground sausage, browned and drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 diced onion
• 1 diced green bell pepper
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 12 eggs (you can use egg whites if you prefer)
• ½ cup milk
• Salt and pepper

What to do:

1. Spray the slow cooker with non- stick cooking spray.
2. Layer ½ of the potatoes at the bottom, continue with half of the sausage, the cheeses, the onions, and peppers. Repeat the layers.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and salt and pepper until well blended. Top the layers in the slow cooker with the egg mix.
4. Cook for 8 hours on low setting or 4 hours on high.
5. Serve and top with whatever fresh veggies you like.
6. Accompany the casserole with fresh Great Harvest of Newtonville bakery bread and butter.

Morning Snack

Who doesn’t get hungry mid-morning or mid-afternoon? This snack is going to be a sweet one.

French Toast Rolls

What you need:

• 6 tablespoons Nutella*
• 6 chopped strawberries
• 6 slices white bread
• 2 eggs
• ¼ milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter

What to do:

1. Cut off the crusts of each bread. Using a rolling pin, roll it over the bread to make thin, dense pieces.
2. Spread each slice with Nutella and chopped strawberries and roll it tightly.
3. In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, and sugar. Whisk until fully incorporated. Soak each roll in the egg mixture.
4. Melt the butter in a skillet at medium heat and add the French toast rolls. Turn them over occasionally until all sides are golden brown.
5. Serve the rolls warm and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

*You can replace the strawberries and Nutella with peanut butter and jelly or your choice of sweet spread. Get your fresh bread from the best bakery in Brighton, Great Harvest of Newtonville. You can visit them, peruse their online menu, or give them a call at (617) 928-1162 to learn about their many options of nutritious and delicious bread.

Lunch

Lunch should be something quick and simple, but still tasty so you can have room for your already planned Christmas dinner.

Crunchy Spinach, Pecan, and Cranberry Salad

What you need:

• 6 oz baby spinach
• 1 cup toasted pecans
• 1 cup dried cranberries

For the dressing:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)

What to do:

1. To prepare the dressing: whisk together the white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and sugar until combined. Add the olive oil, honey, shallot, sesame seeds, and the optional poppy seeds. Blend well.
2. For the salad: Place spinach, pecans, and cranberries in a salad bowl. Drizzle the dressing and toss.

*If you need the extra protein, you can add grilled chicken or shrimp. For extra sweetness, change the pecans for candied pecans. You can also turn this salad into a sandwich and get your bread from Great Harvest of Newtonville.

Afternoon Snack

One snack is not enough. Here’s recipe that’s both salty and sweet.

Christmas Popcorn

What you need:

• 5 cups popcorn
• 1 cup mini pretzels
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 bag white chocolate chips
• 1 cup red and green mini M&Ms
• ½ cup salted peanuts

What to do:

1. Combine the popcorn, M&Ms, peanuts, and pretzels in a bowl. Spread them evenly over a cookie sheet.
2. Melt the white chocolate and butter in a microwave- safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 25 second intervals until fully melted.
3. Pour the chocolate over the popcorn mixture and mix until the chocolate covers almost every piece.
4. Serve in a bowl.

Dinner

Dinner is all you since you probably have your menu already designed. Be sure to accompany whatever you eat with scrumptious bread from Great Harvest of Newtonville.

For Freshly Baked Bread in Brighton

This holiday season head straight to Great Harvest of Newtonville to get your bread. You definitely won't go home empty handed when you discover their delectable options. Call ahead at (617) 928-1162 to learn about their menu.