Holidays 2017: The Food

Holiday meals are just as important to me as the decor, the gifts and the cheer. In fact I’m not sure there would be any cheer for me without excellent food! My mother traditionally hosts Christmas Eve dinner and I host Christmas day. If I haven’t mentioned it before, my mother and I live only one short mile apart, which makes celebrating the holidays as a family much easier, among other things. Sharing the heavy lifting of preparing, serving and cleaning up major holiday meals where our whole family is in attendance is a pretty significant blessing. My mother worked extra hard this year to provide us with a beautiful Christmas Eve meal and is still worn out almost a month later from all the work. I think she may have gone a bit overboard, but hey, I’m not complaining. The food was to die for!

Mom's Christmas Eve Menu

My mother served a divine roast tenderloin with horseradish cream, steamed crab legs with melted butter and cocktail sauce, vichyssoise, brown butter Brussels sprouts with a puréed cauliflower cream, potatoes au gratin, and grand mariner glazed baby carrots. For dessert she served an array of Christmas cookies. Suffice it to say, we had to roll ourselves out of there.

Sadly I didn’t get any photos of the food, but I had plenty of us all goofing around at my mother’s!

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After dinner at my mother’s Josh and I headed back to our place to play Santa for the next three hours. I have done this every year and every year I overdo it, buy too much, spoil my children rotten, give Santa all the credit and spend Christmas day in a haze of exhaustion and over stimulation. That’s a post for another day however, but it will be a post so keep your eyes open for it. I’m guessing I’m not alone in this particular Christmas pitfall! Anyway, back to the food. Since I know the night before will be a long one I always try to pick a Christmas morning brunch menu that can mostly be done ahead of time. Since I was a kid we’ve always had some sort of baked egg dish, a festive homemade bread, fruit and Bloody Mary’s. The Heigl women have always felt that a well made Bloody is part of a nutritious brunch. This year I forgot to pickup the mix so Josh Houdinied a couple of rounds for us. Good thing too, my mother would have boycotted Christmas without them!

Christmas Morning Brunch Menu

Like I mentioned, since I was a kid Christmas morning included a delicious baked egg dish like this one. This year I decided to try this slightly different version that included whole grain mustard, tarragon and thinly sliced ham. It did not disappoint!

Josh, our resident baker, made a beautiful and delicious Christmas Stolen. A traditional German bread with candied fruit and nuts in it. This is another Heigl family tradition and his version made me want to make out with him for hours it was so good! He used a recipe from our Big Book Of Baking, but here’s a great one if you don’t happen to have that cook book.

The Bloody Mary’s were another “Josh Kelley saves the day” moment (it’s kind of his thing). In lieu of mix he used a can of crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, tobacco, horseradish, freshly ground pepper, lemon juice, olive juice and celery salt. They were pretty badass and really hit the spot! Here’s a similar recipe in case you’re ever in a bind and need to make your own mix.

Again, not a lot of food pics but some pretty ridiculous Christmas Day ones to enjoy.

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I’ll leave you all with one of our more absurd family traditions that we indulged in after Christmas Eve dinner. The sassy walk. If we do a couple of rounds it helps us feel like we’re working off the heavy meal we just consumed! Hey, maybe you guys want to share your sassy walk videos with me?! I’d love to know we’re not the only crazy ones doing this!

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18 Comments

  • Dianne Patton

    I love the sassy walk!! And the Stolen looks delicious. I wish you and your family a blessed 2018.

    February 2, 2018 at 12:20 pm Reply
  • Angela

    I love everyone’s matching shirts! Looks like a very fun day! And sounds delicious.

    February 2, 2018 at 12:43 pm Reply
  • Geralyn Starrantino

    The holiday pictures are beautiful , especially the outdoor shots with the snow covered mountains! It’s a quiet Feb. morning here in Long Island, New York as a dusting of snow has fallen. Your blog this morning has taken me to a tranquil place on my day off. Thank you for sharing and I look forward to more stories. I love the back up bloody mary fix!

    February 2, 2018 at 2:09 pm Reply
  • Cassandra Stewart

    What is the puff pastry that looks amazing? Love your blog thanks for sharing

    February 2, 2018 at 2:23 pm Reply
  • Micki Butler

    Katherine….You won the sassy walk contest by a long shot! Just loved it!

    February 2, 2018 at 2:41 pm Reply
  • Micki Butler

    You definitely won the sassy walk contest Katherine! Loved it!

    February 2, 2018 at 2:59 pm Reply
  • Marcia

    Hi Katie! Another wonderful article from you that always brighten my day I’m down with a sinus infection and was hoping that just maybe you had come to my in-box! Low and behold, there you were! Your holiday food sounds absolutely wonderful! The children were all so beautifully dressed and sure they had a marvelous time! Also loved the matching PJ’s As far as the “sassy walk” nope…..never heard of that, but a darn good idea! Yes, we all seem to get into a food coma during the holidays! Kudos to your mom on that fantastic meal! Have a blessed New Year Katie and Family , thank you again for brightening my day

    February 2, 2018 at 3:05 pm Reply
  • Rachel

    Thank you for sharing. What fun traditions! Many blessing for 2018!

    February 2, 2018 at 3:54 pm Reply
  • Erin Ortiz

    I’m so relieved it was Tabasco and not tobacco in the Bloody Mary recipe. I thought maybe it was tobacco leaf but still an interesting choice! hahaha. Thank you for sharing. Love your blog!

    February 2, 2018 at 4:42 pm Reply
  • Lynda Chamblin

    Omgosh the food sounds amazing❣ Lol your description alone made me hungry!! Yes I too am guilty of spoiling everyone along with making food for an army Every year I shop all year long & put stuff away & always forget what I brought, I keep telling myself I’m going to stop but hey when I find amazing deals or the perfect gift I can’t help it! One holiday tradition my family would do is xmas mornings my Uncles being Swedish & German would make Glog Omgosh by afternoon xmas would be hysterical! Thank you so much for sharing the great photos of you holiday & traditions ❤ ❣ ❤❤❤❤your sassy walk You are hilarious Just love your fun & creative spirit A huge congrats again on Suits❣ Can’t wait ❤ Your going to make that show awesome

    February 2, 2018 at 5:03 pm Reply
  • Glenda Moore

    I think the males won the sassy walk! Love the pictures, love the blog. Wish we knew who the other folks are – relatives? friends? employees? Must be special folks to spend the holidays with you!

    February 2, 2018 at 7:11 pm Reply
  • Dee

    Wonderful – love it! Beautiful holiday times of togetherness and memories… and food!!

    February 2, 2018 at 9:35 pm Reply
  • Lynda Chamblin

    Wow just your description of your & your Moms menus sound totally amazing! Love traditions! I have the same problem on going over board on Xmas, I keep saying I’m going to trim back but I shop all year when I see a good deal or the perfect gift for someone I then put it in a tote but then I forget ❤❤❤❤ all the photos & especially your sassy walk Again congrats on your new project on Suits!! Can’t wait to see Your going to be an awesome addition to the cast! As always thanks for sharing

    February 3, 2018 at 12:57 am Reply
  • Megan

    My mom has made beef tenderloin with horseradish cream for the last 2 Christmas Eves. My fiance was such a huge fan of it the first time that she made it again this past Christmas. She bought the creme this year and it was definitely not the same as homemade. Christmas brunch at my grandparents’ house always included a baked egg dish too. Maybe once we’re married, we can start that tradition back up. Love the pics and video!

    February 5, 2018 at 2:28 pm Reply
  • Desi Joye

    Love the closeness of family. Beautiful pictures, decor and food.
    Happy New Year …. belatedly so !

    February 6, 2018 at 5:12 pm Reply
  • Inês

    Beautiful Katherine,
    It’s a wonderful surprise to find your blog .
    Love your work!
    Lovely greetings from Brazil!

    February 11, 2018 at 3:26 am Reply
  • Inês

    Beautiful Katherine,
    It’s a wonderful surprise to find your blog!
    Love your work!
    Lovely greetings from Brazil

    February 11, 2018 at 3:29 am Reply
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