Christmas dinner 2011

Christmas dinner was an awesome potluck experience.  We had our good friend's, the Millers, over to celebrate.  I have tried a few other times to cook for them with disastrous results.  Needless to say, that fact was heavy on my mind as I planned the meal.

We wanted to do a ham this year which is a change from the usual turkey 

or rib roast that we tend to do.

Suzy also provided some of the side dishes.

My task was to cook the ham and the mac and cheese. 

I found a recipe online and changed it a bit.  I packed the ham with brown sugar, stuck in some whole cloves

and let it cook and melt a bit, then after 30 minutes I poured a coke over it to create a basting sauce in the bottom of the pan.  I also created a second baste of pineapple juice and sweet concord grape wine.

The mac and cheese began as a pioneer woman recipe with some modifications.  Cheddar, fontina, and jack cheese were combined with bacon with bread crumbs on top created a decadent, creamy and delicious rustic mac & cheese.  

After hearing Tim brag about this brussels sprouts dish that Suzy made, I requested it quickly.

The sprouts are shredded and it quickly comes together in the pan complete with cranberries.

Everything was awesome, but in my mind this sweet potato polenta stole the show!!!

Suzy quickly mentioned that she couldn't take credit for this (as well as the mushroom hash-not photographed) as it was from Olenjack's in Arlington.

I'm not sure that there are the proper words to describe how delicious

this was.  I could have eaten just this for dinner and left with a smile on my face.

With a little help from my friends....THIS Miller-Reid dinner was a success.

The flock (and Millers) were fed.....WELL!