Today I have a special treat for you! My sister-in-law Tina’s family have become like family to our family and I thought I would have Lisa, Tina’s mom, share a little about their family Christmas celebrations! Lisa is an amazing hostess and completely down plays her spread in this post but you all know everything is bigger in Texas. So when she says “light and tasty” she means an amazing buffet of everything delicious!  Nothing light about it! Just to give you an example, these were “just cupcakes” Lisa made when we went to visit them at their lake house last summer!

Hi everyone,

My name is Lisa Dyer, and I am honored that Kristen wants me to write for her holiday blog.  Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, because it’s time spent with family and friends.  My husband, Craig, and I feel blessed to have the Seckinger family as part of our family.  Our only child, Christina, married Graham and now we’re one big family, creating new holiday traditions!!

You would think that having an only child would mean quiet Christmas traditions.  NO WAY!!  We always have big, loud get-togethers, combining my family and Craig’s family on Christmas Eve.  Craig’s mom and dad always very graciously hosted my entire family at their house on Christmas Eve. That’s a lot of extra people to include for the holidays, but this has created some of our fondest memories.  Last year, Craig and I were able to host Christmas Eve at our house.  We had the Dyers, the McClendons, the Holleys and the Seckingers all under one roof to celebrate.  We love that our families enjoy spending time with each other, and we’re so glad to be adding to our number every year as our kids get married and we celebrate together!   

The menu is always light and tasty.  We have queso and chips, along with stuffed jalepenos.  These are both Texas favorites!!  We also have a variety of dips and crackers, and Christmas sugar cookies.  Almost everything can be ready ahead of time, because we’re always more interested in spending time with each other and NOT in the kitchen.  The sound of my little brother playing his guitar and singing is always a pleasure to hear before and after we eat.

Santa always arrives on Christmas Eve.  The sound of firecrackers announces his arrival!!  The children run out of the front door to see what Santa has left for them.  The smoke from the firecrackers creates the illusion that Santa has left as quickly as he’s arrived!  We open our wrapped packages on Christmas Eve too.  As the presents are opened, and the wrapping paper piles up, everyone laughs, and enjoys being together!  As you can see from our pictures, we’re one BIG family!

The Dyer Family                                                                                  The McClendon Family

                                                                                                 The Seckinger Family

I am including a couple of our favorite Texas recipes for you to try over the holidays.  I hope your family enjoys them as much as we all do!!

Queso Dip

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can diced Rotel tomatoes

1 large block of Velveeta

In a skillet, brown the sausage with the chopped onion.  In a crockpot, combine the sausage and onions with the can of cream of mushroom soup, the diced Rotel tomatoes, and the Velveeta.  Put the crockpot on high until the cheese begins to melt, then you turn it down.  It will be ready when you’re ready!

Sausage-stuffed Jalapenos

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese

22 large jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded  (Pickled peppers are hotter then fresh peppers.)

Ranch salad dressing, optional

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese; fold in sausage.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon into each jalapeno half.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until filling is lightly browned and bubbly.  Serve with ranch dressing if desired.

Yield:  44 appetizers

Sugar Cookie Recipe

½ c. sugar                 2 c. flour

½ c. powdered sugar        ½ t. salt

½ c. butter, softened      ½ t. soda

½ c. oil                   ½ t. cream of tarter

1 egg                          

½ t. vanilla extract

½ t. almond extract

Directions:

Blend together sugars and butter.  Add egg, vanilla, and almond.  Mix dry ingredients together and add to previous mixture.  Refrigerate at least one hour.  (I usually refrigerate overnight for easier rolling.)  Flour your surface and roll out cookie dough, cut out desired shapes, and bake at 350’ until slightly brown around the edges.

Sugar Cookie Icing

2 c. powdered sugar

2-4 T. Milk

1 t. vanilla

Food coloring if desired

Thanks, Lisa! We’ll be missing your Texas hospitality this year! Might just have to whip up some jalapenos to make us feel a bit closer!   Thanks for sharing some family recipes…and your family!