Comfy Christmas Cuisine

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by and December 25th is just around the corner. We all have our memories of past celebrations and traditions. For me, Christmas as a young one was a little different, being the child of divorced parents. There were double the presents, double the excitement, but best of all, there were double the Christmas dinners. Or, in my case, triple the dinners.

I was raised by my Canadian grandmother. We called her Nona. She taught me how to cook using the simplest ingredients. Every bite of her food was blessed by the hands that made it. My mother was of Italian decent. She and her British-raised husband always put an exotic slant on any dinner. My father’s wife was new to cooking, so she just tried her best to make something decent for her husband and the kids. Her food was basic, but made with the best intentions.

While other children were peeking and poking under the tree, trying to figure out what the gift-opening would hold for them, I would be in the kitchen, looking in the oven and drooling over what was to come. My favourite part of dinner was the turkey stuffing. It still is. Nona made a rich, buttery stuffing with celery, onion, and several loaves of white bread. Mom and Ian would use bread crumbs, sausage and roasted chestnuts. Dad and Gail’s would be a healthy version made with whole grain bread and chicken stock. All of them were yummy. Anything cooked with love usually is.

Now that I’m a wife, mother, and professional caterer, I have taken the best of all three worlds and created my dream stuffing. When I make turkey for my clients, I keep with the basics and add dried cranberries and pecans. When I make stuffing at home, my husband and kids prefer the old-fashioned style, but I add a bit of whole grain bread and convince myself that it’s good for you. Sometimes I’ll sneak a sausage option in the small back opening of the bird. I’m usually the only one who eats that one, but it brings back wonderful memories of Christmases past.

Sausage Stuffing with Roasted Chestnuts: