Day 6...Cooking Through 25 Days of Gooseberry Patch Christmas

My son is one of the greatest cooks I know. His specialty is grilling and smokin' meats. He comes up with his own recipes for the spices and rubs he uses. He even ‘invented' his own Bar-B-Q sauce...and he's only 22 yrs old! He has a few different kinds, but I think his favorite would have to be the Chipotle BBQ sauce he made today. He doesn't share his recipes either...not even with me and I'm his momma!!
Jason is a department manager at a local grocery store. He keeps an eye on the in-store sales for me. This weekend, it was brisket! Yum! That boy can smoke a mean brisket!


He tends to the meat, and who he wants to invite over to enjoy his cookin', while I cook the side dishes. This time I chose Swiss-Onion Casserole. You'll find it on pg 103 in Christmas in the Country cookbook. If you're looking for something different to make for a gathering at church or a friends house, this would be it.


Swiss-Onion Casserole by Bethany Simon in Lyford, TX

1/4 cup plus 2 T. butter, divided
3 sweet onions, chopped
8 oz pkg shredded swiss cheese, divided
1 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs, divided
2 eggs
3/4 cup light cream
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onions and saute` until tender. (its looks like a lot of onions, but I had to use my medium size skillet...my large one was being used by the brisket-smokin' guy!)
Arrange half of onions in an ungreased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.
Sprinkle with one cup cheese and ½ cup bread crumbs. Repeat layers; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over onion mixture.
Melt remaining butter in skillet over medium heat; stir in remaining bread crumbs. (Since there wasn't any left after both layers, I just used 1/4 cup.) Saute` until crumbs are golden; sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serves 6 - 8.
It smelled so good baking! I was surprised at the taste too...so much more flavor than just the onions!
I also made one of our family's favorites; my own recipe for Layered Potatoes.
To be honest, I haven't ever sat down and figured up the recipe for this dish. We don't measure the ingredients, we just know what looks good as we go along. As soon as I figure this out, I will gladly share it with you.
Now, doesn't this meal look good? It sure was!

Oh and just a little FYI...I did not eat all this food...it was for the photo shoot only! If I dared to eat the amount shown in these photos, I would be as big as the side of a barn and probably in a diabetic coma!!



When you kick back and watch a Christmas movie, which one do you chose? For us, the list is soooo long! But here are a few that are on our list....minus a few classics!

For starters...if it's on the Hallmark Channel...I am either watching it or it's recording on the DVR!





Plus, sooooo many more! One of my all time favorites is Christmas in My Hometown....staring Melissa Gilbert and Tim Matheson. Once it hit video it became Holiday for Love. I looked all over for this movie and couldn't find it. One day my daughter looked it up and saw that it was on video under a different name. She bought it for me for Christmas and it was one of my most favorite gifts! I had been watching it on an old VHS tape over and over again from when I recorded it years ago! My kiddos have the biggest hearts!

Thank you to Ms Bethany and Gooseberry Patch for another wonderful recipe!

Have a good day, stay warm, and stay safe!