Is the pudding done?

As far as holiday food goes, Thanksgiving tends to steal the spotlight. At our home Christmas Eve dinner is a true feast rivaling the best turkey-centered spreads our table has seen:

Sweet and Sour Green Salad
Individual-sized Beef Wellington
Cheddar and Sour Cream Twice-Baked Potatoes
Dinner Rolls
Ambrosia Fruit Salad
Ice Cream Snowballs with Hot Fudge Sauce

Here are some recipes to drool over. Please share some of your favorite Christmas dishes so I can drool in return. Merry Christmas, all!

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Sweet and Sour Green Salad

Torn green lettuce or spring mix
Thinly sliced red onion
Pomegranate seeds
Mandarin oranges
Candied almonds (carmelize 1 c. sugar and toss with 1 c. sliced almonds)
Herb croutons (store bought, or homemade from chunks of french bread brushed with herb butter and baked till golden)

Dressing (mix all ingredients in a blender):

1.5 cups light olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp poppy seed

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Beef Wellington (kid-friendly–no pate!)

INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped parsley
6 (8 ounce) fillets beef tenderloin
1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
melted butter
two beaten eggs

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet over high heat, sear steaks on all sides, two at a time
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the mushrooms, onion, sherry, butter or margarine and parsley and saute until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture resembles a paste. Cover the top of each steak with the mixture.
3. Thaw the puff pastry sheets according to package instructions. Layer six piles of four sheets. Place one steak on each pile and fold dough so that it covers the top, sides and bottom of each steak. Brush exteriors with beaten egg.
4. Preheat oven and baking pan to 425 degrees F.
5. Place steaks in heated pan and bake for 25 minutes. (Meat will continue to cook after removing from oven.)

Let stand for 15 minutes, then serve with cream sauce:

1 c heavy cream, half-and-half, or evaporated milk (depending on desired level of decadence)
1/2 c dry sherry
1/4 c flour
3 T butter
4 cloves garlic
2 c beef broth

Crush garlic and saute in butter until soft. Add flour and mix until crumbly, then whisk in beef broth and sherry. After mixture boils, reduce heat and stir in cream or milk.

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Cheddar and Sour Cream Twice-Baked Potatoes

Per serving:

1 large baking potato
1 stalk green onion
1 tsp. chopped parsley
2 T. shredded sharp cheddar
2 T. sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt
extra cheese for garnish

Bake potatoes until soft, then split tops and scoop out insides into large bowl. Mash until smooth, then mix with remaining ingredients. Spoon filling back into skins, sprinkle with extra cheese, and bake until filling is warmed through and cheese is browned.

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Ambrosia fruit salad: Chunks of fresh pineapple and navel oranges (remove seeds and pith) tossed with sweetened flaked coconut. Can coat with sweetened whipped cream if desired.

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Dinner rolls

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 pinch white sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup warm milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, stir yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and a pinch of sugar.
2. In another bowl, beat eggs in 1 cup warm water; add oil and salt. Mix egg mixture into yeast, and add sugar. Gradually add flour. Cover with a damp cloth, and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour, then place in the refrigerator and allow to rise overnight. This dough is rather sticky, and will raise to at least twice its size.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each section out into a circle on a floured board or wax paper. Cut into pizza slice shapes, and roll slices large end to small end. Place on greased flat baking pans, and allow to rise for 2 hours.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 minutes.

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Ice Cream Snowballs

Roll large scoops of softened peppermint ice cream in sweetened flaked coconut. Freeze until firm. Serve with hot fudge sauce:

NGREDIENTS
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until mostly melted. Transfer to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat and stir in sugar, salt and butter. Stir in cream, a little at a time until smooth. Heat through, without boiling, then remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Store in refrigerator.