Christmas 2022: Some quick and easy recipes to celebrate the holidays

Christmas 2022: If you are looking for some easy and really fun recipes for side dishes this Christmas, we have compiled some tasty dishes for this holiday.

Check out the recipes here:
 

Moist and tender, these are just the muffins that you should be making this Christmas. These muffins can be whipped up and pulled out of the oven in just 30 minutes of time. 

Ingredients: 
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour (light spelt, all-purpose, pastry flour or GF 1–1 blend)
1 tablespoon baking powder
generous pinch of salt
⅓ cup light flavored olive oil, use your favorite oil*
⅓ cup packed light or dark coconut sugar
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, room temperature
juice of 1 small lemon or 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 – 2 chopped jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and diced, optional

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with liners or spray with nonstick spray.
Vegan buttermilk: In a 2 cup measuring cup, add the milk and lemon juice/apple cider vinegar, let rest for 5 – 7 minutes to curdle and make vegan buttermilk.
Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Wet ingredients: To the vegan buttermilk, add the oil and coconut sugar, mix until combined.
Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the peppers. Avoid overmixing.
Bake: Spoon batter into muffin tin holes, filling about ¾ full. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done. Let muffins cool a few minutes before removing them.
 

Creamy, buttery mashed potatoes with sweet/savoury caramelised onions and smoky, salty bacon is an incredibly easy side dish to make.

Ingredients:
3 lbs potatoes, (russets or your favorite starchy potatoe)
2 lbs sweet onions, (regular onions will do if that's all you have)
1/2 lb bacon, cut into bits
1 cup water
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/3 cup parsley, fresh
1 tsp thyme, dried
3 - 4 tbsp heavy cream
as desired salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter

Instructions:
Begin by peeling and slicing the onions thinly. Use a mandoline if you have one. 
In a large pot over medium low heat, begin to saute the bacon bits. When they are 3/4 of the way crispy, remove the bacon onto a plate.
Leave the bacon fat in the pot, add the onions and begin to saute. This process is the longest, as you don't want to cook them over a high heat to rush the process because the sugars in the onions will make them burn. 
Add a teaspoon or so of salt to the onions to assist in letting of the natural juices and aiding in the caramelization process. Continue stirring often to watch the process of the onions going from white to tan, to brown.  The amount of onions will wilt down.
As you are sauteing the onions, peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks (quarters are fine). Transfer them to the instant pot using the trivet on the bottom of the pot. 
Add the water
Set on manual pressure, for 14 minutes, being sure to move the toggle switch to the "sealing" position. 
When the onions have nice light brown color, add back the bacon and finish sauteing. Add a 2 tbsp of butter, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well. Take the onions off the heat when complete.
When the potatoes are done cooking, do a quick release and when the pin drops, use a set of tongs and carefully transfer the potatoes into a bowl.
Add the butter, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Mash well. Using small increments, add the cream to the potatoes to get a creamy (but not runny) consistency. 
Transfer the potatoes to a 9 x 11 baking dish and smooth out the top. Add the onion and bacon mixture and spread evenly over the top of the potatoes. 
Broil the potatoes for a few minutes to slightly crisp up the top. Be careful as the onions can burn very fast.
 

An easy and fool-proof recipe for buttery garlic knots are a sure-shit win for Christmas this season. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (16-ounce) tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray
In a small bowl, whisk together butter, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, parsley and salt; set aside.
Halve each of the 8 biscuits, making 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a 5-inch rope, about 1/2-inch thick, and tie into a knot, tucking the ends.
Place knots onto the prepared baking sheet and brush each knot with half of the butter mixture. Place into oven and bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Serve immediately, brushed with remaining butter mixture.
 

These Cheddar Drop Biscuits are loaded with cheddar and colby jack cheese and topped with garlic butter. They’re a savoury, buttery, and cheesy biscuit recipe everyone will love.

Ingredients:
Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
½ cup Colby Jack cheese1 shredded
1 tablespoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
5 tablespoons unsalted butter2 cold and cubed
⅔ cup whole milk
1 large egg

Herb Butter
5 tablespoons salted butter3 melted
1 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
½ tablespoon fresh chives minced
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:
Biscuits
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder.
Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and mix it in by hand or with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks a little crumbly.4
Beat the milk and egg together in a large measuring cup or bowl. Add to the flour mixture along with the cheese and quickly mix together just until combined with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.5
Using the spoon or a large cookie scoop, drop the biscuit dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet at least 2-inches apart.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Herb Butter
While the biscuits are baking. Whisk together melted butter, parsley, chives, and garlic powder in a small bowl.

After 10 minutes, remove the biscuits from the oven and brush them with the herb butter (reserve remaining butter). Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are beginning to turn a golden brown.
Once they are done baking, brush them with the remaining herb butter and serve immediately.