It is almost that time….when Christmas “officially” begins… The countdown is on to Christmas Eve! This also means that the countdown is on for two days full of family, friends, fun, and (of course ;)) food!
In case you are curious, here is the Christmas food plan in my household:
- Christmas Eve: I will be prepping two soups for my family to share. I am making Spicy Soyrizo Chili and Vegetable and Ravioli Soup. These will be served with both oyster soup crackers and saltine crackers, cornbread muffins, and unsweetened apple sauce. I am definitely looking forward to this meal.
- Christmas Morning: Tomorrow I am baking a batch of The Happy Herbivore’s Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins. After making her Maple-Kissed Pumpkin Muffins for Thanksgiving, I have no doubt that these muffins will be just as delicious!
- Christmas Day: Our Christmas meal will likely consist of ham, stuffing, and mashed potatoes with gravy (for the meat-eaters), a Quorn Turk’y Roast with vegetarian gravy (for me and whoever else wants to try it!), and our staple sides consisting of green bean casserole, apple sauce, fruit salad (recipe to follow), cheesy potato casserole (this year I will be making it vegetarian), and rolls. Oh, and let us not forget…my new found favorite..pumpkin pie with whipped topping for dessert! 🙂
There also may be some other goodies snuck in there somewhere too….oh, and maybe some wine! 😉 It is bound to be a good two days of holiday eats and drinks!
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And now to the recipe…
Holiday Fruit Salad
We have been making and eating this fruit salad for holidays for as long as I can remember. My mom said that my Aunt Nancy (who is deceased) used to always make it so I think of her each time that I make it :). This is an easy side dish to put together and makes for a delicious contribution to any holiday meal (or any meal, for that matter)!
Ingredients
1 20 oz can of pineapple chunks in natural pineapple juice, drained with the juice reserved
1 15 oz can of sliced peaches in natural juices (not heavy syrup), drained and cut in half or thirds*
1 11 oz can of mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained with the syrup reserved*
1 small (1.34 oz) box of vanilla instant pudding (regular or sugar free both work)
1 bunch of red seedless grapes, removed from stems
3 bananas (I like mine to be fairly ripe), sliced
*You can also reserve the juices from the can of peaches instead of the syrup from the mandarin oranges. Whatever your preference, it does not matter!
Directions
1. In a serving bowl combine pineapple chunks, peaches, mandarin oranges, and grapes.
2. Place the pudding mix into a separate smaller bowl. Stir in the syrup from the mandarin oranges a little bit at a time. Continue to do this until it resembles the texture of pudding. As the mixture sits with the natural juices of the fruit, it will thin a bit.
3. Add the pudding mixture to the bowl of fruit and stir until well-combined. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Just before serving, slice the bananas and let them soak in the pineapple juice for a few minutes (this will help prevent them from browning as quickly). Remove the banana slices from the pineapple juice and add them to the bowl of fruit.
5. Stir until the fruit salad is well-combined and serve chilled.
I absolutely love this fruit salad and look forward to eating it every holiday season. It just would not be a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal without it!
