Monday, November 30, 2015

Christmas at Grandma's {A Gooseberry Patch Review & Giveaway}

Oh, Christmas time at grandma's. My childhood is filled with so many memories of such special times in the snowy hills of Pennsylvania at both of my grandmas' houses I can't even begin to tell you how much they mean to me. Waking up on Christmas morning while it was still dark to see what Santa had left under the tree, going to Christmas Eve church, all the smells of my favorite treats, family gathered around...seriously, I tear up just thinking about it. To me, those holidays of years gone by will always be some of my favorite ones.

And now, my good friends at Gooseberry Patch have made an entire book out of the idea of Christmas at Grandma's. For many of us, there are some Christmas time dishes that nobody will ever make as good as grandma. No matter how many times we try, or how close we come, we will never be able to recreate exactly how they taste when grandma made them.


This book is a fantastic collection of all sorts of delicious things to enjoy this holiday season. From main dishes, to sides, to of course the sweets, each page is more delectable than the last.

When I first saw this recipe it reminded me of my Grammy's broccoli salad, which was always on our Christmas Eve menu, so I immediately got a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about it. I love the addition of cauliflower to this one, not to mention it is so pretty on a plate, filled with holiday colors.

Whatever you are planning to serve this holiday, this would be a fantastic side dish alongside it. Plus, if you have to make something and travel with it, this would hold up very nicely. With the dressing not being very "wet", the veggies stay nice and crisp even after sitting for some time.


If you have wonderful memories of Christmases gone by at your grandma's house like me, I hope you feel as blessed as I do. Or maybe now you are the grandma, and you want to make sure you are making those memories for the little ones to hold on to for years to come!

Oh, and you can win a copy of Christmas at Grandma's too! Just scroll down to see how to enter!

Festive Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad
 1 medium head cauliflower, finely chopped
2 medium broccoli crowns, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 (3.5 oz.) bag dried cranberries
1 (2.5 oz.) bag real bacon bits
1/2 c. plus 1 TBS mayo
1/2 c. white sugar
1 TBS ranch dressing mix
Salt and Pepper to taste 

In a large bowl combine broccoli, cauliflower, red pepper, cranberries and bacon bits. Toss to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together mayo, sugar and ranch dressing mix. Add to vegetables. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Chill 1-2 hours before serving. Stir before serving.








*** GIVEAWAY ***

To Enter: Leave me a comment telling me your favorite Christmas time dish that Grandma made best! Be sure to leave an email address so I can find you!


Open to US Residents 18 and over


Contest Ends: December 10, 2015 



Shared at Weekend Potluck

19 comments:

  1. I really didn't know either one of my Grandparents so don't know what some of their favorite dishes where but since I had my own children and now 9 grandchildren I would always make some sort of Fluff Salad.
    Thank you for this giveaway opportunity.
    ColleenB.~Texas
    ckb_49atyahoodotcom

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  2. My grandma's squash casserole was my favorite Christmas dish!

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  3. My favorite dish my Grandma made was persimmon pudding, oh to have this again!

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  4. My grandma use to make the best green bean casserole. It was my favorite when she made it. Thanks for the chance to enter.

    Andrea D.
    short74717@msn.com

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  5. My grandmas always Mocho Cakes. Yellow cake, cut into pieces, frosted with white frosting on all 4 sides and top, then rolled into crushed peanuts. I always volunteered to go to the big basement freezer to fill the plates so I could eat several without anyone knowing. Darn they were good!

    Kristin Troska kristony@hbci.com

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  6. Grandma fixed the best potato salad.

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  7. My Grandma made the best sweet potato pudding.Nut she made it from memory and never wrote down the recipe.Have tried a Lot since she passed away but none can compare...

    chihuahuamom@ atmc.net

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  8. Our family always knew there would be Peanut Butter Fudge and Peanut Brittle on the menu!

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  9. amy guillaume lindermanDecember 3, 2015 at 11:31 AM

    my grandmother's best Christmas time dish was her chicken and dumplings! just the smell when we walked into her house is something i try to duplicate..... aelinderman@sbcglobal.net

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  10. My daughters love my moms fruitcake cookies. Along with her homemade scratch creamy scalloped potatoes.
    Butterflycmc@yahoo.com

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  11. My favorite memory of my Grandmother at Christmas was strawberry rhubarb pie. She froze the produce from her garden, and made a wonderful flakey crust. I'm the grandma now! I make memories for my kids and grandson.

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  12. She made the best green bean casserole!

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  13. Unfortunately all my grand parents passed away when I was very young, and I have very few memories of them. I will say that my mom had many really great things she cooked and I loved. She made a coconut cake from scratch at Christmas that was so delicious!
    lclee59@centurylink.net

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  14. Nut rolls! Not only do I not have the recipe, but I have a nut-allergic daughter...
    (sjillis@yahoo.com)

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  15. I loved my Grandmothers home made knot rolls. She used to let me punch the dough and it smelled so good baking

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  16. My grandma would make this at other holidays too and it was her potato salad. Yum!

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  17. My grandmother made Sweet Potato Souffle with dark rum and candied orange rind at Christmas (and Thanksgiving) and it was sublime and very, very addictive. aussiewebs@gmail.com

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  18. My mamaw would always make Aunt Myrtle cake for Christmas. It was a recipe created by her Aunt Myrtle. It was a lemon flavored vanilla bundt cake with a orange lemon glaze. Delicious!! And, something she made sure would be passed down in our family.

    Amanda Nichols
    mandyrnichols@frontier.com

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  19. My Grandma always made the best cheeseballs around the holidays!! Nothing says Christmas like Grandma's cheeseball!

    heatherp626@msn.com

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