Our tradition after Christmas Eve Service is Chinese Food takeout because we have usually worked the service somehow, whether I'm leading worship or we are managing the Guest Services Team; this year, I catered with 600 cake ball truffles. Soooooo, no cooking on Christmas Eve! Of course, that changes come the next morning when we make the traditional Christmas goose. So by day-after-Christmas, it's time to figure something out for leftovers! I took the leftover goose and stir-fried it with veggies in the fridge needing to be cooked, and put it over the leftover fried rice. It was pretty dang good!!

canola oil

1 pnd leftover Christmas goose (or any comparable meat like chicken or turkey)

1 crown broccoli, chopped

1/2 bok choy, choppped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 cup red cabbage, chopped

1 cup cilantro

1/4 cup peanut butter

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs brown sugar

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

sesame oil

leftover fried rice (or your own home-made!)

In a wok or heavy pan, coat the sides and bottom of pan up to about 1/2 inch and heat on medium high for about a minute or so. Add all ingredients up to peanut butter and cook through, about three minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic cloves. Add to the wok, stir through and let cook for one more minute. Remove from heat. Serve over reheated (or fresh) fried rice!

NOTES: Want low-carb? Simply omit the rice!

Every year for Christmas dinner, we make a traditional Jewish feast. Though we are not Jewish, I think it turns out pretty authentic. It consists of braised brisket, smoked goose, a noodle kugel, a vegetable side (this year was Parmesan-crusted baked green beans) and a rugelach for dessert. It's truly amazing and we always take our time eating so we can savor every single, beautiful bite. For the sake of this blog post, I am going to offer you the Christmas-inspired brine recipe I used on the goose prior to The Hubster smoking it. It made for the juciest and most-moist goose EVER. Shepen naches!

CHRISTMAS GOOSE BRINE

1 goose!

6 quarts cold water

One 12-ounce bottle amber beer, preferably Christmas blend, room temperature

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 pkg poultry seasoning (fresh thyme, rosemary and sage)

1 pkg star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup pumpkin pie spice

In a large pot, bring 1 quart of water to a boil over high heat. Add the beer, salt, sugar, fresh herbs and spices. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot brine into a container large enough to hold the turkey (I use a clean and sanitized igloo cooler) and add the remaining quarts of cold water to cool the brine. Place the turkey into the brine, making sure it is entirely submerged. Cover the container tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When you're ready to cook (or smoke) the goose, remove from the brine and pat dry with paper towel.

On the Third Day of Christmas - I Got Goosed!

YOUR (CHRISTMAS) GOOSE IS COOKED! (With Hanukkah Flair)