Happier Than A Pig In Mud: Christmas Side Dishes: Pea Salad, Corn Pudding, Cheesy Broccoli Casserole, and more...

When it comes to holiday meals, it seems to me that in my family, we have a little more wiggle room to try new things at Christmas than Thanksgiving. So... I have a few suggestions in case you're looking for something a little different this year, and one is make ahead, one uses a slow cooker, and one is just full of cheesy goodness:@) We'll start with this pretty, refrigerated, make stir and serve, Christmas Pea Salad. I love the red and green colors! If you want to get extra fancy you can use a mini cookie cutter in a star shape and add some red pepper stars to the top...

We all know oven and stovetop space are at a premium during the holidays, that's why I like to have a few Crock Pot recipes on-hand... I'll share a pic of Corn Pudding using Jiffy Mix, but also give links to Mixed Vegetable Casserole and Slow Cooker Stuffing.

This Frozen Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Casserole is on my dinner list for this year, and I'm debating about giving it a twist and adding some cooked macaroni too... Kinda like a Broccoli Mac and Cheese, we'll see:@)

Finally, may I suggest giving cole slaw a little tweak by adding some unexpected ingredients... Apple, Walnut, Raisin (or Dried Cranberry) Coleslaw looks great, but tastes even better:@) This was a huge hit with my crew, and I think it's time to make some more!