An old-fashioned Christmas dinner with a twist - Date with a Dish - menu and recipes

During this holiday season, change will be the order of the day for many who decide not to prepare the traditional turkey and ham. Instead, they can choose from a wide variety of options to make this year's Christmas dinner as special and memorable as those in the past.

If you prefer to be a little bit less traditional, then there are many different, easy-to-prepare entree selections, including Standing Rib Roast, Cornish Hens With Chutney Glaze, or Rack Of Pork With Parslied Crumbs.

In addition to those selections, on the following pages, we have included recipes for some appetizing side dishes, drinks and treats to help complete your meal.

Merry Christmas!

Hot Cranberry Punch

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
7 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 16-ounce cans jellied cranberry sauce
1 12-ounce can frozen orange juice
  concentrate
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix brown sugar, 1 cup water, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in Dutch oven. Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved; remove from heat. Stir in cranberry sauce until well-blended. Stir in remaining water, orange juice and lemon juice. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Yields 24 servings

CALORIES 97.5, TOTAL FAT 0.1G, CHOLESTEROL 0, CARBOHYDRATES 24.7G, FIBER 0.6G, PROTEIN 0.4G, SODIUM 15MG.

Rosemary Potatoes

6 large potatoes, each cut into 8
  wedges
1/3 cup olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, cut into
  thin slivers
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh
  rosemary, divided
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
  cheese

In a large bowl, toss potatoes with the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and half the rosemary. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the potatoes in a roasting pan and bake 45 minutes, tossing them occasionally for even browning. Halfway through the baking, sprinkle with the remaining rosemary and the cheese; continue roasting until the potatoes are crusty and golden brown.

Yields 8 servings

CALORIES 144, TOTAL FAT 9.9G, CHOLESTEROL 2MG, CARBOHYDRATES 12.0G, FIBER 1.0G, PROTEIN 2.4G, SODIUM 51MG.

Rack Of Pork With Parslied Crumbs

1 whole rack of pork, backbone
  trimmed, about 7 to 8 ribs
Salt and coarsely ground black
  pepper to taste
1/2 cup coarse-grained mustard
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup minced parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme, crumbled
3 garlic cloves, peeled and
  crushed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Season the pork with salt and pepper, as desired. Brush pork with 1/4 cup mustard. In medium bowl, combine remaining mustard with remaining ingredients. Press crumb mixture evenly over top of pork. Arrange rack of pork crumb-side up in roasting pan. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, or until meat thermometer inserted into center of meaty part registers 155 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes. Carve pork, cutting between ribs and serve.

Yields 8 servings

CALORIES 449, TOTAL FAT 23.6G, CHOLESTEROL 113MG, CARBOHYDRATES 19.4G, FIBER 2.1G, PROTEIN 38.3G, SODIUM 456MG.

Cornish Hens With Chutney Glaze

Grated peel and juice of 1
  orange
Grated peel and juice of 1
  lemon
1/4 cup bottled mango chutney
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 Rock Cornish game hens
  (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each),
  thawed if frozen

To make glaze, combine citrus peel and juices, chutney and butter in small saucepan. Simmer a few minutes to blend flavors, breaking up any mango pieces with back of spoon. Tie legs of each hen to ether with string and turn wing tips under back of each hen. Brush hens lightly with glaze and arrange, breast-side up, in shallow baking pan lined with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for I hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until hens are tender, brushing occasionally with remaining glaze. (Cover legs and wings with small pieces of foil if they start to become too brown.) Remove string. If desired, garnish with orange and lemon wedges, and parsley.

Yields 8 servings

CALORIES 538, TOTAL FAT 30.3G, CHOLESTEROL 190MG, CARBOHYDRATES 5.0G, FIBER 0.3G, PROTEIN 58.0G, SODIUM 702MG.

Standing Rib Roast

1 6- to 8-pound standing rib
  roast
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 onion, thickly sliced
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef broth

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Trim most of the visible fat from the meat. Place the roast bone-side down in shallow roasting pan. Rub garlic over the meat. Sprinkle rosemary over meat. Season the beef with the seasoning salt and pepper. Arrange onion around roast. Pour 1/2 cup of the wine over meat. With meat thermometer inserted into the center, roast meat until desired doneness, basting frequently with pan juices, about every 30 minutes. Transfer meat to heated platter, reserving drippings in pan. Place foil over meat to keep warm. Skim fat off pan drippings. Set pan with drippings over medium-high heat. Add chicken broth and remaining wine, and boil until syrupy, scraping up any browned bits and stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Season the sauce with additional seasoning salt if needed. Strain sauce. Serve meat with sauce.