The Santa Clause

December is here and in this house that means it's time to break out the Christmas movies!  The Santa Clause is a favorite and now that it's over 25 years old (what?!!), I think we can start considering it a classic.  

In case you haven't watched it yet, The Santa Clause is about a man who accidentally knocks Santa off the roof of his house and is forced to become Santa Claus!  I love watching Scott Calvin, played by Tim Allen, go from being a holiday skeptic and seemingly absent father to Father Christmas himself.  

Let's start this menu off with Christmas Eve dinner when Scott and his son, Charlie, end up at Denny's after he burns the turkey.  They never officially show what they ate, but since one of the most popular items at Denny's is their Grand Slam (two pancakes, two eggs, two bacon strips, and two sausage links), that's what we're working with!

Bacon-Pancake Dippers

The Bacon-Pancake Dippers from Lady Behind the Curtain combines two of the ingredients that make up a Grand Slam.  I served them with warm maple syrup and a strawberry sauce for a pop of Christmas color.  

If you take a good look at my dippers, you'll notice there are big guys in the back and then a more round traditional pancake shape in the front.  I tried numerous shapes and sizes so I can reliably tell you that the round pancake is the easier way to go.  It was suggested to use a squeeze bottle to get the batter into the oval shape, but I didn't have one so I stuck with rounds.

Sausage and Egg Cups

For the other half of our Grand Slam ingredients, we're combining eggs and sausage.  I made these Sausage and Egg Cups from Mom's Dinner.  They were easy to make (which was a nice change after creating so many pancakes of various sizes) and I love that they already had some Christmas color with the green onion and baby spinach.  I also cooked them in red cupcake liners for an added holiday touch.

Now that we have a little something for our stomachs, it's time for a drink.  

Judy the Elf's Hot Cocoa

When Scott and Charlie end up at the North Pole, Scott is understandably bewildered.  He is taken to a cozy room filled with fun stuff and Judy, an elf, gives him a mug of hot cocoa that she has spent 1200 years perfecting.  It's "not too hot, extra chocolate, shaken not stirred."  I used my usual hot cocoa recipe from Hershey, but while the milk was heating I added a few chunks of chocolate for extra decadence.

For those of you looking for a bit of a kick, I'll give you a punch instead!  This Milk Punch from A Couple Cooks represents all of the cold glasses of milk left out for Santa to enjoy on Christmas Eve. 

Milk Punch

On Scott's first night as Santa, he encounters a child and we see how ill-suited he is to be Santa Claus when he snaps at the little girl and claims that he is lactose intolerant.  Fast forward a year and we get the heart-warming scene when he returns and appears to be a completely different person, physically and mentally!

This milk does in fact pack a punch, but I did tag this post as family-friendly so you could also serve plain or sweetened glasses of milk with a festive candy cane rim.

Following our milk is the cookie, of course!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are so many Christmassy cookies to choose from, but I settled on a classic, the chocolate chip cookie, because of the lunch scene when Scott's orders "a Caesar, no dressing and one of those homemade cookies, the warm chocolate chip. No nuts! And a little slice of cheesecake, creme brulee, and a hot fudge sundae, extra hot fudge... on the side".

I usually use his Chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I decided to try The Thin chocolate chip cookie from Alton Brown.  You can't go wrong with either either recipe! 

Lastly, and also inspired by the lunch scene, we have cheesecake bites!

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bites

I used this Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bites recipe from The Stay at Home Chef, but I substituted an Oreo crust for the lemon cookie crust.

And for either topping the cheesecake bites or just enjoying on their own, who can resist these little Strawberry Santa Hats from Snack Girl?

Strawberry Santa Hats

I hope you find time to cuddle up and watch The Santa Clause this season and I hope these treats help to bring the movie to life.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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