You can’t ever really be sure of anything in life, but I do know this: I will never become a vegetarian. I am a big meat eater and I couldn’t see myself going very long without a juicy steak. Because of my allegiance to meat, I have strong opinions about the top three protein-rich options served at holiday meals. For tonight’s blog post, I want to briefly explain the characteristics I enjoy in the big three holiday regulars…beef, turkey, and ham.

Beef – I grew up eating prime rib on either Christmas or New Year’s Day. There isn’t a holiday dinner I get more excited for than when prime rib is being served. I salivate at the thought of both the meat portion and the fat portion. Having the au jus for dunking puts the cherry on top. To me, nothing is more prestigious than prime rib. When I think of it, I think black ties and special occasions. It is fair to say that the taste and elegance of prime rib makes it my favorite meat dish.

Holding our family’s prime rib from a Christmas a few years back. The way to my heart.

Turkey – I am a turkey fan mostly because of the tradition that surrounds it. I love everything about Thanksgiving and the bird plays a big part of that. You can’t have Thanksgiving without the turkey so that automatically makes me partial to it. However, that is not to completely overshadow the fact that I do enjoy the taste/texture of turkey! I could probably eat it every day. I like nothing more than to put turkey and mashed potatoes together on a fork and eat in one bite. After enjoying the Thanksgiving meal in the middle of the day, there is nothing better than going back later in the night for a turkey sandwich. However, I would say that turkey grades out the lowest on my personal scale of favorite holiday meats.

Carving a turkey at a Thanksgiving a couple years back. Nothing beats the tradition of turkey.

Ham – Every Easter I look forward to feasting on ham. To me, it is the perfect meat for the holiday. Easter isn’t as commercialized or formal as Thanksgiving or Christmas and a ham topped with beautiful pineapple slices seems to fit that lower key type of profile. Ham is always a refreshing option just because it isn’t as filling/heavy as prime rib or turkey. You aren’t dunking it in something or pouring gravy over it. Rather, you are just enjoying the actual taste of the meat complimented by pineapple and maybe a touch of brown sugar.

However, what I like most about ham is its staying power! Want me to tell you what is better than eating ham on Easter Sunday? Eating it on a nightly basis the whole week after! No meat is a better leftover option than ham. When you have some in the refrigerator, there is no shame at all in simply opening the door and taking out a piece to snack on. Prime rib is never the same after the actual meal and turkey tastes decent for a couple days but ham is different. It actually seems to get better as time passes. Snacking, making sandwiches, and preparing soups are all great ways to enjoy leftover ham.

An Easter meal at the Reser household in 2012. I like ham…especially leftover ham.

Ranking of My Favorite Holiday Meats:
1. Beef (Prime Rib)
2. Ham
3. Turkey

This is me holding our wrapped prime rib right before purchasing it at a Spokane deli called Sonnenberg’s in December of 2013.

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Do you have any leftover ham from this past Sunday? If so, I am sure you are making a trip to the fridge right now. Enjoy! Don’t Blink.