As part of our IYKYK: Holiday Tradition Edition series, we invited ourselves to crash Tylynn Burn’s Christmas-ish dinner party with her friends. Raised on soul food, Tylynn’s big Christmas dinner is the pinnacle of the holiday (it helps that she does her gift exchange on Christmas Eve). Lucky for us, her big dinner menu isn’t reserved for just one day, and she often makes a tradition out of cooking for her friends in December.

I typically celebrated the holidays with family and friends and food is always at the epicenter of the gatherings. Christmas is definitely the most important holiday to me because my aunt typically hosts Thanksgiving, so Christmas always feels like my thing. I get to invite my family to a culinary playground while also just showering them with gifts and a good time because my family has always taken Christmas very seriously and has always made it feel so special to me.

Definitely gumbo, candy yams, mac and cheese, cornbread, oxtails, and apple pie. Soul food is a staple in my household.

We open presents on Christmas Eve, and then we open more presents Christmas morning because my family still likes to act as if Santa brought more gifts (mind you, I’m 26 and I’m an only child). Typically the gifts in the morning are the ones you really, really wanted. We also like to make a big breakfast on Christmas Eve morning and then we order takeout for Christmas Eve.  

@tytytooofly

• 5 bushels of collard greens 
• 2 lbs. turkey necks 
• 1 white or sweet onion, chopped 
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar 
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 chicken bouillon cube 
• Smoked paprika, to taste 
• Black pepper, to taste 
• Seasoned salt, to taste 
• Garlic powder, to taste
• 2 tbsp. butter or olive oil

Cook turkey necks in a pot of water for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender. Make sure the turkey necks are fully covered with water. 

Once the turkey necks are done, remove them from the water and shred the meat. Reserve two cups of the turkey neck water for your greens. 

Remove the collard green leaves from the stems and wash thoroughly. 

Roll up the greens from the ends to the tips stacked together and cut to your liking. 

Add the turkey neck water, the shredded turkey neck meat, chopped sweet or white onion and your collard greens to your pot or pan. 

Add a tablespoon of white vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar, a cube or healthy scoop of chicken bouillon, smoked paprika, pepper, seasoning salt and garlic powder. Season to your liking but make sure not to use too much salt. Taste the broth to measure. 

Let the collard greens cook down and then add 2 tablespoons of butter or oil. 

Let simmer for 20-25 minutes then serve! If you like softer greens cook longer, if you like semi soft, 20-25 minutes is your go to.