So...whats for dinner?
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Christmas Eve dinner is now set. At Costco, I found the most beautiful Prime Rib Eye roast. [Yes, this was a splurge, a huge splurge] I will dry age it for four days and it will be stellar! So for the meat eaters, Roasted Beast, with horseradish sauce and au jus [user choice, not together] and for the pescatarian, sauteed shrimp with garlic, oil, and lemons. Sides will be roasted potatoes [some with the meat, some not], carmelized carrots [the girl's partner's favorite food], a winter salad with endive, radichio, frisee, apple, pears and walnuts, and grilled asparagus. Dressing for the salad to be determined. The final touch is gruyere popovers. This is a recipe from the restaurant BLT and I have been dying to try it out. Dessert will just be a medley of cookies. I am making the Viennese Crescents and the kid will make the others.
Breakfast the next day will be cinnamon rolls from the Flour cookbook and a big brioche a tete, poached eggs, bacon, sausage, veggie sausage, fruit salad, granola and yogurt. Everyone will be gone by 1pm.... and I will be left with some lovely leftovers in the fridge.
*susan*
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Auntie, I love lamb shanks. Such a good winter meal.
Susan, for a tired person, that's a very ambitious menu! So elegant compared to my eclectic "down home" collection of dishes like German potato salad, creamed spinach, sausage cornbread dressing, shrimp mold, baked sweet potatoes and more. If Thanksgiving was excessive for carbs, Christmas dinner will be worse. And we'll have two pork meats, fresh pork roast stuffed with garlic, green onions and cayenne and a boiled ham, the kind that is completely covered with skin. The ham is my mother's contribution. She has no concept of a balanced menu and never did. It was common when I was growing up to have round steak with gravy over white rice, potato salad and maybe corn on the cob!
The game plan at holiday meals with my family is to put a lot of dishes out there so that everybody finds something to eat. The children are particularly picky and eat a very limited variety of foods, mainly chicken and something with ground beef. If you really wanted to make them happy, you'd just set out a bucket of bought fried chicken. Their main interest will be the presents under the Christmas tree.
My mother turns 90 on Dec. 27th and 5 of her 6 children and spouses will be present. Plus some grandkids and greatgrandkids. We should have a nice time and everybody will have departed by 3 or 4 pm. Oh, a non-alcoholic gathering, too. My niece and her boyfriend have alcohol and drug abuse issues and I would feel uncomfortable having anyone drink around them.
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Since I missed Thanskgiving, I'm going to do up a combination Christmas and Thanksgiving meal.
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Oh boy, whose house to go to -- Carole's or Susan's? Your dinners sound fantastic!
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I agree auntinance... what a decision we have to make
Dinner tonight - pork picatta with new baby potatoes and green beans.
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Road trip! I am going to both. You are making my mouth water.
I am baking toll house and butter cookies with my DD tomorrow. Hope I don't burn any. My two sisters and my brother, my nieces and nephew and in laws are coming over for Christmas Eve. I am making hot sausage, meatballs, baked ziti and a salad. We'll have a few cheeses and crackers and some frozen hors d'ouvers from Costco. Dessert will be the cookies and a delicious chocolate tort cheesecake also from Costco. Hopefully no one sees Susan orCarole's menu and heads there instead.
I know what you mean about the picky eaters Carol. I don't care any more. It is way too hard to please everyone. My DD and niece don't eat red meat. My DD won't eat anything with tomato sauce. My MIL's significant other can't eat a whole list of things because of kidney stones. Some people won't eat seafood. I say the heck with it. Eat the hors d'ouvers if you don't want the sausage, meatballs or ziti.0 -
WOW, what great holiday menus! I think I will start in MA and make my way to Philly,
Oh, and Eric, I will add you to my list after LA since I'm sure that your Xmas dinner will be wonderful!
then to LA!
The picky eater issue reminds me of my stress about making sure to have enough vegetarian foods to accommodate all on Sunday. We thought we might have 18 people, but closer to thirty responded that they will come. OY! It will be fun to see everyone tho! And greatest gift (!) my next door neighbor, the fabulous Middle Eastern cook called to let me know that she is preparing a pastry tray for the party...in addition to her wonderful hummus with pomegranate seeds on top for holiday color. Such a great gal!
We are awaiting DS2 and DDIL who left NJ after dinner...so we have a bit more time to prepare for the whirlwind, who hopefully will be sound asleep when they arrive.I can hardly wait to take him a walking/riding on his borrowed (from my friend) fire engine truck. We have sidewalks so he can ride all he wants outside unlike his neighborhood where they have no sidewalks.
We drove to Providence late this afternoon to attend the wake of our DDIL's in-law relative. WOW He must have been the prince of the city!! We waited forever to get inside the funeral home, then another hour to get to the family. I only know this man from DDIL's family social functions and had no idea who he was in his community! It was touching and amazing to see.
So it was dinner time when we left the wake, and while both of us thought.....hmmm pizza in Providence?! We both decided we'd better get back up the highway and set up the bedroom for the babies. In the end, I also made kale/sausage/ bean soup, (thinking that DS2 will be starved when they arrive...he is always hungry, eats little, then needs to eat again, so I know he will be hungry when they get here) but I still had the hankering for pizza, so we called Comella's where they have lots of Italian dishes that are very "heavy"...but also a 5 dollar cheese pizza that I love! So we both had a bit of pizza (saved a lot for the "kids") and some soup. Odd combo, but good.....
Off to make the blended part of the smashed peas/ ricotta/ mint appetizer. Sadly it will be with storebought ricotta, but if it turns out well,I bought whole milk to make my own ricotta for a round two for Xmas dinner at a friend's. She insists her guests must only make an appetizer. I finally stopped offering to bring more.....:)
Susan, you are an amazing chef! I take back my suggestion that you "pare down" since it would be like asking an artist to paint half of her painting! Enjoy your beautiful dinner creations!
Hope everyone had a good evening....
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Lacey,
This IS what paring back looks like! I have another four seats at the table if any of your threats become reality. Tonight I deseeded and thinly sliced 4 lbs of Meyer lemons for marmalade. Should have done this weeks ago. My mother would pout if there wasn't a jar of the stuff under the tree for her. Tomorrow I need to make beef stock for the au jus, make some spiced pecans and do some work for a client. Then on Sunday it will get serious.
Our tree decorating "date" didn't get anything on the tree. But as we sat by the fire, I was able to wrap all the stocking gifts. I am horrified to see how little I have for my mother. She is the biggest kid in the room on Christmas. Clearly, I will need to make a trip out of the house tomorrow. I shudder at the thought. My plan B may be calling the kid who lives in downtown Andover, and ask her to walk around and find amusing items.
Eric, will you share you menu with us?
*susan*
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Yum on the meal planning...they call that a progressive dinner right? when you go from house to house and have a part of the meal? I am packing my bags...please send directions!
My silly son decided he cant wait to get home and is travelling from Ohio to NY in a snow storm! We are having white out conditions right now. He gives me gray hairs!!
Daughter here early and brought NYC bagels yummm
I also bought the standing rib roast yesterday and all the fixings for Christmas eve Just the four of us.
Susan How do you dry age a roast?
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Dry aging is simple. You wash the meat, wrap it in cheesecloth or a really clean lint-free kitchen towel, put it on a rack over a pan, and put it in the fridge. Every day, you pull off the cloth and rewrap. 21 days is optimal, 4 days though gets you a lot of flavor. Pull the meat out about 5 hours before cooking to bring to room temp, season, and cook.
Search for Alton Brown's "method" at foodnetwork [though there are lots of other posts, his is well written] if you want to read up on this approach.
*susan*
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I need to seriously get some wrapping done today, in addition to some cooking (hooray for gift bags!) Those stocking stuffers kill me though.
Christmas eve day is always snacks and finger foods with people stopping by when they can. This year I'm trying a couple of new dips, a corned beef and a jalapeno popper (love those) spread. I'll also have a brie and other assorted cheeses and Italian meats, along with crudites and mini bbq'd ham sandwiches, cookies and sweet breads.
DH decided instead of Cornish hens for Christmas eve dinner, he wanted a pork rib roast, which i've decided to make with a raisin, fennel herb stuffing and sage gravy. I'm hoping the sage doesn't clash with the fennel. Sides will be spiced apple rings, Chantilly potatoes with a parmesan crust and haricots verts. Everybody has a Christmas dish that the fam insists on and ours is called confetti beans. It's from a Pillsbury cook booklet (the kind you buy at the checkout lane) circa 1978. It's green beans sauteed with bacon, green pepper, cherry tomatoes and Italian herbs. Quite festive looking, if not gourmet fare. For dessert, I'm trying my hand at an Italian cream cake for the first time. I'm not a cake
baker, so that should be an adventure.
Unbelievably, all that is for 6 people. At the holidays my motto is "Excess is never enough."
I have no idea what's for dinner. Bon appetit y'all!0 -
All the talk of "stocking stuffers." Do you actually stuff stockings?
DH and I usually just buy one "token" present for each other because we prefer to pick out for ourselves any item that might be expensive. And we buy whatever we want and can afford throughout the year. I asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he said, "A spindle sander." He knows the exact model and brand. I wouldn't dream of buying a major tool for his workshop. He asked me what I wanted, and I couldn't think of anything I'd want him to pick out! Santa is long gone from our house!
Here's a true Christmas anecdote. My niece who is quite poor and has three children (9, 7, 3) became very anxious (she has mental health issues, too) because her children were wanting Santa to bring expensive presents that she knew she couldn't afford. She took the 9-yr-old aside and explained that there really wasn't a Santa Claus. Parents buy the presents. Her son, who is a bright boy, admitted that his class was about 50-50, some not believing in Santa and some still believing. He said he had been inclined to believe because he knew his mom couldn't have bought the presents he and his sisters had received. And, of course, she couldn't have. Most years I was secret Santa along with other members of my family. Last year a company played Santa to my niece's kids.
I'm ambivalent about fostering the Santa myth other than as a nice story. What do you moms and dad think?
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Carole, we actually do stuff stockings with small inexpensive items (although it can add up!) like CDs, cosmetics, gadgets, nice chocolates or espresso beans, lottery tickets, a movie card. It's the most fun part I think. We limit the big gifts to 2 each, no more than $100 total. One gets opened Christmas eve, the other Christmas morning. We are also at that stage of our lives where we don't need anything but there always seems to be some kitchen gadget I can't live without lol (this year it's a new rice cooker.) DH is getting a blu ray player with his favorite silly movies in blu ray (blazing saddles and airplane, ugh!) However, he doesn't know that.
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Santa is REAL! We believe~~!! I will not be robbed nor will my child of magical thinking for as long as possible. I have such wonderful memories of Santa, reindeer and all the fun of creating illusion.
I had surgery on the 14th and am still hurting from that but on the mend. I'm not sure what to make for xmas day and xmas ever. My DH got up this morning and went shopping before I could get up so I am not having much choice in what gets bought. He used a list I had started, thought he was doing me a favor by letting me sleep. Arg. I can't drive because of med and I have trouble still with the arm so not safe.
We have hams but I need some recipe ideas. Everything you all are making sounds so good. I wish I could get it together. I haven't even opened all the mail yet. Both DH and DD have been sick too and I've been hiding from them. I'm also recovering from pneumonia so with the surgery I just do not want to get sick again. I need to get stronger.
Any ideas for simple I could make.? In-laws are coming over. House is a mess.
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Carole, that's kind of a sad story about your niece, but lovely that you and your family played Santa. That's truly a Christmas story. When my niece was about 6, she had picked up at an early age that there was no Santa claus, but If you asked her she would say "Santa is the spirit of giving". My sil did a nice job there.
Ok, I'm way too chatty today. Must be avoiding all this work I need to do!0 -
I'm trying to find a few minutes of uniterrupted time to type here. I keep geting paged. "Eric..please report to the...." type of thing.
Turkey and stuffing, green beans, dinner rolls, fruit salad, dinner salad, sweet potatoes, "regular" potatoes, squash and a favorite of mine that my mom used to make (equal amounts of canned crushed pineapple, canned mandarine oranges, sour cream and shredded coconut. The juice is removed from the fruit cans before mixing together and then enough juice is added back in to make it "not dry"). Tomorrow, if I can find some time, make a pecan pie. It's my mom's "absolute favorite in all the world" pie. MIL is going to bring some stuff too, so the table should be groaning before we are groaning... :-)
Eric
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carole - wonderful you played Santa to your neice.
I believed in Santa, elves and fairies. I hated it when I realised it was Mum & Dad who bought our presents. totally took the magic of Christmas away. My fav film is Miracle on 34th Street... guess part of me still wants to believe.
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"If you don't believe, you don't receive"... I heard one of my business vendors say that when we were talking about kids believing in Santa. I like it. My 9 year old grandson just figured it out, but the other grandkids are still believers. And we do stockings for everyone who sleeps over at my daughter's house. It's hard to explain to the kids why Santa doesn't do stockings for adults. I do think it's the hardest part of the shopping. And yeah, wrapping all that little stuff is painful!
Speaking of grandkids, they and their parents are coming for dinner tomorrow. We're having roast loin of pork, waldorf salad, au gratin potatoes from a box (because my daughter prefers it), and green beans that will probably involve bacon and shallots. I'll have raw veggies for the kids and white rice with soy sauce...the only potato they eat is a french fry.
Eric - I think I'll have to admit that pecan pie is my favorite, too!
We had a nice evening last night with JoyceK and her DH. We went to a little Italian place in Nashua and enjoyed ourselves. We went back to their house for coffee and visiting with their dog, Casey. She is a bundle of energy!
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34 minutes ago, edited 6 minutes ago by bedo
Michelle, you're right. Forgetaboutit as they say. I am sorry for the news, but there will be time to fight later, and I will keep you in my thoughts. May the bearers of bad news get lost on the way to your house forever.
Now from the Grinch of Christmas. There is only my daughter and myself as my parents, and DGPs passed by my 20's. We usually go out for Chinese ( a tradition) She is in Philly with the Out-Laws for the day, but will be back. My brother is unable to come. a sis far, but will not be seeing her, but no other relatives. I have three invitations from "found" families. We don't give gifts. I went to Walmart today to pay off a random person's lay-a-way. We always did lay-a way when my daughter was small, and I remember her asking when we couldn't afford something, "can't we put it on lay-a-way?" But lay-a-way was over and all items had been returned to the shelves and records closed for those who couldn't pay on the 14th. sheesh. Oh well, Tardy Santa will be back after the holidays.
This place is a mess a usual. Not sure what's for dinner. I have 4 days off! Yipee! Books, cleaning and sleeping in Slugville before Christmas. "Mohawk Nellie" dog" says Hello and thank you for your sympathy regarding her unfortunate haircut.
Happy Holidays everyone. Going to make a fire!
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I'm a lot like Bedo...even as a little kid.....
Christmas never did excite me. It's too *$&$( busy of a time of year... :-)
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Queen You have enough on your plate just getting stronger and healthy. You have the ham so let the inlaws bring some potatos you throw on some veges and buy a pie for desert. Sit back and let everyone wait on you...you deserve it!
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I have never cooked a fresh ham, only smoked, so I am no help on that front. My favorite side dish for ham is macaroni and cheese with really good cheddar. Some steamed vegetables and I am a happy clam. But that may not be festive enough for Christmas. So, get your family to help you out. They know what your family likes.
Two more seats are taken at my dinner table for Christmas Eve dinner.
*susan*
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It's a joke in my DH's family that when there's cooked to death ham, there are the ubiquitous cooked to death green beans (out of a can, no less). And a fruit and jello mold. That was their mother's holiday menu. I don't recommend it.
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Queen,
You have a lot on your plate right now with still healing from your surgery so I'm thinking take a fairly simple approach.... The ham, a couple of easy sides and a really good dessert....
I tend to like pineapple with ham... I have made this http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Makeover-Pineapple-Casserole (and cutting the sugar in half) with good results...
Also have made Rachael Ray's Apple and Onion Stuffing Muffins substituting unsweetened pineapple chunks slightly cut up for the apples and, rather than doing them as individual muffins, baked it as a casserole...
Another thing to keep in mind is that many of the grocery stores (at least near me) offer some really great to-go sides and desserts that you could pick up, put into a casserole dish and warm up....no one would be the wiser....
My point being.... better to take care of yourself and enjoy your holiday and spending time with those you care about... Down the road no one will remember what you did or didn't have for dinner. What they will remember will be the time spent with you... and trust me, from experience, you won't want those memories to be a totally frazzled you.... Been there... Done that....lol!0 -
Christmas Eve here for the past 5 or so years has been our kids (and their boyfriends/girlfriends), DH and I and my in-laws (we do my extended family's Christmas earlier in the month because my parents leave for Fla mid-December)... I usually make a big pot of NE Clam Chowder and we also have a sub platter (bought from a local grocery store) as well as cheeses and various hors d'oeuvres.... So no big formal dinner.... Just a whole lot of grazing, which doesn't count, right?.... lol
Christmas Day we start with a big breakfast after Mass. For dinner we do a standing rib roast, mashed potatoes w/gravy, yorkshire pudding and some type of vegetable... Dessert is Christmas cookies and/or apple pie (my father-in-laws favorite)... In between is opening presents, visiting, a bit of imbibing (ok... sometimes more than a little) and wishing for a nap!
In case I don't get back here between now and then I'd like to wish you all a Christmas filled with Peace and Joy!0 -
My mom gave me about 75 pounds of cast iron cookware today!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric
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Lucky you, Eric! I love my cast iron skillets and dutch oven, but they are heavy suckers!!!
Seaside - have a fabulous Christmas!!!
Nancy - my mom and grandmother always cooked veggies to death - think New England Boiled Dinner, Corned Beef and Cabbage, etc. When we started cooking things to that "tender crisp" stage, she complained about the veggies being raw...lol. My grandkids will eat lots of raw veggies, but don't put a cooked one of any sort on their plates...except maybe corn on the cob. Even waldorf salad - my daughter said I can pull some out for the kiddies without the dressing and they'll eat the components. They are really, really fussy eaters!
I have to finish all the wrapping before the kids get here later this afternoon. We need the table to eat!!!
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Michelle: Your new Jane Fonda wig is very stylish! I first saw her in that style at the academy awards and loved it. Hope you new tx works for you! You have such a positive spirit! Sending you prayers and positive energy! May you and your family have a fantastic holiday season!
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Wow Eric, jackpot! The best pieces are the ones that have been given (and used) by a family member.
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I have to share the silliest little recipe with you. I got it on pinterest where the recipes are pretty much hit or miss, but it's ridiculously simple and tastes really good. It uses refrigerated crescent rolls, which I haven't used in years. Anyway, here it is:
Easy cheese Danish
2 cans crescent rolls
2 8 ounce pkgs cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg white
Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 baking pan. Lay a pack of rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together (I just lightly roll them out). Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the dough then lay the second pack on top of the cheese mixture. Brush with the egg white then bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden. Cool for 20 minutes then top with glaze.
I grated some orange zest into the glaze and it was wonderful.
Enjoy!0
