Christmas Dinner Suggestions

[honeychile]

For those of y'all who are making Christmas dinner, what's on the menu? Anything new and exciting, or is it the same old-same old? I'm looking for ideas! Oh, no seafood - it doesn't go over well in this house.

[nlauren]

Im making a good old turkey dinner for christmas.

Try some holiday drinks to spruce things up, like hot chocolate and rumblemintz (sp?)

YUMMM

[AKA_Monet]

Have a Christmas Goose... I think you cook it like duck, which means you have a lot of "fat"/oil.

Last year I cooked Alligator Snapping Turtle Stew in the Crockpot. My husband said it was very delicious...

I'm a vegetarian, so I had collard greens, mac and cheese, jiffy pop corn bread and sweet potato pie.

Or have a wild boar. My husband says it tastes really good.

[AOIIalum]

I asked that same question of my guys last night, and we're doing Thanksgiving Dinner plus a small ham for Christmas. Of course, at this rate it will be 70 and sunny here on Christmas day, so we might as well grill out instead!

[RedVelvet]

I am grilling beef tenderloin and lamb chops for Christmas dinner. I am also making griiled asparagus, sauteeed mushrooms, potato gratin, and crab cakes (for starters).

[AGDee]

I'm sort of preparing 3 Christmas dinners.. The first is the fanciest and biggest but will happen on the 23rd with my dad, his wife, my brother and my kids:
Marinated Sirloin Roast
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Cinnamon Apples
Dessert: Fudgy Volcano Cakes

On the 24th, it's my mom, my brother and the kids and we're having pizza from a local place that my brother loves and MUST HAVE whenever he's in town, so that's my easy one I have to pick it up on the 22nd though.

On the 25th, it's just for my brother, my mom and I and it will be salad, chicken parmesan and egg noodles.

Cooking for 15 people

Prime rib
honey glazed ham
Green Bean Casserole
Mash Potatoes
Yam Casserole
Orange / Cranberry relish
Croissants ( Yeah Costco!!!)

all the assortment of pies and baked goods everyone else brings

Veggie Tray
Fruit tray
Cheese Crackers and Deli Meats
Chips and Dips
All those cookies and baked goods i listed on holiday baking

Egg Nog ( Alcohol and non Alcohol)
Cider
Sodas

And no Christmas or Christmas eve is complete without a Hickory Farms Cheese balls!

[AXO Alum]

AKA_Monet - I am a vegetarian too (so is our son) so we have LOTS of veggies on hand for us.

We always do something "different" so this year we are going traditional & my MIL is going to make a turkey. Of course I don't eat it, and actually DH doesn't really care for it much. But I thought it would be nice to ask her if she wanted to since we have Christmas at our house & she hasn't gotten to make dinner in the last several years.

The first year I did a spinach stuffed roast - it was very easy & turned out great (from what they tell me). We did filet mignon two years ago. Last year I ended up with some 20 people at our house (did I mention we live in a very small house) so we did a pork tenderloin on the grill.

We always have my favorite corn pudding, garlic mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. They meet the 3 standards for me: 1) GOOD; 2) Easy to make; and 3) Easy to make in large batches to serve to multiple guests. Of course we throw a salad in for something green and good for you.

I don't know what I'll do for appetizers yet. I need to work on those & come up with something. My MIL made baked garlic & brie last year & she & FIL were the only 2 eating it. Its just not my thing. I make a great spinach/herb dip for pretzels or bread, but after everyone got full eating it last year, I am going to leave it off the list.

We are having eggplant parmesan for Christmas Eve dinner (yum!) - we'll probably eat before candlelight service at 6:30 so we can come home & eat some yummy desserts.

[AOIIalum]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Dessert: Fudgy Volcano Cakes

Recipes? Please?

[nlauren]

Originally Posted by AOIIalum

Recipes? Please?

mmmm please give them up.
i can smell the cake already <3

[Tom Earp]

I guess all familys are different!

A lot has to do with what was had for Thanksgiving.

Turkey, need a change maybe?

Sometimes we had ham and all of the fixings except no turykey!

Several times we had Lasagna, hit the spot, but a lot of hard work. My Aunt did it which helped!

One of the Really Great Family Traditions was Red Salmon. Made into a kind of patee with cut hard boiled eggs laid on the top as a gift.

Try boiled shrump and backed potatoes with salad.

Just have crutons, cheese, brown hard noodles, hard boilded egs, tomatoes, bacon (real) cumbled up, and a selection of dressings. Me, blu cheese.

It is the pink meat for viggins!

[AXO Alum]

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Turkey, need a change maybe?

That's what is so funny - we never have turkey! So while everyone else is looking for something "different", this year we are looking for something "normal"

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

Several times we had Lasagna, hit the spot, but a lot of hard work. My Aunt did it which helped!

mmm... I make a delicious vegetarian (NO BROCCOLI) lasagna. We were seriously thinking of it for dinner, but mom doesn't like lasagna & it is a lot of work to put together. That's why we changed to eggplant parmesan for Christmas Eve dinner.

Originally Posted by Tom Earp

It is the pink meat for viggins!

Okay, seriously - what does this mean cause I'm getting a really weird visual

[aephi alum]

DH and I visit my parents for Christmas, as my parents are Catholic.

The menu (usually) is:
Cocktails and those frozen pre-made hors d'oeuvres (beef pigs-in-blankets, cheese pinwheels, potato puffs, etc)
Prime rib
Yorkshire pudding
Some kind of veggie, usually steamed broccoli
Red wine
Fruitcake for dessert
Espresso, after-dinner drinks, and petits fours

This year, I'm thinking of making a pre-emptive strike and bringing an apple pie, so we don't have to suffer through the fruitcake.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by AOIIalum

Recipes? Please?

You're making me confess... Ever hear of Market Day? school fundraiser stuff?

www.marketday.com Check it out. You can order stuff online from a school near you even if you don't have a kid there. I got the herb marinated sirloin roast from there too. But shhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell my dad's wife. I'm claiming it all as my own! The only thing I'm making myself is the green bean casserole. But heck, I'm a single mom, I work 40 hours a week and have enough to do already. (Yes, I'm feeling guilty) She is so picky and snarky about everything and just getting the house clean enough to have that woman over is killing me.

Yikes, just checked the site and they don't have the volcano fudge cake things anymore. Here is a pic of the cheesy hashbrown casserole though


I can say that the volcano cake thing is very similar to Tastefully Simple's Chocolate Ugly cake. It's a cake with a gooey chocolate sauce in it. The volcano cakes are individual size, the ugly cake can be made in a round or square 8 or 9 inch pan. I bought one of those at the alumnae fundraiser night and it was awesome, so when I saw the volcano cakes at market day, I figured they would be perfect. And, they came 6 to a box, just enough for the family that will be here!

Time to finish cleaning the kitchen.. the bathroom is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I shouldn't have spent so much time with my kids today (I can't believe I said that.... YES, I am glad I spent the time with the kids, it was worth it, they are what's important, not cleaning kitchen cupboards!)

[Nikki_DZ]

I wish I knew what we were doing. My mom and I are still in negotiations as to were to HAVE Christmas. I want to have it at my house, and do all the cooking, which she is fundamentally opposed to, as my grandmother lives near my parents and is an invalid. An INVALID. Which means she doesn't leave the house. So they can stop in and drop her off a plate on their way home!

Not only do I not want to haul 2 kids and 2 dogs an hour and half to my parents, I don't want to eat my mom's cooking. We'll just say that her skills have erroded since becoming an empty nester. Blechhhhh.