In the past, we’ve always opted for roast beast of some sort, with mixed results. This year I’m doing a paella. I’ve ordered Spanish Calasparra short grain rice (Arborio is too creamy) and Spanish cooking chorizo. I’m going to add shrimp and possibly mussels to the dish for contrast. For horsey doovers: Marcona almonds, rosemary-infused sheep milk cheese from Spain and slicing (cured) chorizo. Now to find a good Spanish red to go with it all. I thought about trying to do churros for dessert, but it seems like a lot of work to go through.
For several years I experimented with Christmas dinner. I tried roast duck, an English-style meal with roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, and a seven course Moroccan dinner. Then I went back to turkey and stuffing, and we’re all happier. None of us–us being my side of the family–get a really satisfying Thanksgiving experience for various reasons, so we like to have dressing our way once a year. This year, though, I have been heckled into doing individual game hens instead of turkey. I think it will be okay.
Green beans, cranberry sauce, and fruit pies with that. I always intend to make a Buche de Noel cake and never do.
I’m Catholic and we used to do this every now and then. It’s a freakin’ blast piling everyone into the cars, going to Chinatown, and then ordering 1/2 the huge menu and passing everything around family style.
This was always a real treat for the little ones, especially my nieces and nephews since unlike my kids they never went to Chinatown.
I will be alone this Christmas. First since my divorce, and the ex has the kids this year. I may go out if I find a decent restaurant open for dinner. Otherwise I may make Moroccan chicken and cous cous (just because I made it last month and it was unbelievably good.)
Turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, gravy, and pies pies pies for dessert. It’s been months since my Thanksgiving and I can’t wait.
We always end up going to the in-law’s place for Christmas Eve, so we do a Christmas buffet at our house. I do all the baking/cooking on the 23rd, and the morning of the 24th, so it’s all done, and ready for Christmas Day.
I don’t have to do anything more strenuous than hauling the meats and vegetables out of the fridge, toss the breads and rolls into the oven to warm up a bit, and place the crocks into the crockpots, and turn them on to heat up.
If anyone stops by, there is always lots to choose from, even though it’s not anything fancy. It’s all just available if anyone wants to partake. It makes the day a breeze for me, and very welcome, after all the holiday preparations.
We get lots of sliced meats from the deli, including several pounds of Volpi salami, roast beef, turkey, Black Forrest ham, pastrami, and assorted cheeses.
I make a few loaves of homemade bread, and homemade rolls, I make a huge crudite tray, a large batch of Bagna càuda, a couple of cheese balls, assorted dips, assorted chips, assorted crackers, assorted sweets, along with potato salad, and deviled eggs.
There is always a big pot of my Cuban black bean chili, as well.
There is always a big batch of Angel Tits (Vanilla ice cream/sloe gin/cherry vodka/Sprite combination) in the fridge, as well as the usual assorted beer, whiskey, soda, iced/hot tea, bottled water, and coffee available.
My siblings and I are doing Christmas next Sunday. The menu is pigs in a blanket, corn pudding, and Aunt Vera’s Tangy Onion Salad. Dessert is pecan pie and assorted cookies. Christmas Day I’m going to a steakhouse with my Jewish friends. I will have either prime rib or some sort of seafood.
We’re not Jewish and we still hit Chinese food every few years.
Neither of us is big on Christmas dinner, so we are taking my mother out for Italian on Christmas Eve and foregoing any of the Christmas Day folderol. Even on our best years we ate out instead of cooking.
Just checked with the wife. After going over to open presents at Mom’s retirement villa, the plan is to hit McDonalds on the way home. Score!
It’s going to be a strange year of firsts for me this time: our first time in Singapore, plus as we have friends staying it will be the first time we’ve hosted anyone not related to us. There will be 8 of us, and possibly a couple of stragglers too. Christmas is very very important to me, and it is loaded with traditions I love, so what I’m hoping for is to retain most of the goodies from home and perhaps add a couple.
So:
Breakfast is something with smoked salmon and champagne.
Lunch will be nice starter (possibly the pea soup out of the French Laundry cookbook, which is actually the easiest thing in the world to make but is super impressive)
Turkey
Home made nut roast, also doing duty as stuffing for the carnies
Bacon-wrapped sausages
Roast potatoes
Roast parsnip
Mash sweet potato
Roast carrots
Roast shallots
Roast garlic
Home made bread sauce
Cranberry sauce
Sprouts (at least one each even though half the family don’t like them )
Dessert is proper homemade Christmas pudding, which I made a couple of weeks ago and is sitting nicely in the hall cupboard
Brandy butter
Custard
All served with lots and lots of wine
Tea will be buffet stuff and cheese and biscuits, eaten as and when we can face food again.
Our Christmas Day will be one of gluttony, drunkenness, idleness and excess, with possibly a dip in the pool as a concession to the changed outside world. I cannot wait.
I was alone for a lot of years, and I got into the habit of the beef and Y.p. I think it would be nice to go out for Chinese, or make jambalaya (and fried chicken, and dirty rice, and a mess 'o greens); But the SO likes the prime rib, so that’s what it is.
Our tradition is to repeat the Thanksgiving feast, but since I do the cooking, I insisted that we change the tradition this year. I do not want to spend the whole damn day cooking and cleaning, so I’m going to put up three pans of lasagne this weekend. I’ll add a salad and some fresh garlic bread with lots of other snacks throughout the day.
I made an Orange Flan one year that was delicious, but I know my sister won’t put up with not having Natilla, so we’ll have that for dessert for her. I’d just as soon have pie.
I did the PR and puds a couple of times. Last time the prime rib was. . .weird. And for that much money, it should NOT be weird. I have more control over the ingredients in the paella, and it’s different. We’ll also have xmas cookies, but I think the flan and a cup of coffee, followed by a nice glass of Oloroso sherry will be great.
Do people really plan what’s on the menu over two weeks before the meal? I know I’m out of the loop on xmas traditions, but the detail provided here surprises me. If I were going to have a special dinner on Christmas, I doubt I’d have much of it planned this far in advance. These dinners sound delicious, and I hope you all enjoy the day.
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