Once again, I’m making the traditional prime rib for Christmas dinner. I went to Costco yesterday and bought the smallest USDA Prime bone-on roast they had. Six point six pounds (3 kg), three ribs, and $98.68. I’ll season it with kosher salt, garlic, and rosemary. Of course there will be baked potatoes, but I think I’ll give the Yorkshire pud a miss this year. There’s already too much food. I asked Mrs. L.A. what she wanted for veg. She always says ‘I don’t know.’ I told her if she doesn’t choose, I’m making Brussels sprouts. She said she wants asparagus. I’ll make escargots for starters, and I’ll get a bottle of 14 Hands red blend to drink.
I’m alone this Christmas, so I don’t know what I’ll do. I have lots of goodies to choose from in my pantry and freezer, but I’m not going to spend all day cooking.
I have leftover lamb I can reheat in a number of ways (British, Irish, Greek, Indian), so I’ll probably have a go at that with some nice mushroom soup or clam chowder. I have both asparagus and green beans for veg, and potatoes and rice for the starch.
If I feel really ambitious, I’ll make some shrimp cocktail and maybe heat up some snails in garlic butter. I also have some mushrooms in sour cream sauce I want to try.
I also bought two cheesecakes the other day on impulse, so a slice of one (either strawberry or cherry) will be dessert.
Beverage, probably juice (apple or cranberry) or Coca-Cola.
Not bad for something I’ll just throw together. There’s some leftover goose in the freezer too.
We’re going to my brother’s this year instead of Florida with the in-laws. Everyone brings something and my brother always used to do pit beef, but by the time we were done noshing on sushi and salad and shrimp and various chips-n-dips and a gazillion other appetizers and munchies, no one wanted the beef, so this year, he’s not doing that part.
I’ve been assigned Greek Salad, which (from my brother’s instructions) is just a regular tossed salad with Feta and olives on the side for whoever wants them. Easy enough, except that I have to wait till at least Friday to get the ingredients so they’re fresh enough on Sunday.
I have no idea what anyone else will bring, but I can guess. Mom always does shrimp mousse, one sister does buffalo chicken dip, bro gets a big tray of sushi, one sister brings cookies, someone usually brings a platter of raw veggies, so who knows what’s in store. But you can bet there will be far too much with lots of leftovers.
We’ll be doing the Prime Rib for Christmas Eve dinner. Like you, I have to find the smallest one I can, for only 4 people. Baked potatoes, squash (I’m probably the only one eating that), and a green veg of some sort TBD.
For Christmas Day we go the traditional L.A. route - Tamales! Usually we get them from a friend, but this year it’s Costco.
We are doing prime rib too.
A little differently though. A friend owns an Irish bar/restaurant. So they have an in for ordering stuff. This friend has brought prime rib to a couple of different work functions and it was fantastic.
Her secret? She buys it through her restaurant supplier, it’s perfectly pre-cooked/seasoned. We put it in the oven on low (I think I read 250f for 2 hours) and we are all set.
15lbs for 4 adults and 2 kids :eek:
That’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll run by Trader Joe’s and get one of their ‘blue box’ cheesecakes. They’re good.
When I’ve been alone on holidays, I’ve gone one of two ways. Either I felt depressed and heated up a pot pie or TV dinner as a ‘F-U’, or I’d make a traditional dinner and think, ‘Alone, eh? Well look at what people are missing!’
There are only two of us, so there will be a lot of leftovers. Even though Mrs. L.A. will get tired of them, they will be eaten. I make BBQ ribs out of the ribs.
I sampled a Costco beef tamale when I was getting the roast yesterday. I prefer the Trader Joe’s ones.
I’m alone for Christmas. I bought a couple of Hungry Man frozen turkey dinners. Four slices of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, vegetables, and a cranberry dessert. Some of it will be shared with my dog.
Oh, and a couple of miniature pumpkin pies for dessert.
My SIL cooks individual Beef Wellingtons for dinner, and she’s a great cook. My wife and I are covering breakfast the next day so I’m adding latkes to the menu for the first time this year. Where’s the Jewish guy emoticon when you need him?
That’s the spirit! 
I have lots of lamb broth from boiling my leftover legbone. Maybe I’ll also make a pot of homemade kharcho to keep the cold at bay. (It’s bloody freezing here in Toronto!)
Just me and the wife this year so I don’t know what I’ll do. She wants me to make Beef Stroganoff, I’ll probably do that.
It’s just the three of us this year. I’m doing hot crab and artichoke dip for general snacking, made with our last package of frozen Dungeness from last summer. That pretty much obviates a nice Christmas dinner, so I’m going easy and tasty with ham, Stovetop cornbread stuffing, green beans, and a pie made with our own blackberries.
Later we’re visiting my parents. My mother’s making lasagna for the holiday dinner, and she and I are going to collaborate on an authentic from-scratch Black Forest Cake with meringue mushrooms to decorate the top.
It’s just going to be the three of us. I’m doing a New York strip roast, but I haven’t decided on the sides yet. I’m thinking mashed potatoes will make an appearance. I guess I should get my act together and decide what other sides to do. As far as dessert, there are lots of cookies and I’ll make a cinnamon coffee cake Christmas Eve for Christmas morning that we can munch on after dinner if we want. Sometimes I make dessert for Christmas and sometimes I just go with what we have. There always seems to be lots of cookies and candy so I think that’s the plan this year. My birthday is the day after and every year my daughter says daddy and I need to bake you a cake. I always tell her, let’s make one in maybe February when we don’t have tins of cookies and sweets piled up. Just the thought of even looking at another cake is more than I can usually handle this time of year, birthday or not. 
I traditionally roast a turkey for Thanksgiving. This year we went on vacation the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so we couldn’t have leftovers. I bought a couple of USDA Prime filets mignon, and we had escargots, bacon-wrapped filet mignon, Brussels sprouts, and baked potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. Steaks are perfectly good for a small gathering. Just be sure to get Prime!
Xmas Eve: Brunch at my nephew’s house. It’s weird - we have a huge schism in our family and I haven’t said more than Hello/Goodbye to him in four years. My sister doesn’t talk to his wife or our mother. It should be interesting. Dinner will be me, mom, my daughter at a Chinese restaurant.
Xmas Day: Comfort food. Polish sausage, mac and cheese, peas/corn, King’s Hawaiian rolls. I’m making rugelach for mom, she’s making spritz cookies for me. Mom offered to go all out and make a turkey or a roast, but we’d rather have a quiet, happy meal. Heck, I offered to order pizza.
Some shrimp cocktail for snacking mid afternoon!
Then a small turkey we’ll stuff and roast with potatoes and fresh greens bean medley with snap peas and celery sticks.
While it’s roasting we’ll bundle up and go out for a long walk with our dog, I expect!
(Boxing Day: turkey sandwiches for lunch, hot turkey dinner2.0)
Not yet sure about dessert, might be just tea, chocolates and cookies, of which there are many lying about!
I’m repeating all the things I had for Thanksgiving that I didn’t get enough of, without the turkey. Green bean casserole (don’t mock; it’s delicious), corn pudding, apple salad, pumpkin pie. And in place of turkey, meat loaf. And all but one of the guests will be the same as Thanksgiving.
Sounds so delicious, I can hardly wait!
I’ve been thinking about green bean casserole. I haven’t made it or had it in ages. Hmm- I was just mentioning up thread that I was undecided about sides. You may have just convinced me!
My buddy owns a farm and raises endangered Mulefoot pigs. I recently got a side of Mulefoot pork from him. We’re planning on cooking the giant ham for Christmas.