Christmas is still 12 days away, but let’s hear what you have planned.
I picked up a USDA Prime grade rib roast. Three bones, the (even) tastier small end. I don’t know how heavy it is, but it was $96 and change. I asked for ‘between four and five pounds.’ What the hell; it’s only once a year.
We’ll have baked potatoes, and I bought potatoes today. Yorkshire pudding? On the one hand, it’s mighty tasty. On the other hand, a big hunka deadcow, a baked potato, and a veg… That’s a lot of food. As for the veg, I’m thinking brussels sprouts.
But all of that’s for later. Dinner will start with French onion soup, followed by escargots. Maybe a salad? Maybe not. The SO will already be complaining she’s full before the main course.
Dessert. Dessert, dessert, dessert. Might make another pecan pie. Or maybe get a chocolate volcano cake from the store.
My mother makes fruit cake in early October, steeps it in brandy for two months then sends all her kids fruit cake care packages. It’s amazing.
I’m hosting Christmas this year and all I know is we’re all doing vegetarian and pot luck. I may make vegetarian stuffed grape leaves (dolmades) and hummus.
Turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. Then I will add some other vegetable dishes and warm buns. I don’t care about dessert–I want turkey, stuffing, and gravy. And some mashed potatoes. With gravy. And stuffing.
But before the eating, you have to pull your Christmas cracker and wear the paper crown!
However, the rib roast sounds really good, too. I say go for the Yorkshire puddings with it.
We’ll be joining my side of the family at my brother’s house this year. We don’t so much have dinner as graze constantly. In fact, I don’t think he sets up a dining table per se - we just fill our plates and find some place to perch.
In the past, he has done pit beef and we bring all manner of sides. He hasn’t said anything yet about what we should bring - guess I ought to contact him.
When we go to Florida to be with my husband’s family, my MIL usually makes ribs. Except she boils the crap out of them before sticking them in the oven with sauce on them. Tough and flavorless - Merry Christmas. Her pies are good, tho.
My mom will make her legendary kielbasa and sauerkraut. My aunt will summon her baking wizardry powers and bring something beautiful. We have good cooks in our family. I will fill in the blanks with some basics, mashed potatoes, appetizers and whatnot.
You might get it here. My family both makes fruitcake, and we also get some here. My dad figured it was his favorite commercially produced fruitcake. If you are willing to pay for the postage you can probably get it fast.
Seafood (mostly) paella again this year. I’ve tried prime rib and crown roasts, etc., and for the price they’re usually disappointing. The paella will have some Spanish chorizo ordered from La Tienda, which will give it some bounce, but mostly it will be brined shrimp, seared scallops, clams and mussels. Perhaps I’ll go with a bit of crab this year. I can make the sofrito in advance, which saves some work on the Day. I bought two bottles of a 2001 Gran Reserva Rioja to go with it all. It was voted the #1 wine of 2013 by Decanter Magazine out of 3200 tasted.
I may try deep frying a turkey for Christmas. It depends on if I do all the prep necessary to ensure a tasty bird and an unsinged house. So far I have learned that neither of the two 16 quart stock pots I own will not hold the relatively tiny 11 pound turkey I have. I will be going to my local discount store for a 30 quart pot with metal handles. Also, we’re gonna need at least 5 quarts of oil.
There’s going to be a bit of crossed fingers as I cannot test of the grill will heat the oil to the desired 300 to 350 degrees needed. This enterprise has finally got me to order the candy/oil thermometer I’ve been thinking of getting but could not think of enough reasons to justify the purchase.
It’ll just be the three of us (husband, son & me), so I like to do stuff that I would never do for a crowd. So I believe this year it will be duck breast with some sort of fruited sauce, a root vegetable mash, and some sort of green, cooked or salad.
I didn’t get around to baking a pecan cake, which is basically a fruitcake with just raisins and pecans, but it needs to marinate in brandy for about a month. So I found a recipe for “mincemeat” in the crockpot and I’ll make mincemeat pie. I’m using the quotes because it contains neither suet nor meat.
I always make parmesan and herb crusted beef tenderloin with chocolate bread pudding for dessert. I’m not in charge of the vegetables so can’t say what will happen there.
I married into a family of people who don’t think the meat is done until you can snap it in half. This year, as in every year, we’ll be having Christmas dinner at my wife’s grandparents. The menu will look like this:
Overcooked, dry turkey.
Overcooked, dry ham.
Whatever Mrs. Homie’s aunt saw on Pinterest and tried (and failed) to make.
Lots of bland, Midwestern casseroles.
Some delicious desserts (one thing this family does right, culinarily).
