Oh, I was going to ask about New York Jews and Chinese food. How easy is it to stay kosher? I know you can avoid the mu-shu pork or shrimp dishes, but what about hidden oyster sauce?
I’ll be in Texas, eating whatever my sisters cook. The missus will be staying home - there’s no way to get her in a plane, let alone through a crowded security checkpoint, without heavy sedation - with a shrimp dinner.
We’re not Jewish, but Chinese is our Xmas meal as well. Already have dinner reservations at Lotus Garden.
I’ll be at my childhood home eating with my mother, just like for Thanksgiving, but this time (a) it won’t be just the two of us (two of my brothers, plus their wives and kids, and a dog, and my other brother’s oldest son who’s around 10 years older than his cousins), (b) somebody else will be doing the cooking, which is a good thing as © I’ll be spending quite a bit of time trying to explain to my mother how AT&T U-Verse TV works - after decades of Viacom and Comcast, my brothers talked her into switching for some reason. Of course, all of the channel numbers are different.
As for what we’re having for dinner, my best guess, based on years of tradition, is, a starter of tortellini in chicken broth, followed by prime rib, probably Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes (I have a feeling they’ll be instant this year; I got my mother hooked on Idahoan Potatoes with Applewood Smoked Bacon), and some sort of green been casserole.
I’m opposed to ‘instant’ things on general principle. But instant mashed potatoes are actually pretty good. I usually boil potatoes and use a potato masher, but occasionally the instant are nice for the convenience.
I can’t remember how it got started, but an early dinner of pizza on Christmas Eve and then breaking into a Whitman’s sampler is my family’s big thing.
More recently, we do mimosas and breakfast at my brother’s on Christmas day. Along with a Christmas Story quote-along.
We have the main family meal at lunch: seafood (prawns, oysters) then cold meats (ham, turkey, pork, beef) and salads. It’s usually too warm to bother with hot food. Except for the plum pudding, which we always have warm.
After lunch there’s generally some exercise to digest all of the food: walking around the local golf course, or a swim in the pool, or backyard cricket.
MIL will be making tenderloin if she can get a good price, or flank steak if she cannot; brother-in-law makes mashed potatoes; I am, as always, assigned focaccia and dessert. Haven’t decided yet. I made spice cake for T-giving. Maybe cheesecake for Christmas, but other ideas welcome. Can’t use nuts.
Normally it is a beef tenderloin in our house, but last weekend I made a brisket from a recipe someone posted here and my wife is now lobbying for that instead. I was a little concerned when I made it because I bought a 5lb brisket for the 4 of us. I made it and my younger son had thirds. My older son was out with friends so I told him to bring a couple over. He and two friends came by and before you knew it we only had enough for about 2 leftover sandwiches.
I ordered a gluten-free fruitcake from Amazon. It will be the second fruitcake I’ve had since my diagnosis. Two years ago I tried to make my own.
Changing things up as offspring have significant-other obligations. We’ll have all of the side dish things but will have a cold-cut deli tray to maximize flexibility.
They were harder to locate this year. Found some basic ones at Target and then found some at Pier One that you fill yourself.
A few years ago we taste-tested 3 turkeys - one fried, one in the oven, one on the grill. The grilled was the winner and we did 2 this year for Thanksgiving. If you decide to pass on the deep-frying, use the grill! It also frees up your oven for all the sides and desserts!
I was spoiled by the ones I used to be able to get at Costco. They had nice ‘grown-up’ gifts in them.
I have my stretchiest pants already for dinner…Im going to go hardddd
This year is going to be a fabulous Christmas dinner. Both my neighbour and I are celebrating our new houses by hosting family - her with 19 people me with 12. We decided to cooperate and each of us is cooking enough of some dishes for both houses and then we’ll switch when they’re ready to serve.
Turkey is the main course, smoked starting at 5am on Christmas morning (my husband loves us, he swears he does)
Stuffing (bread and sausage options), potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes (roasted in herbs and a teeny bit of olive oil, none of that silly marshmallow stuff), quinoa and black bean salad, carrots, turnip, green beans w/almonds and cranberry, cucumber salad and squash.
Dessert will be a variety of pies, 24 hr salad, plum pudding and cranberry pudding with both hard sauce and butter sauce.
We may have just gone a little overboard but we have 5 vegetarians and 1 vegan, none of whom are interested in tofurkey so we wanted lots of options. I have spreadsheets and a schedule for all items that can be completed in advance (Cranberry sauce is done!)
I also expect my MIL to show up with a huge mound of perogies.
Boxing day is going to be spent eating leftovers and avoiding all human contact other than each other (After noon when we’ve shoo’d all the overnight guests out into the cold)
We are traveling to our in-laws’ new house for Christmas dinner. On Thanksgiving, I blithely mentioned that I was thinking about attempting a Beef Wellington. This was apparently heard as, “Carl’s making Beef Wellington,” so apparently I am committed to doing that. Made one yesterday as a test run, and it turned out pretty good. There’s a few things to tweak, but it’s good enough to run with. I can assemble it on Christmas Eve, and then finish it at their house on Christmas Day.
I also offered to make the potatoes (since they’re pretty easy, and will travel well). Going to, at a minimum make salt-crusted new potatoes, but I will probably take the extra step to oven-roast them with herbs and butter the day of.
No idea what the rest of dinner will look like, as it’s in my mother-in-law’s hands, but it should be pretty tasty, knowing her.
I don’t know what’s going to happen. The truck stop where we eat Thanksgiving and Easter dinners isn’t open on Christmas. It’s just me and my father so unless we get invited to our friends’ house, I’ll probably make some hunk of meat (pot roast in the slow cooker, or corned beef) and potatoes (instant sound good). Other than that, we have enough sweet treats to keep us satisfied!
Made reservations at the Vietnamese restaurant we went to last year. Instead of their normal menu, they do a full-on American. Whoever is cooking there is a fricking culinary genius! The prime rib I had was AMAZING! They also had broiled salmon and roast pheasant (among other things). Looking forward to it!
My son will be home on leave for Christmas - he wants steak. So 1" thick bone in ribeyes on the grill, baked potatoes on the grill, roasted carrots, his favorite rolls and he’ll probably want a Black Cow for dessert. Christmas Eve is day-drinkin with all our friends and Italian Beef for dinner. Those are the two meals he misses the most.
Hmmm for a starter how about some kind of light fish dish for the adults and chuncks of melon for the kids. Main meal is obvious, basic roast turkey, easily mashed up for you little ones. Christmas pudding for pudding, with mince pies which are easier for children to eat without the fear of being burnt. Followed by cheese and crackers and grapes and finally coffee 
enjoy!