Oh, man, look what I found. I’m making this for Christmas dinner dessert.
I’m also going to make a side dish, but don’t know what yet. Does anybody have a fantabulous side dish recipe that is different and great?
We’re trying that for the first time this year. We’re nervous - we’ve never had a rib roast before. Usually we do tenderloin.
ETA - do you do the whole flowerpot thing? I have a clean oven, don’t think it’s necessary.
Sunday - xmas with gaming friends: Cider beef w/white cheddar mashed potatoes
xmas eve dinner - brown sugar spiral ham, scalloped potatoes, honey glazed carrots, dinner rolls
xmas morn - breakfast casserol, fresh fruit, and I dont know if there is anything else.
xmas evening - leftovers, of course!
as far as baking… unfortunately I just havent felt like it this year.
Family starts arriving tomorrow so today I’m baking a milk chocolate pound cake to go along with the assorted sugar cookies already awaiting. Pies, pumpkin & Dutch Apple Crumb, to follow
I’m doing a rib roast on the Weber grill Christmas Eve and then heating a spiral sliced ham while we’re off at the movies Christmas Day. Should supply us with plenty of munch/sandwich fixin’s until the turkey goes on the Weber on New Years Day.
To fill in the gaps there will probably be an Italian Sausage, Peppers & Pasta baked dish and a fish fry using some of the frozen white bass caught on Lake Sommerville earlier this year.
Lasagna. Or Lasagne as my mom preference. From scratch (not the noodles of course). Oh and meatballs. This shit is going to take me all day.
Why not?
Seriously? I don’t have a pasta maker, nor would I want to spend time churning out my own noodles. Noodles in a box suits me just fine. The meatballs alone are enough of a pain.
Do you make your own noodles?
I’ve been making raviolis. I don’t have a pasta maker or a ravioli maker. I just mix up the dough, roll it out with a rolling pin, and use a pierogi maker I found in a drawer.
I made ravioli once using wonton wrappers. I know that’s cheating but it was surprisingly easy, and tasted really good.
We are having Christmas dinner for 12 at my sisters. I am doing the turkey on the grill, and also baking some pumpkin pies before we go up there tomorrow.
Mrs. Piper and I are in Paris over Christmas, so we’re going to make a canard à l’orange in the little micro-grille-combiné in our pied à terre. We reserved our canette yesterday at the charcuterie - but we’ll ask them to take the head off of it when we pick it up. :eek:
We are going Greek! I am on a Greek kick due to my recent reading of “Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter”.
Lemon-Oregano-Olive Oil rubbed Chicken
Greek Lemon Potatoes
Greek Salad (lots of olives, red onion, and feta!)
Baklava for dessert
Greek wine
It should be fun- hubster will even help cook, so it will be entertaining, I am sure!
(last year we made an East Indian Meal!)
Vive la difference!
I’m having ham, and I’m trying two new side dish recipes for Christmas. Yes, I’m brave! I’m making a sweet potato casserole, and a corn souffle. The corn recipe is simple, and doesn’t sound like it can be screwed up. The other is easy also, but I don’t know if my guests will like it.
The menu:
Appetizers:
BBQ meatballs
Cheese crisps (Swampbear’s recipe)
Shrimp ring
Dinner:
Ham
Pineapple rings with cherries in the middle 
Steamed asparagus
Sweet potato casserole
Corn souffle
Tossed salad
Crescent rolls
Dessert:
Fudge
Lemon cheese pie with whipped cream
If anybody wants recipes, I’ll be glad to provide them. No family secrets, just allrecipes and the Food Network!
I’m doing a ham. How does an apricot-bourbon glaze sound? Maybe with a little dry mustard and some shallots? I’m winging it here.
Also, roast Brussels Sprouts, roast potatoes, and Gramma’s bringing her famous creamed corn.
You’ve made my husband’s Christmas with these cookies.
I’m making the below for Christmas Day:
Prime Rib Roast
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy made with meat drippings, chanterelle mushrooms, red wine (a huge favorite at my house)
Caesar Salad
Croissant rolls
Some sort of steamed vegetable (maybe asparagus)
To nosh on before the feast:
Cheese, meat and cracker tray
Chips with various dips
Veggie Platter
Various German style cookies such as Lebkuchen, Dominosteine, etc.
Dessert:
Pies and ice cream
Tiramisu
For Christmas Eve at MIL:
I’ve been instructed to bring the sweet potato casserole I made for Thanksgiving.
She’s making turkey and all the trimmings.
[jealous] Paris is my most favorite city in the world. I’ve been twice and am not done with it yet. Just thinking of you celebrating Christmas there makes me ooze with squishy French warmth. [/jealous]
My Christmas specialty is a regional item–if you’ve spent any time in Maine, you know what Needhams are. I’ve been making them since I was a girl and did them with my mother. Now I make them every year with my daughter. If you don’t know what a Needham is, imagine a Mounds bar only less sticky on the inside. We make the filling of coconut, melted butter, confectioners sugar, etc., then dip them in a darker-than-dark chocolate concoction. This year, I found some pretty boxes to pack them in for all my friends (several of whom clamor for their yearly fix.) Will gladly post the recipe, if anyone is interested.
Another family tradition is Scotch Cakes–a buttery shortbread cookie that I’ve eaten in imitation, but never duplication. The phrase “melt-in-your-mouth” doesn’t begin to describe them. Butter, confectioners sugar and flour are the only ingredients.
Christmas dinner here will be turkey and the fixings. Next year, I want to do a standing rib roast to break tradition and will, no doubt, be asking for Doper advice.
Enjoy your food, your families–whatever makes you happy this holiday season.
I made mulled wine for the folks in the office the other day - I made up a syrup from about 200g of brown sugar and a few splashes of orange juice, then I poured this into an empty jar and put the spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, whole allspice, coriander seeds, nutmeg and shredded root ginger) in the syrup overnight to infuse. The next day it was just a case of mixing it with two bottles of red wine and some sliced lemons and clementines and warming over my little camping stove (we don’t have a cooker at work).
There were a couple of cupfuls of the mixture left, so I poured this back into the jar the syrup had been in, along with all the remaining spices and bits from the bottom of the pan and took it home. The next day I strained and poured it over some chicken pieces and baked them in the oven - it was bloomin’ lovely. Mulled wine chicken.
Christmas dinner this year is going to be barbecue ribs - requested by my kids. We don’t have a turkey at all this year.
OK - we got a menu for xmas - except, I got roped into working, so we’re going to have a late dinner 
Escargot Bourguignonne - one of my favorite apps!! I never had them before I met Mr Olive, and now, I can’t get enough of them.
Ensalada Gorgonzola - because he knows I love cheese!
Roasted Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic - another food I hated until he made it for me.
Baked potato - with sour cream, fresh chives (we grow them in a window box), bacon bits and maybe (if I’m REALLY good to him, caviar)
Brussels Sprouts in Lemon Sauce - my all-time favorite veg 
Artisian rolls with roasted garlic and olive oil - need I say more?
Coffee, with Cheesecake with apricot glaze - I doubt we’ll even get to this point, but WOW!!!
He treats me so good
Olive
appetizers
hummus served with pita bread & chips from Harris Teeter
Also from Harris Teeter: cheese logs with Deli Rye, Rosemary & Olive Oil, and Cheddar Triscuits
dinner
Cornish hens
ham
stuffing
mashed potatos
green beans w/bacon
mixed greens
potato rolls
egg nog shakes
From Giant: chocolate swirl cheesecake
Tomorrow we’re just ordering from Papa John’s so we don’t have to cook.