2021 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Plans/Menus

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msmofet

Chef Extraordinaire
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Apr 5, 2009
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Tentative Menu (may change)

Christmas Eve Menu:

Clams Casino
Shrimp Cocktail and Cocktail Sauce
Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Pan-Fried Shrimp
Niçoise Salade
Garlic Bread

Christmas Day Menu:

Appy/Lunch

Cheese & Relish Platter


Smoked Cheese
Gouda
Brie
Blue cheese
Port Wine Cheese spread
Fig Spread
Sour Cherry Spread
Red Grapes
Marinated Mushrooms
Olives
Bread - Trader Joe's Baguette

Dinner

Eye round roast
Burgundy gravy
Baby spinach
Glazed Carrots OR Glazed Sweet Potato
Baked Potatoes with sour cream & chives
(Mini) Yorkshire Pudding

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Edwards Key Lime Pie
Whipped Cream
Christmas Cookie Plate

Beverage

Sparkling Apple Cranberry Cider
Soda
Egg Nog
Riunite Lambrusco
 
Christmas Eve The Feast of the Seven Fishes/My Way:

Shrimp Cocktail
New Zealand Green Lip Mussels
steamed Lobster Tail
Salmon Poke
Kamaboko (steamed Fish Cake)
Seared Scallops
Trader Joe's Mini Cheese Pizzas with Anchovy Fillets atop

Christmas Morning Breakfast:

Costco Cinnamon Rolls
Bacon


Christmas Day Snack Platter:

Boar's Head Salami
Assorted Cheeses
Assorted Crackers
Assorted Olives


Christmas Day Dinner:

Homemade Cheese Raviolis
Homemade Red Sauce
Homemade White Sauce
Roasted Sweet Italian Sausages
Italian Bread
 
I still have a couple of geese in the freezer so one of them for sure. I'd like another protein though, thinking beef?
 
Although I am a Buddhist and no longer celebrate Christmas as a religiuous holiday, I do try to keep the traditions. For example, for literally as long as I can remember I had homemade pizza on Christmas eve, at my grandmother's house, made with a variety of toppings by my grandmother, mother, and my five aunts. You chose anchovies if you were taking communion at Midnight mass. I still make pizza every Christmas eve, and I have passed down the tradition to my son, who also makes pizza every Christmas eve, not matter where he is.

For the last 35+ years, Christmas dinner has been prime rib. There is a story behind that. When my son was about 3 years old I asked him what we should have for Easter dinner, and he said rabbit! Well, I thought about it, and figured out it was symbolism. The symbol for Thanksgiving is a turkey and we eat turkey, and the symbol for Easter is the Easter bunny, so we should eat rabbit. To bring it full circle, I figured that for Christmas we should have venison (reindeer), but seeing it is so hard to find, I went with a prime rib of beef as a substitute. If I ever see venison prime rib, regardless of when, I will buy it, freeze it if necessay, and save it for Christmas.
 
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Keepin' it simple.

Christmas Eve will be pizza or seafood chowder.

Christmas breakfast will be my annual grapefruit, black coffee, and an English muffin with a schmear.

Christmas lunch will be a casserole of stuffed shells and a salad.

Doing my best to keep the cupboard bare during the holidays. :pig:
 
Every Christmas Day we have Christmas Brunch with the family that always consists of breakfast casseroles (both sausage & egg and potato & cheese) biscuits & gravy, bacon, sausage patties and links, bagels, toast, a big bowl of mixed fresh fruit, homemade goodies like muffins and cookies, milk, juice, eggnog, etc. It's always amazing.

Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope this year is the best ever.
 
DH & MIL have requested Sauerbraten for Christmas Eve dinner. I gave them a few choices and they chose pickled pot roast! So, yesterday I found the roast I wanted at QFC. And, they were having a BOGO sale! I found 2 roasts just under 4 pounds each. One will go into the pickling brine today, The other, I'm going to make a new batch of burrito meat for the freezer.

Along with the Sauerbraten, we'll have Rotkohl (red cabbage) -- both are Jeff Smith recipes. I'll make a salad too, bread of some kind or two. And, I'm thinking Sous Vide Fingerling Potatoes, as that it super easy. Although, if I'm feeling energetic, maybe I'll make potato pancakes instead...to be served with apple sauce and sour cream, of course.

I still want to make some kind of wreath looking appetizer. But, it needs to be on a smaller side, as there will be just the 3 of us. For dessert, either Swedish Cream (a Timberline Lodge recipe) or Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake, since I can make one of those the day before. Not sure if I'll ask DH and/or MIL to make that choice! ;)
 
I have done some type of beef roast for Christmas for the past 40-50 years. It used to be a small prime rib. I have switched over to a boneless prime rib/ribeye roast. I will cook it using the reverse sear method. I've had consistently great results.

Along side the roast beef and au jus, we will have lyonnaise potatoes and asparagus. My older daughter and SO have made loads cookies so that will be dessert.

Prior to dinner, there will be a small appetizer plate of Choureg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsoureki), sujuk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sujuk) and string cheese for an appetizer. Also pickles if I can make it to the store B4 Christmas.
 
I'm still thinking about what we will have for Solstice. Maybe a Danish style pork roast.

I thought that roast would have to be made with one of those Danish pork cuts that are hard to find here. But, yesterday I found a recipe for the traditional Yule pork roast that is made with pork loin. I know I have a chunk of pork loin in the freezer. I just have to find it and see if there is a thick enough layer of fat on it. If it looks right for this recipe, that will be our Solstice supper, with roast potato wedges, rødkål (Danish red cabbage), and, if we have the spoons to make it, pickled beets. I haven't decided on dessert yet.

If the pork loin doesn't have a thick enough layer of fat, then we will probably substitute our favourite Danish meatloaf and keep the rest the same.

The meat recipes are from Alletiders Kogebog and the recipes for the rødkål and pickled beets are from my Danish cookbook: Mesterkokkens Store Kogebog
 
Prior to dinner, there will be a small appetizer plate of Choureg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsoureki), sujuk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sujuk) and string cheese for an appetizer. Also pickles if I can make it to the store B4 Christmas.
Andy, do you use mahlep in the bread? I read about it in a Turkish cookbook I have and found some in the Middle Eastern store near me. I love it. Here's an article about it by the author of the cookbook I have: https://tastecooking.com/turkeys-elusive-spice/
 
Andy, do you use mahlep in the bread? I read about it in a Turkish cookbook I have and found some in the Middle Eastern store near me. I love it. Here's an article about it by the author of the cookbook I have: https://tastecooking.com/turkeys-elusive-spice/

Thanks for the link.

I haven't made my own choureg yet. I've been after my sister for my mom's recipe but she can't remember my request long enough to follow through. Maybe some day...

Meanwhile, I buy choureg (and the other stuff) at the Armenian bakery/grocery store I visit when the desire for authentic stuff builds.
 
Wednesday I'm boiling a ham, and cooking some collard greens and potatoes in the ham juice. Thursday I will cook my rutabagas in my Instant-pot and mash them up with butter, a bit of bacon grease, salt & pepper, and a touch of Splenda. Friday will be cooking a boneless turkey breast with mashed potatoes & gravy, homemade dressing, and green beans and carrots. Saturday we will nibble on everything whenever we feel like it.
 

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