2023 Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Menus

[GotGarlic]

We are having Christmas dinner tonight as the shared kids go to their mother's about noon on Christmas day.

So yesterday afternoon I spent cleaning, prepping the stuffing. A lot of chopping involved. Have you ever tried to denude the branches of enough thyme to get 1/4 cup? My fingers, thumbs, wrists were aching. No matter what method one uses and don't even bother to tell me about pulling down the stems - that only works under certain circumstances, not with multiple woody branches.

Sorry your hands are hurting. The arthritis in my hands is getting worse and it sucks for sure.

This method of easily removing thyme leaves from the stems really works. Fast forward to :45 to skip over the annoyingly cheerful introduction lol

 

[taxlady]

Aw dragn, that sounds like a lot of work. Sorry to hear about your hands. Did you see the video that GG posted in time to use that method? Sending positive vibes and as many spoons as I can manage to attach to those vibes.

 

[taxlady]

Sorry your hands are hurting. The arthritis in my hands is getting worse and it sucks for sure.

This method of easily removing thyme leaves from the stems really works. Fast forward to :45 to skip over the annoyingly cheerful introduction lol

That does look like it would work. But, I'm pretty sure I would have to use my old sieve. I'm sure the two newer ones are too tight. With the never ones, either the thyme stem won't go in or it will be such a battle that I would get frustrated and give up.

 

[dragnlaw]

That is no different than dragging it thru your thumb and finger. And again, that only works when there are single stems. Those little stems are also often woody. Only tender stalks are at the very tip.

But thanks for trying guys! Next time I'm just going to buy a live plant at the grocers that are ALL tender stalks and chomp up the whole works.
If this recipe wasn't so gosh darn good, I'd pass on it.

 

[taxlady]

That is no different than dragging it thru your thumb and finger. And again, that only works when there are single stems. Those little stems are also often woody. Only tender stalks are at the very tip.

<snip>

The difference is that you aren't wearing out the skin on your fingers the same way.

 

[dragnlaw]

goodness, don't use my skin, use my nails! the effort to push it thru one of those tiny holes would drive me to distraction! LOL.
Nothing wrong with the idea - just not particularly more practical as far as I can see.

 

[taxlady]

goodness, don't use my skin, use my nails! the effort to push it thru one of those tiny holes would drive me to distraction! LOL.
Nothing wrong with the idea - just not particularly more practical as far as I can see.

Oh. I use the "fingerprint" part of my fingers. I might give that a try with fingernails, but I hate getting stuff stuck under my fingernails.

I think I will also give it a try with my older sieve and try to remember to report how it goes. I don't have any fresh thyme at the moment.

With rosemary, I grab the top and pull between my thumb and the side of my index finger. That has always worked great, but if I had to do a lot, some other method might work better. When the top breaks off, I deem that part of the stem "tender enough".

 

[blissful]

We're having crustless pumpkin pie and veggie hamburgers. All the trimmings, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard, on ww toast. Burgers are caramelized onions, brown rice, black beans, peas, peppers, and cashew cream, coated in bread crumbs, baked to light brown both sides. Merry Christmas Eve.

 

[Jusa]

No, "Jerusalem artichoke" is a misnomer. They have nothing to do with Jerusalem or with artichokes. It's just the stupid name that most people know these tubers by.

Pretty sure he was funning you.

 

[taxlady]

Pretty sure he was funning you.

Really? Ya think so?

And then you missed that I was funning with him too.

 

[Jusa]

Really? Ya think so?

And then you missed that I was funning with him too.

I guess. Your sense of humor must be drier than salt!

 

[GotGarlic]

That is no different than dragging it thru your thumb and finger. And again, that only works when there are single stems. Those little stems are also often woody. Only tender stalks are at the very tip.
View attachment 67309

Lol, I know what thyme looks like. I've used this method and it does work, although my sieve has a bit larger holes, so it's easy to get it started. It does work with multiple stems. Once the main stem is through, just pull on it from underneath and all the leaves are left behind in the sieve. If there are any tiny stems, I don't care, they're tender enough that it doesn't matter.

 

[taxlady]

I guess. Your sense of humor must be drier than salt!

Some days it is.

 

[Meryl]

Yesterday evening's Christmas Eve menu:

First course : Traditional spaghetti with clams

Second course : oven-baked rainbow trout fillets, in olive oil, with cherry tomatoes and black olives.
Plus: Pan-fried king prawns, with white wine added while cooking, letting it evaporate(not sure how to translate from Italian ("sfumare" al vino bianco).

Dessert: Pandoro

Sorry no pictures.

Best wishes to you all, for Christmas and the New Year.

 

[KatyCooks]

Okay, well yesterday to keep things simple, I made Tagliatelle Carbonara. I fried extra bacon to use with the sprouts today in a bid to keep washing up and extra pans to a minimum. Very tasty.

The menu today was supposed to be canapes of blinis with whipped feta, topped with beetroot infused smoked salmon, a main of stuffed, roast duck with all the usual (UK) trimmings, and then a black cherry and blueberry trifle.

As it turned out, there was no Christmas meal today. My brother cried off with Covid, so Ollie and I will make do (no shortage of food in the house!) The meal will be reinstated next Sunday as a NYE thing.

Sorry, I've been AWOL for a while - work has been ridiculous - but now off til the New Year, so I wish you all a happy holiday and hope you are all safe, happy and harmonious.

 

[Marlingardener]

Meryl, feast of the seven fishes? How delicious!
We had herb crusted pork roast, homemade applesauce, corn pudding, and pecan pie for dessert.
Today, Christmas, we are having ham, roasted sweet potatoes and apple slices, crescent rolls (homemade), and cranberry chutney as a condiment for the ham, if wanted. Leftover pecan pie for dessert.

 

[Meryl]

Thanks @Marlingardener , your meals sound very tasty too, a great variety of goodies!
Our Christmas Day lunch today was a Lasagne I made and took to my parents' house, and my mum made a starter (chicken broth with little meatballs), and a 2nd course of oven roasted lambchops and potatoes, with broccoli on the side.

Dessert was Panettone, of course.

 

[Jusa]

Yesterday evening's Christmas Eve menu:

First course : Traditional spaghetti with clams

Second course : oven-baked rainbow trout fillets, in olive oil, with cherry tomatoes and black olives.
Plus: Pan-fried king prawns, with white wine added while cooking, letting it evaporate(not sure how to translate from Italian ("sfumare" al vino bianco).

Dessert: Pandoro

Sorry no pictures.

Best wishes to you all, for Christmas and the New Year.

Evaporating wine during cooking is often referred to as a reduction. Sounds quite nice!

 

[dr morbius]

Because I had to work the overnight shift on Christmas eve and Christmas day, I made (a lot of) stuffed onions on the 23rd. That was basically the big holiday meal. Then on the 24th, since I had to leave for work early, my wife and daughter had leftovers and I ate sandwiches at work for dinner. Today, the 25th, I whipped up an easy pasta dish with sliced smoked sausage, a can of cheddar cheese sauce and a jar of roasted garlic parmesan sauce, thrown together with medium shells. Tasty enough but pretty low class for a holiday. Didn't have much choice, though; there was only a bit over three hours from the time I got up until the time I left for work again.

 

[Jusa]

Making Christmas dinner was exhausting due to still having some residual covid symptoms, but I got through it.

I used my Kitchen Aid pasta attachments for the very 1st time today. I haven't made homemade pasta in 35 years. The last time I made it I had a hand crank pasta maker. This turned out great! My Italian-American husband said I nailed it. This is about 2/3rds of the batch, uncooked (I froze the rest).

I made copycat Carrabbas Chicken Bryan: skinless boneless chicken breasts topped with goat cheese over pasta, with a lemon, wine, butter, roasted garlic, fresh herbs and sun-dried tomato sauce spooned over the top.