Christmas Meal Plans 2013

[pacanis]

Roast meat should always rest after cooking but I wouldn't leave it in the turned off oven as there will be too much residual heat in there. Put it on the side covered with a tent of foil.

That's the actual method to this style of cooking.
High heat for a short time, then the "residual heat" finishes it off. No need to rest as the heat has been winding down as it cooks.
Here you go Food Wishes Video Recipes: Perfect Prime Rib of Beef with the Mysterious "Method X"
I haven't used LP's guy's method, but I've used this one with excellent results.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Ooo, can you smuggle some Salted Caramel Mousse Tartlet out for me.

With a menu like that the most picky eater should be satisfied!

Three weeks ago, when we first settled on that restaurant for Christmas, they had maybe a dozen items on the menu. When I looked again a few days ago, it had grown by leaps and bounds. I couldn't even imagine trying to coordinate that many different dishes.

Salted Caramel Mousse Tartlet on the way... although I can't guarantee it will survive being stuffed into my pocket.

 

[Dawgluver]

Three weeks ago, when we first settled on that restaurant for Christmas, they had maybe a dozen items on the menu. When I looked again a few days ago, it had grown by leaps and bounds. I couldn't even imagine trying to coordinate that many different dishes.

Salted Caramel Mousse Tartlet on the way... although I can't guarantee it will survive being stuffed into my pocket.

Good Lord, Steve! I showed DH the Bellagio menu and had to wrestle my iPad away from him! Yes, maternity or elastic waist pants, definitely.

Friends will be picking the restaurant, it'll be a surprise for us this Christmas.

 

[jabbur]

We'll have brunch at the newlyweds Christmas morning. I'll take something but not sure just yet what. Part of me is considering the ham and egg cups. I'll come up with something. Then we head to my sister's. That menu is fairly fixed. We have homemade pizza. We use Mom's recipe. That's the main dish then we have tons of cookies, candies, cracker jack and other snacky foods. I'll be making chex mix this year.

 

[mmyap]

I picked up a prime rib roast. Roast root veg along side and a rum cake.

 

[Kathleen]

For breakfast, I'll make a egg, cheese, and sausage casserole.

Like many, we will also have a prime rib roast with puddings, a salad of greens with pears and cheese, asparagus, and mashed potatoes for dinner. The roast beast is being made by the roasted beast expert of the house. (Not me.)

I'm making dessert, but am not telling yet what it will be!

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Kathleen, I'm making a green salad (spinach) with pears for Christmas Day too with an Asian type of sesame ginger salad dressing. I am pretty sure there will be turkeys and ham and a full buffet to go along with it.

We are off across the freeways to the outer suburbs we go. BIL's house with approx. 40 or so closest relatives. Some out of town cousins will be unable to join this year. I think someone did Skype one year, hope we can do this again so we all join in.

 

[Alix]

Seems odd to see so much roast beast on the tables for Christmas. I'm used to seeing turkey for Christmas. I guess with your thanksgiving just past it might be too soon for it again.

We're having a brined turkey, stuffing, potatoes (I'll decide whether to mash or roast later), brussels sprouts with garlic and chiles, broccoli wild rice casserole, lefse, and then for dessert chocolate peanut butter pie a la Crewsk and crepes with fruit and whipped cream. There will also be a pile of baking set out.

 

[bethzaring]

To start off, the woman who designed my house is having an open house at her place in the early afternoon. I am taking chocolate almond cookies for my contribution. At 6:00ish, 5 of us neighbors are gathering at my sisters' house. My BIL is roasting a turkey and making stuffing and gravy. I am taking a potato dish(es?) and the other neighbors are bringing cranberry relish. All 5 of us are or have been building a house, so Christmas has snuck up on us. No mention of dessert yet but I am confident that will be covered.

 

[Andy M.]

Seems odd to see so much roast beast on the tables for Christmas. I'm used to seeing turkey for Christmas....

As a kid growing up, we always had turkey for Christmas. When I got married, I was exposed to a wider variety of options. We had pork roast the first several years then moved up to roast beef. Now we do either a tenderloin or a rib roast.

My sister does a tenderloin every year along with wither a ham or a turkey for her daughter and grandson who don't do red meat.

 

[Addie]

My daughter found a 10 pound ham and with that will be about five different veggies. The veggies are for me. I will have a small piece of ham. I love ham, but limit my intake due to the salt curing. It is a Smithfield. She always makes a raisin sauce with her ham. Raisins are not my favorite food. It like biting into wet bugs for me.

Her daughter works at the Cheesecake Factory and brought home their large sampler. Her brother's friends came over last night and found it in the fridge in the garage. They devoured it along with some other stuff that was in there for Christmas dinner. My daughter was furious!!! So she asked me if I had made the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. I had and it is all ready to go to her house along with the chocolate cake. My grandson needs to learn how to control his friends when they visit him.

Last night she hosted the get together for her in-laws. Everyone brought (of course) Italian food. Plenty to eat along with dessert. My daughter didn't have to cook anything. She was able to relax and enjoy herself. The day after Christmas she starts her second dose of chemo for this month.

Right now I am not feeling to good. I think it is because I am dehydrated. I need to get some water into me. But the kitchen needs to be cleaned up, change the sheets on my bed, and a lot of other things need doing. I hope I don't get sick for Christmas. Rest Adele, rest.

 

[Kathleen]

As a child, we had Thanksgiving dinner (again) on the poinsettia tablecloth. I was never sure why we did that, but I think it is because we all adored something on that menu to the point where we wanted it again - even if just four or five weeks later. It was always turkey with fixings. As I got older, I found old recipes and writings along with asking older relatives what things they remember as a child. If possible, I tried to make some of those foods.

I remember my grandmother telling me that boiled chestnuts were on the table every Christmas. She hated boiled chestnuts, but these were the days when children were seen and never heard. And they did not turn their noses up to anything put on a plate. She knew those chestnuts would be there. So she takes a big breath of air and gobbles them down. Aunt Perry, her mother's sister, saw this and exclaims, "Oh, this child LOVES those chestnuts." And oblivious to my grandmother's horror, Aunt Perry piled up more on Grandma's plate hushing every attempt to try to politely decline.

Oh...yes, I made boiled chestnuts one year. Erm...there was much wisdom in Grandma even as a child.

 

[Addie]

My mother used to cut an X on the top and then put them on top of the wood burning stove to roast. I could eat them till I got sick. Boiled? YUK!

 

[Claire]

In the past 6 or 8 years, I have a friend with whom we have an agreement. I do Thanksgiving, she does Christmas. So who knows? Whatever she fixes is fine by me and she's a great cook. Of all the things, what I bring is celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese. Her dad visits and will be 92, and the celery is something very much of his era. Easy for me. And, face it (the reason the crudite (OK, I'm making it sound fancy) plate was a tradition in my family as well. Who wants a heavy appetizer when there's a big meal to come?

 

[Addie]

In the past 6 or 8 years, I have a friend with whom we have an agreement. I do Thanksgiving, she does Christmas. So who knows? Whatever she fixes is fine by me and she's a great cook. Of all the things, what I bring is celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese. Her dad visits and will be 92, and the celery is something very much of his era. Easy for me. And, face it (the reason the crudite (OK, I'm making it sound fancy) plate was a tradition in my family as well. Who wants a heavy appetizer when there's a big meal to come?

My daughter always has appetizers. Personally, I think it is a waste of good food. If I get there at the right time, then I won't have time to eat them. And that is fine with me. Leaves more room for the meal. I secretly think it is an insult to the hostess to fill up on appetizers and not be able to eat the big meal. The fun of the day is to sit around the table eating and telling stories. Holidays are the one time I wanted to leave the table stuffed!

 

[Somebunny]

We are going to DD's for dinner. She is doing roast beast, I don't think it's prime rib, as she has an aversion to fat. I am bringing scalloped potatoes and we are having a green salad and broccoli and cauliflower. I am also taking an apple pie, (just came out of the oven). Simple meal, just 4 adults and two toddlers. DD is 9 months pregnant, I don't want her to over do it. But we really want to spend time with the grands.

 

[bakechef]

Christmas dinner will look a bit like Thanksgiving. There will only be two of us, and mom requested turkey so

Turkey breast with pan gravy
praline yams
mashed potatoes
stuffing
rolls or biscuits
lingonberry

Dessert has yet to be determined. With the sweets that we have already, I may not make a dessert.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

A ribeye steak for me, Shrek will get a burger made out of ribeye. Mushrooms and Onions sauteed in butter. Baked potatos with butter and sour cream (Mexican our cream, the store only had that left in the case tonight), Asparagus with lemon pepper and butter sauce.

Dessert will be any sweet thing we happen to have around, icecream, fudge, pineapple...

 

[taxlady]

I better get energetic enough to make that tourtière tomorrow. I have already defrosted the meat...

Stirling isn't well, so he has no appetite.

 

[MammaCat]

I hope Addie gets some rest, and I hope Stirling will feel better.

Cat's got a spiral-cut ham and she'll be putting some kind of maple syrup and brown sugar glaze on it.

Mashed sweet potatoes, Lakisha's seasoned green beans, the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits, and corn on the cob is on the main menu.

For dessert, pumpkin bread with ice cream, and also her no-bake cheesecake.

MammaCat