Simplify Christmas Dinner 2011

[luludou]

Any ideas?

For me it's New Year's Eve. We are around 16 for supper, then we chat, dance, play, whatever and after midnight we have a buffet-style table set out.


What do you do? do you have any tips? things that can be made ahead of time?

 

[teachermomof2]

I keep Christmas Eve dinner pretty simple...I make everything earlier in the day or at least prep it. The lasagna is made and put in the oven before leaving for mass. I bake the bread in the morning. I also chop/wash everything for the salad earlier in the day so it just needs tossed. I also bread my veal and just fry it when we get home. I also have my mom bring the dessert and put out the other goodies before we leave for church. I think prepping/cooking as much ahead as possible is a life-saver. If I could afford it, I'd just have everything catered...LOL

I love the buffet idea. Can you make it a pot luck? I think using paper goods is also much simpler and there's such great stuff out there anymore that it looks just as nice.

 

[Minta]

Crockpots are great for buffet style set up. I have used my crocks pots (I have 4 of them) for homemade mac and cheese, taco meat, chili, soups. Foods to make sandwhiches - lunch meat roastbeef in juice, meatballs, sausages, sloppy joes, pulled pork.

 

[AnnieClaus]

Lucie,
I like Minta's idea of things in crockpots. That way you set everything out and keep it on "low" or even better "warm" then after midnight it's all ready to go.

Less work for you (becuase I know how much you do for your New Year's Eve get together).

Annie

 

[luludou]

Annie

I have 2 crockpots and last Christmas mom gave me a 2 plate heater so that will help also.

What kind of menu does everyone do?

 

[ChristmasPir8]

we have Christmas day brunch. And I do a crock pot ham and casseroles that I can prep the night before and put in the oven in the am. Then fruit and other easy things. When we have the family get togehter all family memeber bring things. Finger foods, crock pot food, dips etc... things we can graze on all day b/c we don't do a formal sitdown meal.

 

[AnnieClaus]

Lucie,
Here is our menu:

Christmas Eve: We do an Arizona thing- tamales, rice, refried beans

Christmas Dinner: Formal: relish tray, some cheese, sausages and crackers, turkey or ham, all the sides, variety of pies for dessert.
This past Christmas we did prime rib roast which was decadent and delicious!!!! (Pricey though!)

New Years Eve: We just do snack foods, maybe a pizza.

New Years Day: Ham, a couple of sides (not as many as Christmas because we are burnt out on eating rich meals by this point), black eyed peas for luck.

A couple of weeks later: Split Pea Soup that I make with the ham bone from New Years & a salad.

Annie

 

[Dreamer]

Our menu this last year was:

Christmas Eve: Ordered bring home from Crockett's Smoke house: brisket, ribs, potato salad, fried okra, and rolls. (I did do Fried Green Beans though to go with this meal)

Christmas Day: Ham and a small Turkey, tons of sides, rolls, pumpkin pies, mince meat for dad (he hadn't had a homemade mince meat pie since I moved away 18 years ago!), and I made my Gram's pecan pie recipe (they had also been eating frozen pecan pies for all those years).

New Year's Eve: Snack foods really, Sweet and Sour little smokies (done in the crockpot), Meat and cheese plate with rolls to make little sandwichs, veggie tray, chips and dips, and pizza rolls for the boys.

New Year's Day: We did pork chops, stuffing for those who wanted it and mashed potatos and gravy for those who didn't, and black eyed peas

 

[Minta]

Christmas eve is the Italian 7 fishes dinner

Christmas Day: Spiral ham, homemade mac and cheese, veggies, rolls, pies (fruit and pumpkin)

New Years Eve - finger foods

New Year Day - different every year (chili, chinese take out, etc)

 

[Colleen in PA]

Our menu changes a bit year to year, but this is what we had last year (all at my house)

Christmas Eve: chips & dip, cheese and crackers, shrimp ****tail, salad, lasagna, veal parm, caramel cheesecake and tons of Christmas cookies. (my brother & his wife made the lasagna, mom did the veal)

Christmas morning - French toast casserole, sausage fritatta, bagels and fruit. (casserole & fritatta prepared the night before and put in oven while we open gifts)

Christmas dinner - DH likes his beef, so he grills and I make the salad and sides. Dessert was molten chocolate cakes with vanilla ice cream, pumpkin & apple pie and cookies.
New Years Eve - depends upon who is here...if we have guests, we do a Buffett of heavy appetizers, sandwiches and pizza, if it's just us, we usually get take out Chinese.

What helps for me is working out what dishes I will use for each item ahead of time. I keep detailed lists for prep, etc and I DELEGATE! if you don't help cook, then you do the dishes! No excuses! It works pretty well for us.

 

[Merry]

Christmas Eve changes from year to year. It depends on everyone's work schedule and who will be at my house at what time. I usually do a buffet style meal that is prepared ahead of time. Last year I had Chicken Parm, Penna, Sausage and peppers,shrimp ****tail , chips and dips and ****tail franks,...I know I had more, but can't remember. I'd have to look at my notebook. The left overs usually feed us for the days following Christmas so I don't have to cook. In the past, I can remember ordering out Pizza and Wings because that's what everyone wanted!! teachermomof2, I too would like to cater! Maybe that's something I could budget for this year!

 

[Dakotasmamaw]

Christmas Eve is at my Moms.. We each do 1 cold and 1 hot appetizer and 1 dessert.. so there is mostly finger food for the whole night, but lots of it.

Christmas Day is my meal.. and I plan it for a month.. It is a VERY big deal for me.. several years ago, we cut WAY back on presents.. all of us... So because of that.. I felt the whole day is just about getting together and the MEAL.. it is always big and the dining room is always decorated over the top.. They all say they look more forward to that meal now then the presents and that excess..

Its usually a Standing Rib Roast.. Some kind of Potato dish.. and a Sweet Potato Dish.. A green vegetable ... DHs Onion Casserole, Yeast Rolls.. and 2 deserts.. this year Im thinking an Italian Cream Cake and a Chocolate Truffle of some kind..

I love doing Christmas Dinner.. its like to most of you... your Thanksgiving Dinner .. since I dont do Thanksgiving.. its my once a year blowout..

 

[Miss JoDee]

A baked potato buffet. Potato with a wide variety of toppings, sour cream, bacon, cheese, chili, broccoli with cheese sauce, dried chipped beef in a white sauce and chicken and gravy more chicken than gravy.

Served with a seven layer salad a head of bib lettuce, 1 package green peas, 1 jar bacon bits or real bacon, chopped celery, 1 cup mayo, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 pound grated cheese refrigerate overnight.

Serve with dessert like a pumpkin roll

 

[Lana]

Our Christmas Eve menu is always the same too:

BBQ Meatballs
Ham
Shrimp
Little wieners
punch
cookies
dessert I will vary
bread
cheese is what we do, my great aunt does the pickle roll ups, mom, Miranda (she does an onion dip) and Kim vary from potatoe salad, cream corn or whatever.

Christas Day I do it all and it is turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, rolls and then dessert.

New Years Eve nothing special. Last several years we have stayed home. Sometimes out to eat.

New Year's Day we go to my sister for ham and beans.

 

[MinnieCo]

Christmas Eve: We do an appetizer buffet type thing with desserts and everyone brings something to include.

Christmas Morning: I do something different every year. Nothing big though.

Christmas Dinner: For a couple years now, we've been doing 2 soups and a couple different types of bread. Some years it sounds good to keep the day simple, other years I miss the big dinner.

New Years Eve: No traditions. We go with the flow depending on who's home and such. IF we are home, we order chinese sometimes.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I did this for Thanksgiving one year. It was just after my stroke and the fibromyalgia was in full force. I cut out almost all the side dishes. No one noticed. They ate the main things and were very happy. I've now done that with the other holiday meals.

Anything I can put in a crock pot is good. And I do as much prep as possible before hand.

 

[Winged One]

I have to start thinking about whether we will be at home or travelling for Christmas this year. And that's a whole big kettle of fish in it's own right.

If we are here, we have already simplified the meal somewhat in recent years. We still do a turkey and roast potatoes, and OH does the sausage meat stuffing (makes it on Christmas Eve, and I have all veg peeled then). But we only have 1 dish of veggies (a stir fry with lots of types in it, including brussels sprouts). No potato stuffing. A very easy starter if we have any - we may have little nibbles while opening presents earlier that we buy readymade and pop into smaller oven. My mum makes a pudding, and we just have that for desert. We might have cheese (with dinner or later, depending on how full we are). But really, apart from the turkey itself, just a regular roast dinner.

I need to figure out something that I can make though, that I could have done earlier in the week (like 22-24th) that I could bring with me if we are travelling and doesn't step on toes. And that I could bring to both our houses back home. I might make the chocs I made last year for present hampers, that could just go on the table after dinner instead.

The other days of the holidays, we just eat like we normally do (except that we factor in more leftovers than usual). But we don't have many events with loads of family - perhaps something for DD's birthday and maybe some kind of cup of tea or glass of wine event if people are passing to other events, but we don't have to host any dinners here. And the dinner in my grandparent's house for the wider family (roughly 20-25 adults and up to 6 kids) - well my aunt is in charge of that and discovered a great caterer locally a few years ago so it's all plattered up and serve yourselves!!