Christmas??? What should I make for dinner?!
Christmas??? What should I make for dinner?
I need help! I don't know what to make can someone help me?
Answers:
Pick something that you're comfortable with cooking! Christmas is not a day to spend all day in the kitchen. We've had several things over the years but the last 3 we've done Beef tenderloin, smashed potatoes, and a wilted spinach salad. The fantastic thing about this menu is I go into the kitchen and one hour later we have a special, elegant, meal! This is ideal since we have four children and like to go to church and play with all of our new stuff! The flavors are pretty simple so the fact that we've eaten too much candy, pastry, and caffeine all day doesn't turn us away from our good dinner.
So stick with something simple or atleast something you make far ahead of time. A nice lasagna in the freezer is a girls best friend! just add bread and a bag salad and you're set! A pot roast in the crock pot is good too.
One last thing, treat yourself with the finest plastic ware you can buy so nobody has to clean up! I know, I know beef tenderloin on paper plates seems like sacriliege but it's really the ultimate indulgence! A plastic knife cuts it just fine! I also try to stick to cookware that can head straight to the dishwasher on Christmas day! The handwashable stuff stays put for our Lord's Birthday!
same as any other day, beans on toast!
Here's my menu, and it's easy. Not too much cooking!
Christmas Buffet
Devilled eggs
Cold Cuts- ham, roast beef, special slices
Cheeses or Cheese ball
Crackers and breads
Pickles, apple rings, olives, nuts
Fruit salad (below)
Veggies and dip
Cranberry apple punch (below)
Meatballs in strawberry preserves: (below)
RECIPE: CROCK O' MINI MEATBALLS *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~... INGREDIENTS: 3 pounds frozen fully cooked small meatballs 3 ounces strawberry preserves 7 ounces catsup DIRECTIONS: Heat catsup and preserves in a small pan just for a minute or so until fully melted togeter. Pour over meatballs into a crockpot just to coat and heat on low covered for 3 hours, gently stirring just a few times during cooking. Or, simmer in a covered pan on low for 1 hour and just keep warm in a crockpot.
Royal Citrus Salad
2 packages orange jello
2 cups boiling water
1 cup juice from drained fruit
1 can frozen orange juice -- (6 oz.)
1 Royal Ann cherries -- drained
1 grapefruit segments -- drained
1 mandarin oranges -- drained
Place jello in large bowl. Heat 2 cups water to boiling. Pour water over
jello and stir until well dissolved. Add additional cup of liquid. Add
frozen orange juice. Stir. Add drained fruits (be sure all cherries are
pitted!) Divide into jello molds and refrigerate until set.
Cranberry-Apple Punch
2 quarts cranberry juice
1 and 1/2 quarts apple cider
2 tsp. whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp. whole allspice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer for 1 hour or longer if desired. Remove cinnamon sticks, whole allspice and whole cloves before serving. Makes 25 - 30 punch cups full.
Personally...I think you should make a classic...Turkey, gravey, maybe mashed potatoes a couple of pies and whatever else you want. Or you can do what my friend does. Some chicken Tamales...But I dont know if you like mexican
make something that you and your family likes but something that you don't have often, so it's more special. in my family, we have homemade chicken and noodles ( kind of like dumplings) or something ethnic like burritos and enchiladas or lasagna. we do have "traditional" dinners, but seem to save them for easter or thanksgiving. our goal for christmas is special but also not a lot of work, so we have more time together outside of the kitchen. whatever you decide to have, enjoy!
we like homemade soup and baked ham sandwiches
Try something elegant like a standing rib roast with au jus. Some baked potaoes with cream cheese and chives and sugar snap peas with bacon and caramelized onions. Thats what I cooked at easter and i think I will do it again for new years. People are still talking about it as of this past sunday.
i came up with a recipe i love while cooking dinner for my grandparents, and it is super quick and simple.
you need:
morel mushrooms
pasta
parmesan
capers
onions
butter
whichever seasonings you like best.
saute the onions in the butter until they are golden brown and smell amazing. slice the morels and add them in, as well as the capers and seasonings you picked. Saute until the mushrooms become soft. then, toss with pasta and add the parmesan while it is still hot, and let it sit five or so minutes before serving.
one pan, and only a half an hour. in terms of side dishes, i would serve a steamed green vegetable with this. green beans, asparagus, or broccoli. if the pasta alone is not enough, you could always serve it under a chicken breast or something similar.
You could do something like prime rib for elegant, or something you can throw in the crock pot so you can spend more time with your family. There are lots of good recipes on allrecipes.com and recipezaar.com
Christmas dinner:
1.Rosemary Pork Roast
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/taste-of-h...
2.Judith's Dungeness Crab Cioppino
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/food-and-w...
3.Vanilla Bean-Whipped Sweet Potatoes
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/food-and-w...
4.Cranberry Waldorf
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/allrecipes...
5.Festive Olive Cheese Ball
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/allrecipes...
6.Roasted Sherry Duck
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/allrecipes...
7.Leslie Malcoun's Pecan Tartlets
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/eatingwell...
8.Christmas Rice
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/taste-of-h...
note:These are just options you dont need to cook them all. :)
I hope i helped.
dont bother cooking, go out for a meal, and let someone els do it, then you wont need to clean up either, and it will probly work out cheaper than buying all ingredients to make something special.
We don't like turkey, so I am roasting a duck and a leg of lamb!
I will roast both at the same time, together with potato's, onions, and parsnips! I will boil carrots, brussel sprouts, and perhaps peas! Once the meats are done, I will put them onto serving plates, and make a gravy with the juices that are left behind in the roasting pan. Needless to say I will drain the fat from the duck. And that will be our Xmas lunch!! Christmas pud has been bought, so I will just heat it up in the micro when we are ready, and serve it with a brandy cream sauce!
Check out this page for some excellent suggestions and recipes:
http://www.gourmet-food-revolution.com/t...
We are having:
Roast Beef with pan gravy
Mashed potatoes(make ahead and rewarm in microwave or buy those premade in a container)
String beans almondine (cook string beans about 8 minutes in a little olive oil in sautee pan, add sliced almonds and cook about 2-3 minutes more)
Steamed baby carrots( empty bag of baby carrots into microwaveable dish and "steam"(cover with plastic wrap) with a tablespoon of water and a tablespon of butter in microwave.
Bundt cake for desert and chocolate pudding cake(made the day ahead and rewarmed in the microwave) Serve with vanilla ice cream.
The above menu does not require you to spend the day in the kitchen preparing everything.
you can cook the same thing every 1 else eats turkey but a roast christmas goose is good or a honey ham recpies for these and many more great ideas look on the internet fo christmas dinner
mmmm!!! tamales
i would recomend roast goose with cabage and pita bread. Trust me, its not as disgusting- its really nice (if you know how to make it.)
If you do, add cinamon to the goose to make a sweet, crunchy skin- it tastes awfuly good.
lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, beef, theres a wide range. my mum always does the meal and there is always a selection...its like a sunday dinner! just bigger! hehe! and theres always delicius puddings..
unless your entertaining for a party then this is completely useless!