I Need Help with Christmas dinner!!!?!
I Need Help with Christmas dinner!!!?
On Christmas Eve I am making dinner for my boyfriend's family (about 15 people). Normally this wouldn't be a problem, because I love to cook, but here's the situation. I am going to church with them before dinner, and we are all going back to his place for dinner right afterwards. What is something that is good to cook for that many people that can be cooked either while I am at church, or that can be heated up quickly when we get back? Thanks in advance!
Answers:
Decide what kind of party works for you and your guests: cocktail, buffet or sit-down dinner. Plan your menu, then create a shopping list. Before you go shopping, clean out your fridge to make room for all those prepared foods and make-ahead dishes.
Prepare a selection of items that can be served at room temperature. That way you don't have to worry that your hot entree will be getting cold, or your cold dessert will be melting.
Do you want a fancy, traditional dinner? If so, then turkey, roasts, etc, all take a long time to cook. I would never reccommend to leave anything in the kitchen unattended. Besides, most meat needs to be basted. What you can do is cook is cook it beforehand almost all the way. How long will church be? Then stick back in the oven to finish off cooking the meat when you return. I'm not sure how long is safe to leave it out though..
Or you can go with something quick like grilled lamb chops or something like that. Marinate the day before and then cook them really quickly when you come back.
You can also do something in a slow cooker, since that you can leave alone no problem. Slow cooked pork, pot roast, chicken, etc...
Here's some recipes you can make a day a head:
Roman Style Chicken: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/...
Potatoes and Onions: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/...
Stuffed mushrooms can be made rather quickly. Do the prep work first and then bake them when you come back.
Dessert-if you are baking cookies or a pie, cake etc, that of course can usually be done the day before or even two days before.
Casseroles can be assembled 1-2 days ahead of time and then baked. Soup can be made 1-2 days ahead and then reheated.
Hope this helps! Don't stress yourself. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Source(s):
http://www.foodnetwork.com/
Hmmm this is a hard one. If you're doing a formal dinner, then you have an issue. What about lasagna? You could cook it, then turn the oven off and leave it inside. Lasagna is better when it's had time to rest anyway. Or, if you're not going formal with it, you could do a chili buffet.... fill your crock pot with chili, and set out an assortment of things to eat with it, like tortilla chips, spaghetti, cheese, french fries, onions, sour cream.
I'd probably go with a lasagna, with a nice salad and bread, and a fantastic dessert of some kind. Whatever you decide to do, good luck! It's hard to be the one responsible for dinner in a situation like that!
Depending on how long the service at church is going to be, you can put a turkey in in advance and estimate the time it should be done(for after church) You can other side dishes in advance and reheat them in your microwave and on top of your stove. (longer heating required use the microwave, for shorter cooking time use the range, like vegetables) The day before you can make your desserts and relish trays cover and put in the fridge. You can make dips ahead also. Hope this helps. Happy Holidays!