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Christmas Dinner Help Needed!


gangsterfurious
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This type of dinner is no time to be experimenting. I did not read the whole thread, so I did not get all the facts and advice given. But to try something new now is crazy.

 

What do you cook well? What kinds of foods are you very familiar with? I can tell you from a guests and a home chefs point of view.

Just because you make something traditional does not make the meal any less exciting.

 

I personally love the traditional holiday foods very much. We don't get these things during the year.

My suggestion is to prepare something you are good at preparing. And pick something thats not to hard and labor intensive.

Picking traditional tasty dishes will be much better received, than trying out something new on your guests.

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This type of dinner is no time to be experimenting. I did not read the whole thread, so I did not get all the facts and advice given. But to try something new now is crazy.

 

What do you cook well? What kinds of foods are you very familiar with? I can tell you from a guests and a home chefs point of view.

Just because you make something traditional does not make the meal any less exciting.

 

I personally love the traditional holiday foods very much. We don't get these things during the year.

My suggestion is to prepare something you are good at preparing. And pick something thats not to hard and labor intensive.

Picking traditional tasty dishes will be much better received, than trying out something new on your guests.

Don't listen to anything that he says. Just by looking at his avatar you can rest assured that it's just the munchies talking.
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This type of dinner is no time to be experimenting. I did not read the whole thread, so I did not get all the facts and advice given. But to try something new now is crazy.

 

What do you cook well? What kinds of foods are you very familiar with? I can tell you from a guests and a home chefs point of view.

Just because you make something traditional does not make the meal any less exciting.

 

I personally love the traditional holiday foods very much. We don't get these things during the year.

My suggestion is to prepare something you are good at preparing. And pick something thats not to hard and labor intensive.

Picking traditional tasty dishes will be much better received, than trying out something new on your guests.

 

I cook whatever I set my mind too well Mr. Dolphins Boooo-tay.

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Help! Help! Help!

 

Seriously...

 

Right after Thanksgiving I began trying to plan Christmas dinner. I started collecting ideas on Pinterest and then had my husband take a peek at all of the recipes I had collected and he told me what he liked the most. Well, two nights ago I sat down and started to write down my shopping list and recipes and I realized that our dinner was so... white and he agreed with me.

 

Now I LOVE to cook and be in the kitchen for a holiday (I get up around 5 AM and start cooking and baking), but what I hate is boring, generic, and even... traditional recipes. I want to break away from the ordinary so that my family isn't sitting down and only eating the same stuff every year. I don't mind making things like stuffing and certain sides but I like for them to have an interesting twist or something that makes them stand out; there has to be a "wow" factor. When I looked at my original list I noticed it was chicken, mashed potatoes, bread, stuffing.

 

So if anybody has any unique or special ideas, traditions of their own, or recipes, I would GREATLY appreciate it.

 

- Gangster

I'm just curious what came of the revamped menu.
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We go all out for Thanksgiving, so Christmas is much less stressful, more fun! There is so much to do with family, kids, Santa, clean-up, that dinner has to be spontaneous and joyful yet delicious:

 

For Christmas eve:

 

1. Shrimp Cocktail

2. Cheese-wine Fondue with pumpernickel, sourdough and fruit to dip

3. Spinach dip in a pumpernickel bowl

4. Deviled Eggs

5. Honey-baked ham---just pick one up at the store...no cooking!

6. Parker House rolls—great as a side or to make little ham sandwiches

7. Chicken Salad for those who do not like ham

8. Olives and Sweet Pickles

9. A platter of assorted meats, salami, cheeses

10. Champagne, wine, port, beer....an excellent fun drink is champagne + grand marnier + pomegranite juice, and some pomegranite seeds added to the glass for decoration

 

Christmas day we always do a breakfast casserole that consists of sausage, cheese, eggs, bread, and milk with OJ or mimosas

 

Christmas lunch/dinner is:

 

1. Leftovers from above

2. Leftover Honey-baked ham

3. Bob Evans Scalloped potatoes +/- light crispy bacon added + extra sharp cheddar cheese on top(takes five minutes to dump three packages of scalloped potatoes into casserole dish) and bake it while you relax and watch the kids have fun, or play with your new stuff and relax!

4. Peas or glazed carrots or brussels sprouts done with chopped onion and chopped bacon

5. Marie Callender's Cherry Crumble Pie with Vanilla ice cream for dessert

 

This is what we have done for years and it is soooo easy and fun.

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Alright...

 

So after many hours banging my head against the wall and looking at Pinterest I have my final (I think) menu! I've been watching a lot of Food Network Italian-inspired shows and my husband and both agreed that sounds damn tasty so I'm going for Italian based flavors (mostly, kind-of sort-of) and everybody is very excited. And if they don't like what I cook there's always Denny's or Jack in the Box for them to enjoy. :coy:

 

1. Antipasto platter - I'm going to serve this out on my coffee table while we are all visiting and I finish cooking. I'll have some flavored marcona almonds, cashews, olives, fresh mozzarella, peppers, tomato, etc...

 

2. Drink concoction - My mom and her husband don't drink so I am making them a special non-alcoholic cocktail of sparkling apple cider, sparkling cranberry, and then I will be deseeding a pomegranate this evening and putting the seeds in the drink.

 

3. Chicken - Roasting a chicken with an Italian blend of seasoning that I have, I'll also be putting sage and lemon inside while it cooks.

 

4. Roast - I have a skirt steak I'm going to marinate in a balsamic glaze overnight and then start cooking in my slow-cooker very early tomorrow morning. I am going to tenderize it and then fill it with a mix of portobella mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and herbs, as well as proscuitto, then it gets wrapped up in twine so it will be stuffed. This is what I'm most looking forward to cooking, hopefully it will be very tender from many hours in the slow-cooker.

 

5. Stuffing. My husband has to have stuffing so I'm making it rather traditional but with more herb flavor.

 

6. Chicken gravy - Not Italian at all but another must-have for the husband along with the stuffing.

 

7. Roasted potatoes - I was able to find a small bag of purple (like x1yyz recommended), red, and Yukon gold potatoes and then I bought a 5 lb. bag of red so I will mix all of those up, toss them in olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary, and roast them. And THEN I found a big gorgeous bag of multicolored carrots, there's a couple that are almost beet red, some yellow, some lighter orange, and your regular orange carrots. I own a spiralizer so those will be spiralized and then added to the roast, along with some shallots and garlic, towards the end of cooking.

 

8. Sauteed mushrooms. I have loads of white wine left over from Thanksgiving so I'm going to saute a nice big side of button mushrooms and garlic because my husband and I could live off of sauteed mushrooms if we had to.

 

9. Dessert - I'm still unsure about dessert, last night I spent three hours making my mother-in-law's cookie recipe that I MUST make every year so I have about 4 dozen of those at the moment - though I am sure it will be 3 dozen when I get home from work. I also have two cans of pumpkin left over from Thanksgiving so it wouldn't be too much for me to whip up a pie. I don't know, stay tuned.

 

So about the bacon...

 

You guys really had me tempted to bacon up everything. Have you ever seen or had the applewood smoked bacon they sell at Trader Joe's? Holy cow that is some of the best bacon ever. I was looking up recipes and viewing pictures of beef wrapped in bacon, chicken wrapped in bacon, bacon wrapped in bacon etc... And then I remembered, my mom's husband is a heart patient! So because I don't want any death in the family this year I'm going to just stick with my finely sliced proscuitto which I will roll up in my skirt steak and leave it at that. Bacon will have to wait.

 

But you guys helped me a lot, and really got the wheels turning, thanks so much. :notworthy:

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That's a fantastic menu vital signz! I love ham and just made one the other night. I like to slather ham with a honey and brown sugar glaze. I can't believe how much ham these people around here put away. I did manage to reserve some leftover for a ham, sweet potato and cabbage dish the following night.

 

Our Christmas breakfast morning dish is Monkey Bread and lots and lots of coffee.

 

 

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I have a ham glaze that is composed of pineapple juice, brown sugar, local honey, and a bit of curry. It is ahhhhhhh-mazing and something I concocted when I was 19, it's been my favorite glaze to use ever since.
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That sounds amazing gangster!! Especially the roast, mushrooms and potato dishes.

 

You'll have to report back and let us know how everything turned out.

 

:)

 

I'm going for a roast and a chicken because I couldn't find a chicken over 5 pounds and I have 5 people to feed lol. It's going to be a small feast. I feel very blessed.

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Oh my Ged you guys look at what I just found on Pinterest

 

http://www.recipebyp...cinnamon-rolls/

That is totally disgusting! The bacon wouldn't even cook.

 

No it's not! I want to make them right now. If you're worried about the bacon not cooking you can always put it in a pan first.

 

That pinterest page has a link to the recipe which says to cook the bacon first.

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My mom makes a casserole with artichoke hearts and green beans. There are never any leftovers.

 

This is a pretty close recipe to my mother's-

 

http://allrecipes.co...hoke-casserole/

 

Good luck!

 

-crimsonfrippy

 

I made this for our Christmas dinner last night and it turned out great! Suggest mixing all ingredients (except olive oil) in a large bowl and then pour into a well greased pan. Mixing everything in the baking dish is messy.

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For the 23rd we had a crab feed and it was heaven. We had Alaskan King, steam plain and another batch made with cajun spice. We cover the kitchen island with plastic painting tarp and a layer of butcher paper, dumped it all in the middle - with the requisite corn, red potatoes and cole slaw (for the misguided) - and went at it, like top of the chain predators laying waste to the sea. Oh...the carnage!

 

Last night was lamb stew, which was amazing as well. For lunch today, it's crab cakes ( of course), salmon tonight, prime rib tomorrow. What a life...

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I have a ham glaze that is composed of pineapple juice, brown sugar, local honey, and a bit of curry. It is ahhhhhhh-mazing and something I concocted when I was 19, it's been my favorite glaze to use ever since.

 

I don't eat pork but I'd love to make that for the glaze next time I make a ham for a get together. I love the curry infusion!

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I have a ham glaze that is composed of pineapple juice, brown sugar, local honey, and a bit of curry. It is ahhhhhhh-mazing and something I concocted when I was 19, it's been my favorite glaze to use ever since.

 

I don't eat pork but I'd love to make that for the glaze next time I make a ham for a get together. I love the curry infusion!

 

Are my mom and I the only people in the developed world who do not like sweet glaze on ham? :unsure: Because I am beginning to get that feeling.

 

I'll eat a Honey Baked if it's there, but a lot goes to waste, since I'll take a couple of slices and then just eat core samples from each so as not to get any of the glaze part.

 

I once ordered a Honey Baked ham WITHOUT glaze. They will do it and the very nice girl at the counter told me at the time that I was far from the only person who wanted a naked ham.

 

I thought it was mostly a southern thing to drown everything in sugar, but I guess not.

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I have a ham glaze that is composed of pineapple juice, brown sugar, local honey, and a bit of curry. It is ahhhhhhh-mazing and something I concocted when I was 19, it's been my favorite glaze to use ever since.

 

I don't eat pork but I'd love to make that for the glaze next time I make a ham for a get together. I love the curry infusion!

 

Are my mom and I the only people in the developed world who do not like sweet glaze on ham? :unsure: Because I am beginning to get that feeling.

 

I'll eat a Honey Baked if it's there, but a lot goes to waste, since I'll take a couple of slices and then just eat core samples from each so as not to get any of the glaze part.

 

I once ordered a Honey Baked ham WITHOUT glaze. They will do it and the very nice girl at the counter told me at the time that I was far from the only person who wanted a naked ham.

 

I thought it was mostly a southern thing to drown everything in sugar, but I guess not.

:codger: It sucks. Country ham is better by far.... :)
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I have a ham glaze that is composed of pineapple juice, brown sugar, local honey, and a bit of curry. It is ahhhhhhh-mazing and something I concocted when I was 19, it's been my favorite glaze to use ever since.

 

I don't eat pork but I'd love to make that for the glaze next time I make a ham for a get together. I love the curry infusion!

 

Are my mom and I the only people in the developed world who do not like sweet glaze on ham? :unsure: Because I am beginning to get that feeling.

 

I'll eat a Honey Baked if it's there, but a lot goes to waste, since I'll take a couple of slices and then just eat core samples from each so as not to get any of the glaze part.

 

I once ordered a Honey Baked ham WITHOUT glaze. They will do it and the very nice girl at the counter told me at the time that I was far from the only person who wanted a naked ham.

 

I thought it was mostly a southern thing to drown everything in sugar, but I guess not.

:codger: It sucks. Country ham is better by far.... :)

 

Country ham and red-eye gravy! Meet a year's worth of sodium needs in one tasty meal.

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I have a ham glaze that is composed of pineapple juice, brown sugar, local honey, and a bit of curry. It is ahhhhhhh-mazing and something I concocted when I was 19, it's been my favorite glaze to use ever since.

 

I don't eat pork but I'd love to make that for the glaze next time I make a ham for a get together. I love the curry infusion!

 

Are my mom and I the only people in the developed world who do not like sweet glaze on ham? :unsure: Because I am beginning to get that feeling.

 

I'll eat a Honey Baked if it's there, but a lot goes to waste, since I'll take a couple of slices and then just eat core samples from each so as not to get any of the glaze part.

 

I once ordered a Honey Baked ham WITHOUT glaze. They will do it and the very nice girl at the counter told me at the time that I was far from the only person who wanted a naked ham.

 

I thought it was mostly a southern thing to drown everything in sugar, but I guess not.

 

I'll take ham any way I can get it but once I made that glaze for the first time I knew I had found a winner. It reminds me of breakfast, when the maple syrup touches the bacon and then all of the sudden you're on the train to Flavor Town.

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I have a ham glaze that is composed of pineapple juice, brown sugar, local honey, and a bit of curry. It is ahhhhhhh-mazing and something I concocted when I was 19, it's been my favorite glaze to use ever since.

 

I don't eat pork but I'd love to make that for the glaze next time I make a ham for a get together. I love the curry infusion!

 

Are my mom and I the only people in the developed world who do not like sweet glaze on ham? :unsure: Because I am beginning to get that feeling.

 

I'll eat a Honey Baked if it's there, but a lot goes to waste, since I'll take a couple of slices and then just eat core samples from each so as not to get any of the glaze part.

 

I once ordered a Honey Baked ham WITHOUT glaze. They will do it and the very nice girl at the counter told me at the time that I was far from the only person who wanted a naked ham.

 

I thought it was mostly a southern thing to drown everything in sugar, but I guess not.

 

I'll take ham any way I can get it but once I made that glaze for the first time I knew I had found a winner. It reminds me of breakfast, when the maple syrup touches the bacon and then all of the sudden you're on the train to Flavor Town.

 

I just don't like sugar on meat, period. That includes maple syrup on the bacon or sausage links. I'm not one of those odd people who insists that none of the different foods on the plate touch each other. But for me there is sweet and there is savory and never the twain shall meet.

 

Unless it's ChipZelPop. That stuff rocks.

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So....

 

You all wanted the update, so here goes. I was going to upload pictures of my feast but they're on my phone and uploading from phone to Photobucket to here is kind of a pain.

 

One thing I am embarrassed to admit was that I forgot the motto my husband and I have decided to use for our family "K.I.S.S." Or, "Keep It Simple, Stupid."

 

Actually things wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been sick and had more time to prepare like I was going to but I spent a few days in bed when I should have been making cookies and mashing potatoes. Also, one of the posters here was right, the holidays are not the time to be experimenting. Not that I did anything super-complicated, it was just too much at once.

 

:oops:

 

So yeah, the roast was ahhhhhmazing, but it turned out to be the only thing I liked. Towards the end of making dinner I was in a mad rush trying to prepare all of the vegetables, get the rolls in the oven, finish the gravy, etc... I spent about $200.00 on this dinner and so much food wasn't even touched. I don't really know what I did differently from Thanksgiving, which was a huge hit. But Christmas was a dud, we all could have just gone out to dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel or somewhere equally as nice for a few dollars more.

 

My broccolini got over cooked, only my mom and I touched the green beans, my gravy was too thick and nothing I did to it to thin it out seemed to work. I was so exhausted by the time I was done cooking I didn't really have an appetite, I just wanted to sit down with a glass of wine and a dinner roll but I forced myself to eat while I shared some of my beef and chicken with my dog. I made the mistake of picking him up and putting him on my lap with my plate still right in front of me, then my husband asked me a question, I turned to answer him, and then when I looked down my pup had buried his face in the pile of stuffing and beef on my plate and was going to town.

 

:sigh:

 

Anyway, yes this was the last Christmas I will try to go non-traditional. Next year everybody is getting chicken or beef (not both), stuffing, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and a salad, maybe some gravy...

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So....

 

You all wanted the update, so here goes. I was going to upload pictures of my feast but they're on my phone and uploading from phone to Photobucket to here is kind of a pain.

 

One thing I am embarrassed to admit was that I forgot the motto my husband and I have decided to use for our family "K.I.S.S." Or, "Keep It Simple, Stupid."

 

Actually things wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been sick and had more time to prepare like I was going to but I spent a few days in bed when I should have been making cookies and mashing potatoes. Also, one of the posters here was right, the holidays are not the time to be experimenting. Not that I did anything super-complicated, it was just too much at once.

 

:oops:

 

So yeah, the roast was ahhhhhmazing, but it turned out to be the only thing I liked. Towards the end of making dinner I was in a mad rush trying to prepare all of the vegetables, get the rolls in the oven, finish the gravy, etc... I spent about $200.00 on this dinner and so much food wasn't even touched. I don't really know what I did differently from Thanksgiving, which was a huge hit. But Christmas was a dud, we all could have just gone out to dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel or somewhere equally as nice for a few dollars more.

 

My broccolini got over cooked, only my mom and I touched the green beans, my gravy was too thick and nothing I did to it to thin it out seemed to work. I was so exhausted by the time I was done cooking I didn't really have an appetite, I just wanted to sit down with a glass of wine and a dinner roll but I forced myself to eat while I shared some of my beef and chicken with my dog. I made the mistake of picking him up and putting him on my lap with my plate still right in front of me, then my husband asked me a question, I turned to answer him, and then when I looked down my pup had buried his face in the pile of stuffing and beef on my plate and was going to town.

 

:sigh:

 

Anyway, yes this was the last Christmas I will try to go non-traditional. Next year everybody is getting chicken or beef (not both), stuffing, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and a salad, maybe some gravy...

Gangster, I'm sorry. But you should have invited us. We would have eaten up a storm, especially me, who would have loved a home-cooked meal cooked by someone other than myself.

 

I know how you feel about spending so much time and exerting so much energy on a meal only to have it barely touched. Or not at all. That's how it was here. We have left overs, and most of them will eventually be thrown in the garbage. I made a promise to myself that this is the last year I am doing anything. We can't afford to waste money, and that is how I view it - a waste of money that could have been used on something else. Also, my husband isn't very appreciative. I wonder if he realizes that there are men who would love to have a woman extend herself to do something other than pop a frozen meal and/or dessert in the microwave?

Edited by Lorraine
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