ISO Christmas Dinner suggestions

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MRoseB

Assistant Cook
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
15
So I've decided to actually make some type of dinner this year. We usually go over family and I'd help them cook, but this year I'm gonna cook for my husband and I (we have a 10mo old but he won't eat too much). So any suggestions for what would make a nice, special but also a simple Christmas dinner?!

Thanks in advance.
 
We usually make a Prime rib with Yorkshire pudding. Top notch dinner and simple to..

Munky.
 
You might think about something like:

A small boneless ham (usually under $7.00), potatoes, salad and holiday desert.

More to the point, they are simple and easily prepared ingredients, BUT the simplicity of them will allow you to prepare them in some sort of special way that you may never have attempted before. For example: Glaze the ham - twice bake the potatoes with three kinds of cheeses - make a Waldorf salad with your own twist to it - two small, individual New York Cherry Cheesecakes for desert.

4 ordinary items prepared in a special way will make your holiday dinner special! :chef: AND not very expensive.

Merry Christmas!
 
It's been just my husband and I since we moved to VA three years ago and I make a simple ham with pineapple on top. I use the pineapple juice and some brown sugar to make a glaze or sauce for the side. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn something, rolls and either pumpkin pie or apple crisp and some Christmas cookies!
 
So I've decided to actually make some type of dinner this year. We usually go over family and I'd help them cook, but this year I'm gonna cook for my husband and I (we have a 10mo old but he won't eat too much). So any suggestions for what would make a nice, special but also a simple Christmas dinner?!

Thanks in advance.

You can make a small standing rib roast (often mistakenly called prime rib) that will give you a hearty meal and maybe enough leftovers for a sandwich. Add the sides of your choice to that. There are some very good recommendations above.

A special dessert will be a nice way to top off a special meal.

As an alternative, you could do a turkey breast.
 
What about Rock Cornish hens? They're really just little chickens but you could probably do something really elegant with them. Maybe some roasted root vegetables and some great bread. And serve it on your best dishes with candle-light and all the fanfare you can come up with. It's not really about the food, but the time spent with loved ones that matters. Make it special and memorable.
 
my Dad initially chose rib-roast, then whined 'bout its $$$$. so now he wants ham. i only like paper-thin slices of ham, fried, with eggs. so i'll probably miss the main attraction, concentrate on my
Mom's smashed taters, my grn.-bean casserole, geez, i'll mix a box of pillsbury gravy since ham isn't great for gravy besides red-eye gravy, may cook pudding. & peas/corn! i slept through thanksgiving with a flu, so this is sounding yummy!
 
We'll be doing a standing rib roast, potatoes of some kind, and a veggie. It's just the three of us, so can get by with a small one.
 
Special Christmas Dinner

This reminds me of my friend, who was a newlywed, wanting to make her first Christmas with her hubby special. They did not have much money, and they were unable to spend the holiday with their families. My friend's husband loved spaghetti, so she made spaghetti - BUT...she dyed it a bright green. She drained it and put it in the shape of a wreath on the plate. Then, she made little meatballs and placed them on the wreath with thin-sliced, holly-shaped, parmeasan "leaves (painted a darker green with some special food coloring that would coat it.) She assembled the entire thing: Spaghetti wreaths on each plate, with little holly-leaf pieces of parmeasan and meatball berries, and a bright red ribbon of sauce running through it.

He sat down. He smiled. He picked up his fork. He stirred it. And he excused himself for the restroom as he could not stomach green spaghetti...or green cheese. (What a light-weight!)

I guess what I'm saying is don't try this. While it is special, I don't think it is a memory that either treasures! :chef:

~Kathleen
 
I like the idea of it!!! :) But then, I make Christmas Mac 'n Cheese - finely diced red and green bell peppers sprinkled over the Mac 'n Cheese to give it a holiday color - but I'm weird.
 
Every Christmas I pick a recipe that I've never fixed before, usually from a cuisine I'm not familiar with and arrange a menu around it. Like Mandarin Chinese, Indian, German, etc. It's adventurous and exciting. DH loves it and I have fun. I do try to do with the tools I have and using ingredients that are not to costly, usually all I have to purchase special are the spices and I can get those in the bulk food aisle, buying only what I need.
 
We always cook a whole bone-in ham and I fix twice-baked potatoes and bake apple and cherry pies. I make a double batch of dressing at Thanksgiving and freeze one pan, which we have for Christmas. My daughter brings a couple of side dishes and a dessert, usually pumpkin pie. It's tradition, just like the ham'n beans we have New Year's day from the leftover ham bone.
 
This reminds me of my friend...

That story was way too funny! Thanks for sharing and no I won't do that.

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I'm leaning towards the ham and potatoes ideas. Does anyone know of any cakes that would be good besides cheesecake? I looked up holiday or Christmas cakes and I (surprisingly) haven't found any ideas yet. I'm probably looking in the wrong spot.
 
Christmas Eve is the big deal for the kids..Everyone puts in their food wish so it takes me at least 2 days to do it all. There is a very large platter of meats and cheeses,salami,mortadella,copa, toscano salami, pastrami, turkey,ham,prosciutto, cheddar,provolone,swiss,jack and then there is at least 3 kinds of olives,peppers,roasted red peppers,then comes a platter of homemade foccacia, stuffed onions, deviled eggs, salmon platter,crackers and a cream cheese,dill sour cream dip for the salmon.a round loaf of french bread filled with spinach dip, clam dip and chips,avocado dip with baguette,,
the kids orange favorite,all kinds of fruit in season sprinkled with pomegranite seeds,fondue,platter of oysters and shrimp and then cookies,cake,candy, drinks,Everyone eats for hours and at about 3 in the morning I collapse,then get up and start my dinner which this year is prime rib,coated with a mix of chopped and sauted mushroom,shallot,garlic,parsley and marjoram,then wrapped in prosciutto and then snuggled in puff pastry...garlic mashed potatoes,our usual artichokes with garlic parsley and butter, homemade stuffing, fruit and green salad and nice warm French rolls.Italian crunch cake for dessert.
Amen it's done
kadesma
 
i changed my mind- i'm going to kades, may swing by Mom & Dad's for presents. :)
 
You're both more than welcome...It's good to see you here luv,s Princess good to get a chance to talk with you.
kadesma:)
 
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