What are your Christmas dinner plans?

[Steve Kroll]

We normally have a big Christmas dinner at our house with a lot of our extended family. But we hosted Thanksgiving instead this year, so Christmas will be a much smaller affair than usual. That's okay with me.

My daughter is coming home from college with her boyfriend. It will be just the two of them for dinner. We're making Prime Rib with Potatoes Anna, French Peas, and a tossed salad. And of course, you gotta have the creamed horseradish, au jus, and braised mushrooms on the side to go with the beef. I'm also serving my own homemade Cabernet Sauvignon with the meal.

I truly love Christmas. It's always been my favorite holiday, made all the better by close family and friends.

What are everyone else's plans?

 

[jusnikki]

This year I'm staying home for Christmas. I'll deliver a few gift but then I'm back at home.

 

[roadfix]

No sit down dinner......just casual finger foods on the dining table and plenty of them to fill the entire table. Most all of my family and guests are happy with this arrangement and there's plenty of variety of food to satisfy everyone.

Similar setup like this New Year's get together we hosted a couple of years ago.

 

[Katie H]

This will the the 3rd Christmas with my new family. After Buck died, I couldn't have dreamed I'd be so "whole" again.

We're going to host Glenn's three children and their families, his mother and my younger brother for dinner, then wrapping paper mayhem after. There will be a handful of grandchildren (under age 8), so we'll definitely have a blast.

I've planned pineapple/coconut stuffed Cornish hens, Yukon Gold fingerling potatoes with rosemary en papillote, honey-glazed baby carrots, green bean bundles with shallots (haricot verts inserted in yellow squash "rings" and steamed), apple-raisin-cranberry relish flavored with Grand Marnier, homemade potato rolls with butter and white wine, sparkling grape juice for the young ones. For dessert, I've made an assortment of 20 different cookies, candies and sweets, which will be served on tiered holders with coffee.

I, too, love Christmas and this family is so sweet and loving it's easy to open our holiday and enjoy it with them. I can't wait.

 

[jabbur]

Nothing fancy. Many years ago, Mom had surgery just before the holiday and was not up to cooking. She had 2 homemade pizzas in the freezer. Dad baked them and a new tradition was born. We have homemade pizza and then everyone brings snacks and cookies and whatever goodies they have to share. It's at my house this year so I'm responsible for the pizza and I've decided to add some pork BBQ to the menu since we have one celiac who can't have the pizza and one diabetic who shouldn't have that many carbs either. It's all set out and people graze all day long while we open gifts and play games and chat.

 

[jusnikki]

No sit down dinner......just casual finger foods on the dining table and plenty of them to fill the entire table. Most all of my family and guests are happy with this arrangement and there's plenty of variety of food to satisfy everyone.

Similar setup like this New Year's get together we hosted a couple of years ago.

Woooow, that's where I want to be! Gluttonous and liquored up!

 

[Andy M.]

roadfix, save me a chair between the two tables.

 

[Andy M.]

This Christmas will be a little different for me. SO is going to Florida to be with her family - first time in a long while. We'll have our Christmas on New Years Eve.

My Christmas dinner will be with my two daughters, SIL and grandson. We're finalizing the menu now as there are a LOT of dislikes on each person's list so I have to either find a single dish appropriate to all or make several of each.

What's definite is roast beef tenderloin, Bearnaise sauce, gravy. We may have two starches - baked potato and rice pilaf. Veggies - ???. Desserts galore. SO's Christmas cookies, a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream and a pumpkin cake roll. Hope to finalize soon.

Appetizers are up to the girls.

 

[roadfix]

roadfix, save me a chair between the two tables.

We'll do. We had one friend that did exactly that.....claimed one bottle to himself. But as a penalty we forced him to spend the night on the couch and watch the Rose Parade in the morning. He didn't mind that at all.

 

[vitauta]

No sit down dinner......just casual finger foods on the dining table and plenty of them to fill the entire table. Most all of my family and guests are happy with this arrangement and there's plenty of variety of food to satisfy everyone.

Similar setup like this New Year's get together we hosted a couple of years ago.

fabulous layout, rf! the table is just beautiful--loaded as it is with a delightful assortment of fresh, visually alluring gourmet offerings! makes you, (me), want to jump right in, and sample one of each and every thing! with a table like this, i predict you'll be hosting christmases for many years to come....

(this lovely really belongs in our dc food photo gallery)

 

[70chevelle]

Which one??? We actually host Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. Christmas Day started 17 years ago, when my first daughter was born and we decided that we weren't dragging the kids around on that day. We have 15 or so from both our families. My Aunt always hosted Xmas Eve, but she passed away in 2001 and neither my mother or her sister could do it, so my wife and I decided to keep the tradition going at our house, and it's been great. We have between 12 and 15 from my family. Xmas eve starts with meat pies (my Italian grandmothers recipe that I had to reverse engineer), shrimp, and crab dip. Dinner consists of a roasted whole filet rubbed with S&P, rosemary, and garlic, a locally smoked ham, homemade lasagna (Italian side), homemade peirogie (polish side), mashed potatoes and broccoli puff (wifes favorite). Deserts are mostly brought by our company and my oldest daughter normally makes a fruit pie.

Xmas day has mostly Italians, so we start with fried calamari and smelts, along with some meat pies. For dinner we have the other half of the filet, a capon (wifes tradition), ham, and lasagna. Same with the deserts on Xmas day.

Two truly wonderful days with a lot of family and friends. I can't wait.

 

[babetoo]

Nothing fancy. Many years ago, Mom had surgery just before the holiday and was not up to cooking. She had 2 homemade pizzas in the freezer. Dad baked them and a new tradition was born. We have homemade pizza and then everyone brings snacks and cookies and whatever goodies they have to share. It's at my house this year so I'm responsible for the pizza and I've decided to add some pork BBQ to the menu since we have one celiac who can't have the pizza and one diabetic who shouldn't have that many carbs either. It's all set out and people graze all day long while we open gifts and play games and chat.

this sounds like our dinner, this year. we used to just do a brunch. we have people unable to come when the rest can. so will be hearty goodies. i am taking honey bbq wings, chili dip and chips. maybe an egg salad dip . will also bake and take cake pops, just for fun. everyone is supposed to bring a pizza topping, i am taking sausage. so pizza is for later. sounds like fun to me. and a lot less work for the hostess with 20 odd people. i bought a small ham for myself for after christmas. whatever you do, please have a wonderful holiday.

 

[pacanis]

roadfix, save me a chair between the two tables.

I'm not picky, Roadie. You can save me a spot at the future home of your outdoor planetarium

Great pic.

 

[pacanis]

Oh, and I'm not sure what I'm making for dinner next Sunday yet. It depends on if Cleveland is playing Pittsburgh again or Baltimore again.

 

[roadfix]

Which one??? We actually host Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner.

We usually host one and attend the other, or visa versa. But we always end up doing things both nights.
The Spanish side of my family always observes X'mas on X'mas Eve, whether hosting or being invited.

 

[roadfix]

I'm not picky, Roadie. You can save me a spot at the future home of your outdoor planetarium

I'll keep my own stash in my man cave, so no worries....

 

[Dawgluver]

No sit down dinner......just casual finger foods on the dining table and plenty of them to fill the entire table. Most all of my family and guests are happy with this arrangement and there's plenty of variety of food to satisfy everyone.

Similar setup like this New Year's get together we hosted a couple of years ago.

Nice spread, Roadfix! Great idea!

 

[Addie]

Christmas Eve, corn chowder with Oysterette Crackers for me and son #1. Chowder will be loaded with plenty of salt pork and cream corn along with potatoes and onions. A very basic New England recipe.

Christmas Day, go to eldest child (daughter) on my scooter. (Hope it is not too cold that day.) Must not forget to bring my infamous apple pie. She is serving a prime rib roast. I will make the twice baked potatoes the day before, SIL will pick them up the night before. Daughter will reheat them in the microwave. If I send the pie to her house the night before, there will be nothing left for the dinner the next day. She bought a five-rib roast. One rib for each. I just hope my appetite return by then. I am on a new med, and have absolutely no appetite.

 

[Vanilla Bean]

We are going to my SO's aunt's house for dinner. I think it will only be Mark, me, his aunt and two cousins for dinner. She has a lovely home in Bellevue, WA. After dinner, we all sit, have coffee/tea and watch old movies. Later on, we enjoy dessert.

 

[buckytom]

Which one??? We actually host Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. Christmas Day started 17 years ago, when my first daughter was born and we decided that we weren't dragging the kids around on that day. We have 15 or so from both our families. My Aunt always hosted Xmas Eve, but she passed away in 2001 and neither my mother or her sister could do it, so my wife and I decided to keep the tradition going at our house, and it's been great. We have between 12 and 15 from my family. Xmas eve starts with meat pies (my Italian grandmothers recipe that I had to reverse engineer), shrimp, and crab dip. Dinner consists of a roasted whole filet rubbed with S&P, rosemary, and garlic, a locally smoked ham, homemade lasagna (Italian side), homemade peirogie (polish side), mashed potatoes and broccoli puff (wifes favorite). Deserts are mostly brought by our company and my oldest daughter normally makes a fruit pie.

Xmas day has mostly Italians, so we start with fried calamari and smelts, along with some meat pies. For dinner we have the other half of the filet, a capon (wifes tradition), ham, and lasagna. Same with the deserts on Xmas day.

Two truly wonderful days with a lot of family and friends. I can't wait.

this sounds great!!! a lot like christmas that i've known. many of my extended family are italian and polish, so their entries into our family dynamic at holidays is always noted and appreciated.

could you post recipes for what you mentioned, especially the meat pies?