So this year it is only going to be me, the hubs and the three little ones on Christmas day. I have never had to cook a holiday meal before...and my kids are pretty picky but I would like to still enjoy some awesome food....sooo...what are some menu ideas for not that many people? what are you guys gonna eat?
We tend to do the traditional ham and trimmings on Christmas day. Christmas Eve is all Mexican though. I make sour cream chicken enchiladas, homemade salsa, rice and beans and we usually have tamales, too.
We do prime rib too. Mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, veggie, condiments. Four adults for us this year.
We do (New) Mexican on Christmas Eve too! I make DH's grandma's Posole recipe and we usually also have enchiladas with red and green chile. Yum!! As for Christmas itself, last year we sprung for a Beef Tenderloin and holy moly it was soooooooo good. I think DH is hoping for that again this year.
lots of great ideas here!! we always do a mexican feast on christmas eve as well! it pays to come from a big hispanic family cause we know how to cook!
On Christmas Eve, we have tamales and orchata - something I inherited from my Mexican grandpa as well as living in the south. On Christmas day, we have turkey with all the trimmings. On New Year's Eve, we have snack stuff - 7 layer dip and chips; cheese balls and crackers; deli meats etc. On New Year's Day, we have black eyed peas and ham, cornbread, cottage potatoes etc. Something my mama always made on NYD minus the greens - yuck! LOL
We don't have any Christmas Eve traditions but we always eat turkey on Christmas day. My hubby likes to cook Christmas dinner. I have never cooked a turkey in my life. I just get to sit back and relax that day - it's his special gift to me.
We do prime rib, too. It's a popular choice, I see! This is the one I do every year: http://www.recipezaar.com/Perfect-Prime-Rib-73866 but I might switch to this one this year: http://www.recipezaar.com/Kittencals-Perfect-Prime-Rib-Roast-Au-Jus-82023 The first one ties up my oven all day long, and that's fine when it's just us .. but this year we'll have family in town for Xmas. Then I do mashed potatoes (from Pioneer Woman's site, I recently switched to hers because they're DELICIOUS), and .. veggies and such. Probably a salad. The rest of it I just throw together really.
We are having ham for Christmas Dinner. Not sure about the sides yet besides the hashbrown casserole DH requested. Christmas Eve will probably be steak but I have to figure out how it will fit in with the timing of Mass. DH actually suggested trying to take our 4 year old to Midnight Mass. Me thinks he is crazy!
This is the prime rib I do - the Cabernet Au Jus is amazing! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Prime-Rib-with-Cabernet-Jus-971
Julie, that prime rib sounds delicious. emailed it to my dad.! (he cooks the prime rib) Colleen, lets do a fondue party for us. I have been wanting to do that too.
Oh! I LOVE the idea of fondue on New Years!! John would probably hate it though! GREAT idea Colleen! And Kristin, the prime rib is just way simple. The pan I do the au jus in gets pretty nasty though - the wine cooks down and leaves a layer in the bottom that takes some work to get clean. I do get it clean though, and it's totally worth it!
Ooh, mexican on christmas eve - what a fab idea! Mmmm.... I've just watched Delia's Christmas (the UK girls know what I'm talking about!) and I'm feeling quite inspired for some fab home-cooked goodness. I'm even thinking about the 8 hours steaming the christmas pudding - need to check whether anyone else but me would eat it though. Cos that would be terrible, lol
Christmas Eve is my DH's birthday so we do the birthday celebrations with cake etc. Christmas Day is usually the roast meats, seafood (summer christmas for me), salads and veggies and of course our plum pudding which is a family recipe that has been inherited through the generations. Mmm mm
Christmas eve is celebrated at our house... I make a BIG pot of chilli and we open presents (my family tradition cause my grand father couldn't wait till morning) and Christmas Day is spent with DH's grandmother at the retirement home she lives at. They cook a meal for us and it's very relaxing not to have to do it all!
I'm doing Christmas breakfast...probably pancakes and berries and stuff. Then MIL does Christmas dinner. She often does a turkey but this year they are predicting 45oC on Christmas Day so it will be cold meats and salads.
That looks yummy. I can't cook with wine, though. Wine and I do not get along, the sulfites send me into a tailspin. Makes it hard for me to breathe and then my chest starts to hurt.