Christmas Dinner Menu?

Is it too soon to post about your menu for Christmas dinner?

Everybody will be at our house for Christmas dinner. I finally finished up the menu....I was very uncertain about the desserts and couldn't figure out what I wanted to make. Everybody in my family loves cheesecake....except for me, that is. I still think cheesecake should be declared illegal and diseased.  (sorry) I think it's a texture thing.

That being said, I think I'm making a nice cheesecake. Maybe with fresh strawberry topping. And for me? Well, last night, I said to dear Richard that I'm seriously considering making coconut cupcakes; that way, any leftovers can go into the freezer or be divided up with the other leftovers for people to take home. Well, he knows there's a local restaurant that makes the absolute best white coconut cake around. So he said that if I make the cheesecake for him (that man just loves his cheesecake), he'll splurge for the white coconut cake from the restaurant for me......that way, I don't have to deal with making the cake on top of everything else I'm doing for dinner.

Since that's taken care of (yep, I called and ordered the cake first thing this morning!), here's our menu:

Chilled Shrimp

Pan-Fried Onion Dip (Ina Garten's recipe)

Spinach - Artichoke Dip

An assortment of veggies and crackers

Bruschetta

Hot Cheddar-Stuffed Mushrooms

Crown Roast of Pork with Cornbread Stuffing

Party Potatoes

Make Ahead Gravy

Green Beans with Shallots OR Asparagus with Leeks (haven't decided yet, but leaning toward the asparagus because my DIL loves asparagus more so than green beans)

Sagaponek Corn Pudding (Ina Garten's recipe)

Creamed Onions (for my son; he could eat the whole dish by himself)

Mandarin Orance and Pecan Salad

Cranberry Relish and Old Farmhouse Chutney

Iced Tea and Coffee

White and Blush wines (I still haven't made it to the winery! I want white and my MIL wants blush. Both are delicious.)

New York Style Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

White Coconut Cake

Tray of Assorted Cookies and Candies

Our Christmas menu really doesn't change that much from year to year because change for Christmas dinner would pretty much be akin to mutiny around here. I usually order the crown roast from the butcher right after Thanksgiving and we'll pick it up the Friday before Christmas. I do change the desserts from year to year and, sometimes, I'll change the appetizers. But for the most part, the dinner itself has to stay the same. The neat thing about it is that there's virtually no last-minute issues, other than preparing the asparagus. Makes it much easier on the cook!

What about you? What have you decided about your Christmas dinner?

Sounds delicious!  What time do you want us to be there?

Oh - while I'm not a sweet lover or dessert eater -- I LOVE strawberry cheesecake, or any kind of cheesecake as long as it doesn't contain nuts.

I'm having DH's family over Christmas Eve. Half of them hate poultry, the other half won't eat dairy products, one won't eat much in the way of carbs and one's a Vegan, so it's tough. I've decided to keep it very simple and non-traditional this year: a big tray of "standard" lasagna (with meat sauce and cheese filling) and one of vegetable lasagna, plus a couple of different salads. I'm thinking spinach, mushrooms as well as hot and sweet peppers in the vegetable lasagna.

Your menu sounds wonderful.  I'm planning on roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs and rolls.  I am not sure about the sweets yet.   

That sounds yummy. 

So this is what we're doing for Christmas. 

I've never really liked not being home for Christmas.  Ever since my kids were little- dh and I have tried hard not to go to any family's home until after the holidays.  We've only broken that rule 2 times.  Both times were because of a death in the family a few months before Christmas (my dad and my uncle).  And the kids were so good about it.

My sister her family and my mom live in another state.  They moved there from SC about 2 years ago.  My BIL's sister and mom still live there.  They're going to be there for Christmas.  Dh and I discussed it- and since that trip is only 8 hours (6-7 if we don't stop) from our house- it would be "selfish" if we didn't see them.  Also, they're all driving here (a 2 day drive) in June when my oldest graduates high school for her ceremony/party. 

It's really not my first choice to spend Christmas in a hotel.  Nor was is anyone's 1st choice to have Christmas dinner at someone's house we've met a whole 2 times.  At first she asked if we were going to exchange gifts with them.  I think she was worried that my kids would get upset. (almost 18 and almost 15)  Or we'd feel left out.  Given the fact that my kids have already gotten brand-new cell phones (they had to be activated), and they've got iPods coming this year- I really don't think they're going to care one way or another if that side of the family exchanges gifts in front of us LOL. 

The things we do for family

Cheryl

That all sounds delicious! I still go to my Mama's house for Christmas, so she does all the cooking and makes the menu, and I just help where needed. Although I do know I will be making a spinach and artichoke dip like every year!

We have mimosas's when we open gifts.  This year I making custom omlets and will have chocolate panettone (from work!) after that.

Dinner will be non traditional chili and cornbread!

Lots of snacks throughout the day and evening as the Packers play the Bears in the evening.

Snacks of crab salsa and blue tortilla chips

Old style Chex Party mix (recipe is decades old!)

hummus

buffalo chicken dip

some fillo pastry based desserts

Which dinner are you referring to  ? MIL is doing Christmas dinner (I'm assuming...everything is last minute with his family) but I'm hosting Christmas Eve dinner, god help me. I admit, it is my idea every year and every year I stress out about it, but that is when I make MY families traditional Christmas dinner of Italian breaded steak, with all the fixings. For me it's not actually Christmas until I smell that baking and I have to have family around to share it.

The menu is:

Italian breaded steak

parsley potatoes

sweet potatoes

peas

green beans

stewed tomatoes

small can of corn (for my nephew)

homemade butterhorn rolls (Grandma's recipe. I'm going to try them for the first time this year. I've never made them before. If they don't turn out I'll have canned rolls as backup).

Thinking about trying to make my grandma's rum cake or my mom's Jewish apple cake for desert but it depends on how much time I have.

Christmas morning I will probably be roped in to making breakfast burritos for when we go down and watch the youngest nephew open his gifts. Then make some sides for MIL's dinner. 

Hey, here's a question for any cooks out here. My mom used to make a jello mold for Christmas that included pistachio pudding, apples and walnuts. I've looked through her recipe box and can't find it but I LOVED it. Does anyone have any idea how to make something like that? I think it had cranberries and a few other things in it, but that is what I remember. 

Christmas Eve

All about finger food while l relax for the night

Christmas day

Bacon sandwiches for breakfast!

Champagne poured

Prawn cocktail

More Champagne

Turkey

Roast potatoes

Roast parsnips

Carrots

Sprouts

Yorkshire puddings

Stuffing

Cranberry sauce

Thick chicken flavoured gravy

More Champagne

Black forest Gateau

Pouring cream

Coffee and mints

More Champagne

Then a possible nana nap before going for a buffet and more drinks  at our nieces 

All I know is if my step dad doesn't make ham I am going on strike at my moms. That's all I look forward to all year long. My step dads ham and.his.ham and green bean soup.

Pam I'm coming to your house after I drop df at his dads. Lol mmmmm cheesecake....asparagus....food....you can have coconut though.

We're going over to the neighbor's house for Christmas again this year (his family has adopted us since we can't get away for Christmas to see our real family).

We are smoking a ham, and I was asked to bring a platter of cocktail shrimp (they love it, and it is a tradition in my family). I don't buy the shrimp pre-made in stores, I buy the shrimp raw and use the Joy of Cooking recipe to cook them the right way. The first year I did this for them, they all agreed it was the best shrimp cocktail they had ever had and they all really love shrimp. So I'll be making this every year while we participate in their Christmas. I'll make my mom's crescent cookies (neighbor tried them the other night and loved them). I'll bring a side dish, but need to get the rest of the menu from my neighbor, since each of their family members also bring food. So basically, I only know part of our Christmas menu.

But since we were out of town on Thanksgiving and DH loves my turkey dinners, sometime over the holidays I'll make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, which also works for Christmas.

Well they are coming over to my house and so far it's

Turkey
Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Mandarin Oranges
Rolls
Pickles, Olives, Venison Summer Sausage, Cheese, Crackers & such for pre-snacks.

Plus my SIL is bringing Peanut Butter Chicken as an appetizer and Belgian Endive (which has ham, cheese and beets with endive) mmmmm

And my Nephews GF is a pastry chef who is bringing a few desserts! I heard something about a German Chocolate something...

This all sounds delicious!

I don't know the menu because I am not hosting. :lol3:

We go to my brother's house on Christmas day. I will bring a few dishes, but my sister-in-law hasn't let me know what she would like me to make yet.

They tend to alternate between a full turkey dinner or a clam boil. Since last year was clam boil, this year will probably be turkey.

Off to cousin's house on the 26th. Menu includes moose and bison or elk. I am bringing a cheese tray, and someone else is bringing dessert.

We are probably not going to have a big meal; we usually don't on Christmas because we have a lot of sweets to be eaten.

Anyways..

We are having Prime Rib & shrimp. We will probably have some sides like veggies, dinner rolls, and mashed potatos. It's just my parents, my brother, and I any way. We will probably have a nice brunch too after I get back from work.

Christmas Eve at my parents will be Chinese food.

Christmas Day at my sisters:

Turkey
Ham
Potatoes
Carrots
Corn
Mashed turnip and carrot
Cabbage rolls
Dressing
Stove Top stuffing (my favorite)

Dessert is still up in the air..but probably lemon meringue pie or apple pie. I can't wait!!!

Everything sounds wonderful! Just let me know all the times and I'm going to invite myself to all your meals!

We're eating at 2:00 and everybody is invited here, too.

3CatsN1Dog said:

 My step dads ham and.his.ham and green bean soup.
 

Click to expand...

Do you have a recipe for the green bean soup?  Sounds yummy!!

Wow,this is the first year in 10 years that we are going to my mum in laws and probably the first year off I've had from cooking in 5 years,I think on the meu is turkey,pork and beef,starters aswell and desserts but not sure really what,I am sooooo looking forward to it though.x