Whatcha' all eatin' for Christmas???

Doing anything special for Christmas Eve or Christmas day foodwise?? Any traditions?

We gave up on turkey for Christmas a long time ago, so now we usually do a standing rib roast on Christmas Day. I can only take so much turkey in a year. The only problem with not doing turkey is we can't really do some of the other traditional favorites for Christmas, like boiled / baked onions and squash (love me some squash).

Basically our Christmas plan for this year is:

Morning - French Toast and sausages. (tradition since I was a kid). Black raspberry jam on the French Toast, instead of syrup (for me anyway).

Lunch - A hearty baked artichoke, spinach, dip with Romano cheese, Parmesean cheese, fresh garlic, and topped with fresh Mozzarella cheese and cracked pepper. Served with toasted baguette slices. (just love this dip!) And that's pretty much it for lunch, just keep it "kind" of light.

Dinner -
Appetizer - Butter sautéed Sea Scallops, served with a garlic aioli and/or some homemade tartar sauce.
Salad - We skip a salad on Christmas, and cut right to the MEAT!
Entree - Standing Rib Roast (done to about 119 F...rare), asparagus, mashed taters and ajus.
Dessert - Homemade cheesecake with an candied apple slices, cinnamon and melted red hot candy drizzle. (Just LOVE her cheesecakes!!)

Apre' Dessert - Maybe a nice walk if it's nice out, and then likely a serious power-nap!

For tonight (Christmas Eve) we're going to get some nice sushi from a great sushi place in town.

How about you and yours? Doing anything fun?

What time should we be there and should I bring a bottle?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Working during the holidays, we can't shut down, to many deadlines and time is money... I might be able to slip out for a burrito and a 40oz. All that's left in the cooler is a week old macaroni salad and some grapes. Thank the good Lord for the Keurig machine!!

Merry Christmas!!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Jewish style brisket with roasted carrots, parsnips, onions, and leeks. Minted peas. Bread sauce. Yorkshire puddings. Mashed potatoes. Gravy.

Dessert is a cheese board.

a reply to: nerbot

C'mon over! There will be plenty!

Lunch at about 12pm, and Dinner at about 5:30pm-ish (depending on the eggnog consumption!).

As for what to bring?...well, you wouldn't hurt my feelings if you picked up a bottle of Laphroaig 25 y/o cask strength Scotch.

a reply to: Atsbhct

Mmmmm, that sounds great! What's a Jewish style brisket? Love to hear more about that!

Love me some roasted carrots, parsnips and leeks too!

I might do a Yorkshire pudding tomorrow as well. I've been debating that. Love Yorkshire pudding!

a reply to: olaru12

Merry Christmas to you as well!

BTDT working on Christmas, but fortunately not this year.

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by! We'll have plenty.

Kale.



😇

That soup recipe I gave ya is whats on the menu for tomorrow

Do you brine your birds when you do cook them?

a reply to: Serdgiam

That soup does look really good, I might have to try some of that soon!

Yes, we usually brine our birds. I didn't this year, I injected instead. That was a mistake IMHO. I will go back to brining again next year. You really just can't beat it for moistness.

ETA - Wait...well, yes I did brine it this year, but I used a different method than I usually do, and for a shorter time because I was going to do the Cajun injection also. It's better the old way I used to do it.

Nothing groundbreaking. Standard stuff.

We will be reprising the mushroom gravy we made for Thanksgiving though. It turned out really, really good.

a reply to: ketsuko

And what would this 'mushroom gravy' be, pray tell??

You had me at "mushroom" and "gravy"...I'm all ears!

My wife likes to eat ham for Christmas dinner, so I bought a big pork butt to bake. It'll just be my wife and I, so we will still be eating ham well into next week.

I'm having Sushi for dinner, too. My wife will make me negihama and ikura sushi, my two favorites, with some soup. I've already started on drinking some Onikoroshi sake.

I'm back to work on Saturday. Merry Christmas everyone...

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I think chicken might be the only birds that dont always get brined around here.

Brined poultry is so good, and such an easy step even if it is more time overall.

You definitely have to try that soup, its easily a top 3 meal of all time for me! I was blessed enough to grow up with pro level quality food, so thats saying something.

A couple years ago, it was a whole pig. Wait.. Maybe that was for a 4th of July. Either way, that particular situation was a lot of work. I think I prefer going for specific cuts being handled a bit differently, even if it still ends up being the whole hog.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Ribs and taters.

Banana slip desert.

Shrimp cocktails and all the other usual snack foods.

Probably pizza. Mother-in-law has been gone five years, FIL likes to make Prime Rib but it's a hundred bucks now for enough to feed most of us. I don't even feel like getting together this year now.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


We used this recipe as a base.

We used a mix of wild mushrooms and baby ports instead of buttons, and we obviously went the drippings route because we always have some around. I think we may have added some from the turkey which was in progress at the time. Instead of using beef stock, we used mushroom and garlic paste stocks that we had around, and I think this time we're talking about adding a splash of red wine. We didn't use the heavy cream then, but we might this time, it's not like we didn't have it around, we just forgot to put it in.

I think our mix this time is going to be oyster, shiitake and baby ports. I almost went for some dried morels ... but they were just a tad too rich for my blood although I was really, really close.

It came out with a really nice gravy consistency and deep, earthy mushroom flavor.

Apparently, and unlike me, you are not yet at a stage of life where you have to limit your caloric intake. Sigh! Those were the days.

Breakfast:
1 hard boiled egg
2 strips applewood smoked bacon
1 cup of blackberries

Lunch:
Nada

Dinner:
Broiled Lobster tails with drawn butter, lemon juice and a dash of Herbes de Provence
Oven baked Sweet potatoes with Oregon hazelnuts glazed with a spash of Mirin and Chinese five spice
Sautéed Asparagus tips in garlic and Balsamic reduction
Chateau Mouton Cadet white wine

These days I go for quality, not quantity.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Its finnish cuisine Link
Pretty much every eatable mushrooms will do.

We have skipped ham in our family for many years now, you can easily eat ham for couple of days and after that it is too much. So turkey is our choice. Finnish casseroles all made a bit sweet, potato casserole, carrot casserole and swede casserole. Also gravalted salmon, smoked salmon, karelian roast or hot pot. Beetroot salad ( beetroots, carrots and potatoes or pickles) and i prefer also herring in it.

As dessert usually star shaped Christmas pastries and some mulled wine and ginger breads.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I'm grillin' steaks out in the snow...PLUS some amazing-looking Crab legs the jolly fat man sent us.

My mother will make a Vanilla Cake for Jesus and put 33 candles on it and we will sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

This is not a joke , She is very traditional and She does this every year on Christmas day.

Other than that , I think the Family is getting together and everyone is bringing food so who knows.

Merry Christmas Everyone.