Whats your Christmas dinner menu?

[minx1]

Ok, so I know there are a lot of christmas threads at the mo, but well.....it is christmas

I am busy trying to plan my menu for the day. It will just be me and my mum (I am soooooo excited), and am still getting used to chrimbo in warmer climes.

I think last year we did the traditional thing...this year I am leaning more towards a barbie as its pretty warm at the mo. I am just lost for inspiration...

....so what you doing for christmas lunch...? Infact share what you do on the day..is it just you and close family or extended. or are you doing something completely different this year?

Please come share your menus and recipes, whether they are for stuffing or punch and help get my creative and culinary juices flowing....

 

[sb2009]

I take it you're not cooking a plastic doll? KIDDING

I know we'll have ham. I want to change it up but for some reason that seems to bother the other residents of the house. "Nooo...we must have ham, mashed potatoes, greenbeans wrapped in bacon, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie!" You'd think I was trying to cancel christmas itself.

 

[minx1]

I take it you're not cooking a plastic doll? KIDDING

I know we'll have ham. I want to change it up but for some reason that seems to bother the other residents of the house. "Nooo...we must have ham, mashed potatoes, greenbeans wrapped in bacon, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie!" You'd think I was trying to cancel christmas itself.

That sounds pretty good though!

people are funny about tradition eh!

Do you cook your own ham or buy it ready done?

 

[sb2009]

I get a spiral ham, smoked I guess? then warm it up. I make gravy for it, though, from scratch LOL

 

[sinnocence]

We decided to have OssoBuco this year. It's braised veal shanks and it's amazing. I'll admit I was a bit hesitant when introduced to the idea of something other than ham or turkey. But when my dad told me it was Ossobuco, then I was sold. We've been doing everything else by the book so we thought we'd change up the dinner this year.

If you're at least a little interested, I can get the recipe.

 

[sb2009]

ooh yes, please!

 

[minx1]

If you're at least a little interested, I can get the recipe.

Yes please....definitely!

 

[WriterDom]

Osso buco means “bone with a hole” in Italian. Bone with a hole? I thought that was a cock?

 

[minx1]

Osso buco means “bone with a hole” in Italian. Bone with a hole? I thought that was a cock?

thats why we want recipes

 

[sinnocence]

Here it is.

OssoBuco

Ingredients:

1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 dry bay leave
2 whole cloves
Cheesecloth
Kitchen twine, for bouqet garni and tying the veal shanks
3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All purpose flour, for dredging
½ vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced into ½ inch cubes
1 small carrot, diced into ½ inch cubes
1 stalk celery, diced into ½ inch cubes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons fresh, flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest


Directions:

Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.
For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess.
In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.
In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in serving platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard.
Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.
Pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

 

[WriterDom]

How do you get anything sprig fresh in November?

 

[zarngash]

Mussels with leeks in light sauce.

Asparagus with lemon.

Lobster and Scallop pasta in a white sauce with fire roasted red peppers.

Rosemary mashed potatoes.


Anyone, here named Rosemary who doesn't mind being mashed? Anyone?

 

[chy_girl]

How do you get anything sprig fresh in November?

What, WD, don't you live in an herbal state?

 

[WriterDom]

I don't know if I'll even do the family thing this year. Had enough of them at Thanksgiving. 22 people at dinner. One whole family I didn't even know.

 

[unregistered]

 

[chy_girl]

It's just the mom, kid, and I this year for Christmas day so if we don't go out to eat I'm leaning towards a more non-traditional menue.

sticky rice and a very hearty vegetable beef soup
fruit platter/bowl
vegetable platter
cheese and crackers
summer sausage
desert

This way we can do a day of grazing and don't have to worry about the main course being ruined. Mostly because sticky rice and soup are also grazable if you do it right.

 

[Noor]

I am planning on having chocolate

I don't really do Christmas dinner. The only tradition I usually do on Xmas day is go to the megamall, see a movie and watch them re-time the dancing water.

Occasionally I go shopping with friends and family if something is open and has a good sale. Some years, I have a Boxing day party with stew and mulled cider, but this year I work that day so I won't.

 

[sb2009]

As long as we have mashed potatoes and green bean casserole I am a happy girl. But, sb2009, I would like to hear more about green beans wrapped in bacon. Mmmm.

It' so easy but for some reason everyone loves it. I just take fresh green beans and make a little bundle wrapped in a slice of bacon, and crowd then into a backing dish. Then bake at 350 until the bacon is crispy. I think it's really really bad for you.

 

[sb2009]

oh, sprinkle kosher salt and pepper over, then bake.

 

[cromsgirl]

We made sushi one year when it was just me, my husband, his sister, her husband and another couple. None of them really like turkey or ham. I'm not sure what his family is doing this year, but one year they had steak and lobster.

 

[YourCaptor]

Weisswurst, sauerkraut, and potatoes.

 

[sereneone4u]

Ham covered with cherries, pineapples and cloves.
Baked turkey
Cornbread stuffing
Husband's famous potato salad
Mashed potatoes with gravy
Pecan Praline sweet potatoes
broccoli with cheese
stringbean casserole
corn on the cob
Fruit salad
rolls
cranberry orange relish
deviled eggs
cheese balls and crackers
spinach artichoke dip

apple pie
pumpkin pie
pecan pie
cheesecake
fudge and various Christmas cookies

Milk, Tea, Wine

Having guests for Christmas

I feel like I have forgotten something...

 

[CurlyKat]

We're doing the traditional thing. I think my sister would murder us all in our sleep if we didn't.

Christmas evening: Ham, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, lime jello salad (it's actually really good), probably a bread of some sort, and then coconut cake for dessert. The cake is so rich you can only eat a very small slice at a time.

And you can't forget breakfast Christmas morning while opening presents: strawberry bread and maple walnut pound cake, and sometimes a bacon or sausage breakfast casserole.

I think I like breakfast more than dinner.

 

[Netzach]

Thai, frozen pizza, Chinese, or something completely non committed. Sushi sounds GREAT, wonder if anyone's open...

 

[MrGoodlookin]

Ham
Ham sauce (made with ketchup and yes some grape jelly)
Hawaiian rolls http://www.kingshawaiian.com/
box au gratin potatoes
grandmothers fruit salad (um yikes?)
fudge (rocky road) http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,187,150175-242207,00.html
pecan pie
apple pie (going to come up with some fancy version)
pumpkin roll http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Libbys-Pumpkin-Roll-with-Cream-Cheese-Filling/detail.aspx
reindeer poop http://andihelped.blogspot.com/2007/12/reindeer-balls.html

this is as far as we have gotten for one house

We will visit another house the next day and I haven't a clue what we will be eating there. Seems we are missing cookies. I need to put that on the list.