What will you be serving for Christmas dinner?

[prolesunited]

Recipes for a scrumptious meal and tips for setting a festive table wanted.

If you are hosting dinner, how many guests will you have?

[SoCalDem]

1. Probably toasted cheese sandwiches and a bowl of soup..

No festive gathering here.. Just Mom & Dad ..We had our holiday gathering at Thanksgiving.. :(

We may even paint the living room that day :)

[omshanti]

9. ooo - what color are you painting the living room?

I'm a home imrpovement junkie!

[SoCalDem]

13. I am leaniing towards a light sage-grey color..

We bought taupe leather furniture and I have reddish mexican tile floors .. I plan to paint the UGLY fireplace brick a cream color..

Since you are into this stuff. find me a website that helps me color coordinate stuff :loveya:

Here are the colors I am working with:..Help me :)

[Melsky]

37. Here's a good site

http://www.ppg.com/ppgaf/pittsburgh/consumer.htm

At the menu on the left, pick virtual painter. You can scan pics of your rooms and paint them diferent colors.

[Mikimouse]

2. The usual assortment of goodies, including Turkey ...

dressing, cranberries, mashed potatos, etc. It is the usual fare at the homeless shelter where wife and I have worked as volunteers in the past. For us, it makes Christmas a little more bearable. Right now, we are on the waiting list to work on Christmas day.

[Bertha Venation]

12. "on the waiting list to work on Christmas day" -- YOU ROCK

I love folks like you who treat the homeless like human beings. Thank you.

[Mikimouse]

14. They are cool, and it gives me a chance to give back

to the community I once shared with them. I've been where they are and will never forget it as long as I live. There are far too many stereotypes about homeless people and too little attempt at understanding how they got there. Could be any one of us, anytime. Thanks:hi:

[Bertha Venation]

46. wow, man

I want to fill my life w/ folks like you. :hug:

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. lasagna

We're Italian, it's tradition. :D

[prolesunited]

6. I'm probably making

lasagna as well. Veggies only. No meat. Any tips or secrets you want to share? I'm not Italian and can use all of the help I can get.

[THUNDER HANDS]

21. a meatless lasagna?

You're not getting any tips from me, unless the tip was to scrap that idea and put some meat in it. :D

[prolesunited]

23. LOL!

I'm a vegetarian, so this is for me. Did you see NSMA's awesome sound rib roast recipe below? That's for everyone else.

C'mon, you don't have any tips for an awesome tomato sauce?

[CivilRightsNow]

32. I use tofu

I try to cut down on the ridiculous amount of fat in lasagna by using using even portions of tofu, cottage cheese and ricotta. I dont know exact ratios, I always eyeball it.. I add a couple of eggs to the mixture as well and a 1/4 of a cup of parmesan for flavor.

Most of the time, I sautee some fresh or drained whole leaf spinach ( 2 packages or a bunch) and shredded or julianned carrots (2-4 depending upon how big the lasagna will be)with a little olive oil and a few cloves of minced garlic, a tsp of red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup of julianned basil (loosely packed) and add it to the mixture when it has cooled. I then layer some sauce on the bottom of the pan, lasagnanoodles, sauce, filling, noodle, etc. Until full, making sure the last layer is noodles. Then I top with more sauce and a generous amount of mozzerella. I bake at 350 uncovered for about 40 minutes, making sure not to dry it all out... and garnish with some basil leaves.

Most of the time I cheat and use a canned sauce that I doctor up with some more garlic, oregano and fresh basil.. I like the classicos. Being italian, the family sauce recipe has buches of meat in it :)

My fiance is a vegetarian and he loves it.. My italian family members who love to use italian sausage and ridiculous amounts of ricotta also love it, half my aunts make it this way now. I make an all tofu version with soy cheese for me (Im lactose intolerant) and honestly, I can barely tell the difference.

[ronnykmarshall]

17. mmmmmmmmm

That's sounds great. I normally make a big o' mess of spagetti and meatballs on christmas eve, but I have to work. Maybe next year.

[pmbryant]

4. Boy am I bad at this kind of thing

My partner is excellent at it though. Alas, she doesn't post here. :-(

We will be having a nice dinner for 2. My responsibilities will probably be confined to cleaning up beforehand and afterwards, and starting the fire. Perhaps doing the shopping as well.

I'm sure you'll get lots of good ideas from others here though.

:-)

--Peter

[bearfan454]

5. 7 over here with our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter.

I am making another 24 pound turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy from the turkey juice, stuffing with celery and onions sautee'd in real butter, cranberry sauce(in the can), crescent rolls, jalapeno deviled eggs, Mrs. Smith's cherry or pumpkin pie, whichever they want, and a green salad. I don't buy festive table settings. It is basic over her, unless Mrs bearfan wants to do something on decorating. This will all take place by 1:00 pm. I am going hunting that afternoon.

[trof]

7. NOTHING!

Our daughter, son-in-law, and 18 month old grandson are coming all the way from Boston for Christmas.
Some good friends down the street said "How'd y'all like to NOT have to fool with Christmas dinner, just have fun opening your presents and being with your family and such, and come down here for dinner?"

It took us about 2 seconds to accept their kind invitation.
Now, THOSE are friends.
The menu:
Prime Rib!
Yorkshire pudding
Fresh asparagus
some kind of spuds
other assorted sides

[trof]

41. So nobody read my reply

and said "Gee, what nice friends."?
Awwwwwwwwwww

[pmbryant]

42. How about...

Gee, what fabulous friends! That is really cool that they would offer that.

:bounce:

--Peter

[Booberdawg]

8. shit on a shingle, on toast

not having a Christmas Day dinner here. Family get together's are on weekends because not all family members get weekdays off.

[scarlet_owl]

10. Beef tenderloin, lobster tails, honey baked ham

Mr. scarlet_owl and I are going to see my family in St. Louis for Christmas. Thank goodness, because I'm sick of having every holiday at my house.

[Bertha Venation]

11. our menu is pretty pedestrian

Ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans cooked to death w/ onions, garlic & salt pork (delish!), maybe some broccoli or salad, and whatever else my baby feels in the mood for.

And apple pie. Gotta find a good apple pie place.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. You're vegetarian

If I gave you a recipe for an asskicking rib roast would you even want to cook it?

Otherwise, I don't want to go through the hassle of posting it although I did in old DU and can't find it without search.

[prolesunited]

18. Yes

My family all eats meat and since it's the holidays, I try to accomodate them. I have to admit touching raw meat now kind of grosses me out, but I'll make the sacrifice. ;-)

Have to admit last year they put quite a dent in the veggie lasagna. Maybe I'll convert them yet.

So, fire away. Thanks!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. OK here ya go:

Start cooking this about two and one half hours before dinner. For a perfect roast, use a meat thermometer and take it out of the oven at exactly 135 degrees as the bone gets hot and will continue to cook the roast for an additional 20 minutes after you take it out of the oven. It's a bit of work, but with a helper, it will come out great. If you don't have a mortar and pestil, you can crush the peppercorns and the allspice in a coffee grinder but only give it a few short grinds so that the peppercorns and allspice are not pulverized.

This is a HIT with my family at all holidays....

You will need a roasting pan, don't need a rack, the ribs can BE the rack, something to grind the peppercorns with and a pastry brush to make this, I garnish it by putting portobello mushrooms in the roasting pan one half hour before the roast is done, slicing them and then serving them crisscrossed with a small piece of rosemary on the plate:

ROAST PRIME RIBS OF BEEF WITH PINK AND GREEN PEPPERCORN CRUST AND RED-WINE PAN SAUCE



a 4-rib standing rib roast (about 7 1/2 to 8 pounds trimmed)


For crust
2 teaspoons whole allspice berries, crushed
3 tablespoons pink peppercorns*, crushed lightly
3 tablespoons freeze-dried green peppercorns, crushed lightly
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt


*available at specialty foods shops


For sauce
2/3 cup dry red wine
2 cups low-salt beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon water


Garnish: rosemary sprigs

Let rib roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500°F.


Make crust:
In a small bowl combine crust ingredients, stirring to form a paste.

Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a roasting pan roast beef, ribs side down, 30 minutes. Transfer beef to a platter and discard remaining drippings.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Return beef to roasting pan, ribs side down, and spread with peppercorn paste. Roast beef 1 to 1 1/4 hours more, or until a meat thermometer inserted in fleshy section registers 135°F. for medium-rare meat.

Transfer beef to a cutting board and discard strings if necessary. Let beef stand, covered loosely, at least 20 minutes and up to 30 minutes before carving.


Make sauce:
Skim fat from drippings in roasting pan. To pan add wine and deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Boil mixture until reduced by about half and transfer to a saucepan. Add broth and boil 5 minutes.

In a small bowl dissolve cornstarch in Worcestershire sauce and water and add to pan in a stream, whisking. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, and boil 1 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Garnish rib roast and serve with sauce.


BTW I am available for personalized coaching, although if you follow this exactly it will be perfect..it's easier than it looks.

[prolesunited]

22. Thanks for finding this!

What kind of specialty shops would I find the spices and what are some brands of wine you would recommend. Also, what is deglazing?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

36. Crate and Barrel or Williams Sonoma or any gourmet shop

will have the peppercorns. YOu have several cooking specialty there in your area within biking distance (Lakeshore, right?)

Deglazing is pouring the wine in the pan, heating it and scraping the pan to get the flavors that have crusted on while cooking, you simmer the wine until you cannot get the smell of alcohol in the steam...only takes about 10 minutes max. Then strain this into your broth for the gravy (I do the broth in a 2 qt sauce pan and strain the pan drippings into it)

Many will disagree with me on this point but I don't use expensive wine to make a sauce..if you have a Trader Joe's in the area, for two bucks, you can get a bottle of Charles Shaw Cab to make the sauce with...but to drink, I would recommend a nice Cab, Merlot, or mycurrent favorite which is Syrah.

I think a common brand of Cab that runs about 20-25 and is excellent is Sterling Cabernet, or Clos Du Val.

on edit: another wine possibility that you COULD cook with and serve is a Chilean Riojo called Marque Du Cacera...they usually have it at Trader Joe's for about 8 bucks a bottle...great wine!

[Bertha Venation]

47. deglazing

Deglazing is when you take the meat & stuff out of the pan, put the pan back on the low heat, pour in some wine, water or broth, and scrape up all the tasty brown bits that the meat left on the bottom of the pan. It's what makes gravy good and life fabulous!

[pmbryant]

29. That's quite a sacrifice

I eat meat, but I still refuse to cook with it. :shrug:

I think I must be a vegetarian in spirit, if not in practice.

--Peter

[ronnykmarshall]

16. Buzzard!

That's what we call turkey.

Smashed up potaters, chili rice (talk about puttin' on the lbs), good ol' string bean casarole, salad, bread, stuffing, pie and lots o' wine.

[Bertha Venation]

19. chili rice?

Ronny, I'm intrigued.... would it be a pain to post the recipe? :)

[ronnykmarshall]

44. mmmmmm good

Let me get my mom on the phone and I'll pm you the info. It's soooooooo good!

[trogdor]

24. Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam,...

[prolesunited]

25. Are you going to sculpt it

into the form of a Christmas tree or snowman before you serve it? So tasty and creative that way. :silly:

[geniph]

26. Roast goose

with wild-rice stuffing, and some sort of green vegetable. I've never had goose and wanted to try it, so we ordered one from the butcher.

It's just the two of us, hooray!!! We'll go to my sister's house the next day, where she's having some form of dead cow that I won't eat but my husband will.

[midnight armadillo]

27. Misery

well roasted, with side dishes of bitterness and discord. Appetizers will be massive miscommunication, and dessert lingering discontent.

Holidays suck.

[prolesunited]

33. I'm sorry!

Here's a :hug:

[midnight armadillo]

35. Thanks!

Thanks proles!

[Bertha Venation]

45. Bonnie, sister-mine?

Is that you, Bombean?

Hey, armadillo, I wish I had a platitude for you, but since I don't believe in those, all I'll say is I DIG your handle! :toast:

[Whitacre D_WI]

28. Roast Beast.

n/t

[trof]

34. Funny. That's what we call it too.

[amazona]

30. Cornish hen, rice stuffing, pumpkin pie

Looks like just the two of us and the birdies. :-)

[AngryAmish]

31. Duck Mole

[caledesi]

38. Honey baked ham with raisin sauce. eom

[Nay]

39. Our dinner is tomorrow,

turkey and stuffing, mincemeat pie, oyster stew, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, cranberry orange bread, and whatever potluck dishes my friends bring!

[mlawson]

40. I'm spending that day on the beach in FLA.

My cousin graciously invited me to come stay with her for a couple of weeks at Cocoa, so I am going!! It's been 31 years since I have been to FLA.

Dinner that evening?? Something TROPICAL, with fish. And rum...

[flamingyouth]

43. Roasted pork loin with pears and winter vegetables

The pork will be rubbed in a honey-mustard mixture with herbs. It's very tasty. My husband wanted turkey again, but we compromised and decided to make one on New Year's Day.

:hi:

[UrbScotty]

48. Food.

Seriously, I don't know.