Cooking for the Holidays

Christmas Eve:

breakfast: full english
lunch: homemade soup and bread
Dinner: nibbles and canapes (party party party!!!)
And I bake bake bake all day


Christmas Day:


Breakfast: Eggs Benedict
Lunch: 3 bird roast, roast potatoes, brussels, carrots, homemade sage and onion stuffing (sausagemeat and black pudding), bacon wrapped chipolatas.
Dinner: turkey and stuffing sandwiches.



Boxing Day:

Aromatic glazed ham and trimmings.



27th:

"Leftovers Pie": EVERYTHING goes in it, fill with a seasoned white sauce.

Wow, my mother just did two pumpkin rolls over Thanksgiving.  I will see if she has the recipe somewhere (she made them at my uncle's house so it might have been his recipe).

Thanks, I would really appreciate that!

I have decided to do something less traditional on Christmas Eve and may make this:

http://www.gastronomydomine.com/2006/11/char-siu-chinese-barbecued-pork.html

because it looks amazing! I'd serve it along with some fried rice and sauteed sugar snap peas or something of the like. And maybe even make some of those nice Chinese almond cookies. 

I have decided to do something less traditional on Christmas Eve and may make this:

http://www.gastronomydomine.com/2006/11/char-siu-chinese-barbecued-pork.html

because it looks amazing! I'd serve it along with some fried rice and sauteed sugar snap peas or something of the like. And maybe even make some of those nice Chinese almond cookies. 

That looks lush!

Do you have a chinese supermarket near you?

You could get a bag of little frozen gyoza ( http://redthaisushi.com/images/Gyoza.jpg )
and have them as an easy starter with some dipping sauce, my DH loves them! Or if you get some some spring roll wrappers I'll give you my very easy recipe for spring rolls

I still haven't made my mind up at all, easy one pot Texas Chilli or something more fancy? 

In a fit of craziness I considered beef wellington yesterday But I can't be bothered to make a crepe, mushroom duxelle and puff pastry.

My family always does Christmas morning breakfast of Pancakes, sausage and bacon. But now the in-laws want us over at 11am!! So I don't know if we're going to do it. Grr.

My family always does Christmas morning breakfast of Pancakes, sausage and bacon. But now the in-laws want us over at 11am!! So I don't know if we're going to do it. Grr.

Can you do it with your DH? Get some Bisquick to make it a bit easier

That looks lush!

Do you have a chinese supermarket near you?

You could get a bag of little frozen gyoza ( http://redthaisushi.com/images/Gyoza.jpg )
and have them as an easy starter with some dipping sauce, my DH loves them! Or if you get some some spring roll wrappers I'll give you my very easy recipe for spring rolls

I still haven't made my mind up at all, easy one pot Texas Chilli or something more fancy? 

In a fit of craziness I considered beef wellington yesterday But I can't be bothered to make a crepe, mushroom duxelle and puff pastry.

No Chinese supermarket around here, I'm afraid! I'm just hoping I can find some hoison sauce for the marinade. It shouldn't be that hard to find, should it? I'd love to make some spring rolls, if you think I can find some wrappers somewhere out here. All of our supermarkets are fairly small, and I've not seen any wrappers, but I wasn't exactly looking either, so they might be in there somewhere!

No Chinese supermarket around here, I'm afraid!

A trip to Newcastle! 

No Chinese supermarket around here, I'm afraid! I'm just hoping I can find some hoison sauce for the marinade. It shouldn't be that hard to find, should it? I'd love to make some spring rolls, if you think I can find some wrappers somewhere out here. All of our supermarkets are fairly small, and I've not seen any wrappers, but I wasn't exactly looking either, so they might be in there somewhere!

Tescos sometimes do them in their frozen section, home made spring rolls are really good, far better than anything you get at the chinese take away

I noticed Tescos were doing Chicken Gyozas in their Finest party range today but they seemed to use crispy filo pastry rather than the thin soft pastry that you normally get on gyozas. I think they were like £3 for 8 though, you can get a massive bag of 50 for £3 in the chinese supermarket. It's a shame all this stuff is frozen or I could post it to you!

I'll need to cook you up a proper indonesian feast, proper chicken Satay with fresh peanut sauce (not from peanut butter), Nasi Goreng, Spring rolls, Emping crackers, Grilled sticky rice parcels with shrimp/garlic/scallion filling, Beef Rendang, dried beef with corriander Possibly I'll have to get my mother to help!
 

I'll need to cook you up a proper indonesian feast, proper chicken Satay with fresh peanut sauce (not from peanut butter), Nasi Goreng, Spring rolls, Emping crackers, Grilled sticky rice parcels with shrimp/garlic/scallion filling, Beef Rendang, dried beef with corriander Possibly I'll have to get my mother to help!
 

drooooooooool

Can you do it with your DH? Get some Bisquick to make it a bit easier

I do have some. But it's just not the same!!! We'll just have to get up really early to have a proper Christmas breakfast.

I don't understand, b/c we had talked about doing Christmas morning alone together and THEN going over. And then all of a sudden we're going over in the morning? If I protest DH just shrugs. But I digress. This is more for the in-laws venting thread.

I'll need to cook you up a proper indonesian feast, proper chicken Satay with fresh peanut sauce (not from peanut butter), Nasi Goreng, Spring rolls, Emping crackers, Grilled sticky rice parcels with shrimp/garlic/scallion filling, Beef Rendang, dried beef with corriander Possibly I'll have to get my mother to help!
 

oh man I am now starving!!

I'll need to cook you up a proper indonesian feast, proper chicken Satay with fresh peanut sauce (not from peanut butter), Nasi Goreng, Spring rolls, Emping crackers, Grilled sticky rice parcels with shrimp/garlic/scallion filling, Beef Rendang, dried beef with corriander Possibly I'll have to get my mother to help!
 

Yummmmmmmmm. I'm definitely cool with that. 

A trip to Newcastle! 

I can't be bothered to go near the "big city" at Christmastime, it's just too crowded.... LOL. I'm becoming too much of a country bumpkin! Though, IF I were to pass my driving test on Thursday, I might be excited enough to try to drive there myself (with supervision, of course!)

I do have some. But it's just not the same!!! We'll just have to get up really early to have a proper Christmas breakfast.

Ooh, you could make the pancake batter the night before and leave it covered in the fridge until the morning.  I've done it before when DH and I had an early train and we couldn't taste a difference.  Then if you get the plates and condiments and things really accessible for the morning it can all save about 15 minutes. 

I am not sure what I am meant to do...I just found out yesterday that my inlaws are coming over for at least their main holiday meal, if not for more than one meal.  We were planning to have them over a few days after Christmas for lasagne.  However, their cooker has packed up.  Now I've got to figure out what I am going to cook in my tiny oven with my half-kitted out kitchen (we were buying things gradually) with finicky inlaws and my MiL with Coeliac's disease.  I would do the lasagne idea, but if they aren't going to have something traditional (for them) at home, I don't feel right cooking that.

At least Mr A is offering to get us what we need in terms of appliances/pans/dishes.  I am leaning towards the meat based main meal being cooked in a crockpot.

Remember those spinach dips from the '80s and '90s?  Did they make it here?  If not, at least I could make something semi-impressive for part of the appetiser course (not for my MiL of course) that might impress. 

Mr A is asking for roasted potatoes, carrots, and parsnips.  Having to have everything (or almost everything) gluten free really ties my hands on using a lot of the seasonings and prepackaged "helpers" I usually use.  She won't even risk using pre-ground pepper which gives you an idea of how careful she is with the gluten thing.

I need to think up a menu.