Christmas menu!

What are you having for Christmas this year??

Christmas eve is just DH and I and since I love hors d'oeuvres, I'll be making a selection of things. So far I found a recipe for French onion soup stuffed mushrooms and DH has requested spinach and artichoke dip. I'm not sure what else I'll make at this point. Maybe buffalo wings? Or veggie dip? The good thing is we'll be having Christmas with my parents on the day and the rest of the family on St Stephen's Day, so I can take any leftovers along to that.

We're going to my parent's on the day, so mom will make the ham and green bean casserole and I'm making garlicky dauphenoise potatoes. That just reminded me that I want to call my mom and remind her to make the pickled red beet eggs. Yum! I will also bring my boatload of cookies along.

On St Stephen's Day we'll have Christmas with my sister and her family, so we're having ham pot pie, corn, and lots of treats I'm sure! My sister makes good desserts. 

Not sure what we will be having this year.....probably the same thing we have everyday.....lol 

We were supposed to spend Christmas Eve with his family as this is the only family we have here.... mum, brother, and brother's wife, at his mum's house but 2 days after we got the invite his mum called and said that DH's sister would be here for Christmas so it would be best if we waited and went to her house on Christmas Day and could eat what was left from the evening before......I opted out of this as I don't think we are the leftover Christmas Eve dinner people think we are........

I should be used to this by now, after all my DH is basically the black sheep of the family and he has MS so he does not meet the standards of his family........

We will have a lovely Christmas despite them as we have each other, our little Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and our 2 kitties.......who could ask for more??

Well done on declining that invitation! How rude of your MIL. You'll have a much better day with each other and your kitties! But, you should still make something special for the two of you. 

Totally rude Snowlass, I'd never attend that house for dinner!

We're going to be in Amsterdam, I've booked a little bistro which is doing a "suprise" 7 course dinner...so who knows?! It's meant to be a fabulous restaurant though, so I'm really looking forward to it
We had an xmas dinner at my parents on Saturday and it was lovely, so I'm a bit turkeyed out now

DH and I will also be on our own, but I prefer it that way.  My MIL is a lovely woman but she cannot cook, and for me Christmas is all about good food.  We will be having roast venison from a local butcher, redcurrant sauce, celeriac puree, roast potatoes, mushrooms Bordelaise, and something green, maybe broccoli or cabbage.  For dessert, puddings from Waitrose (I don't like Christmas pudding, but they have a fantastic caramel pecan steamed sponge) and homemade Christmas cake, without any icky raisins or sultanas.  I really hope that turns out, as this is my first time attempting Christmas cake.  Boxing Day will probably be leftovers, and the next day we are going to the in-laws' for a buffet slash birthday lunch for DH's gran.  I am really looking forward to snuggling up together on Christmas night with a delicious meal and Doctor Who and Downton Abbey on the telly!

On Christmas Eve, we're having SUSHI NIGHT! I love sushi night. I'll make the rice and prep dishes of various fish & veg, and everyone will roll their own. Washed down with the finest fake champagne.

Christmas Day is the traditional turkey and all the lovely bits and bobs that go along with it.

Afters will be Christmas pud served with homemade ginger ice cream and these gorgeous whole confit clementines I bought at a market in Paris.

I am really not sure what we're doing.  I've been fighting an awful cold.  I did the grocery order yesterday all liqoured up on brandy (For some reason one of the only things that helps me when I get that bad.  I am almost a teetotaller normally so it's always great to give me a couple of belts of brandy).  I decided about halfway through it that we can just pick up the fixings for dinner (and decide what I am making) and treats for pop-ins during the week.  Looking over the list this morning, it looks like I ordered 2 24 packs of Walker's crisps...  I am not a crisp eater.  I will eat them, but they aren't my "thing".  They were on sale, so I guess that's why I did it.  So, so far, Christmas dinner might be a couple of packs of ready salted.

Not sure what we're going to do for dinner yet.  We are going to BiL's and are in charge of the veggie main course.  We've done nut roasts (don't really want to do one again, not my fave), mushroom wellington, mushroom pie thing.  Have to think of something new....

Snowlass, that's awful! How rude! I wouldn't be going either.
Andee, mushroom wellington sounds delicious!

This is my first British Christmas in a few years. I'm pretty excited!
Christmas Eve: Just DH and myself will be celebrating the Italian American way (the feast of 7 fish). Only we won't be doing 7 this year! With my whole family, that's worth it, but I think we'll just be having mussels in garlic butter sauce, shrimp scampi, maybe some buffalo shrimp and crab cakes. We were going to do scallops, but they are so pricey! We always have angel hair with marinara sauce and broccoli on the side.

Christmas Day: We'll be going to DH's parents' house where FIL will be making a huge meal of turkey, gammon, beef, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, and so on. Traditional Christmas dinner! I will bring spinach dip, stuffing (he makes boxed), green bean casserole by request, and for afters, a cheesecake and mince pies (all homemade). They will have Christmas pudding as well, but I'm just not a fan...

I love Christmas! And food. And Christmas food.

the Italian American way (the feast of 7 fish).

I used to love doing that with Italian-American friends in the US!

I forgot that I'm making some sauteed Brussel sprouts for DH and I (no one else likes them) and DH wants to try to make his mother's potato stuffing. Pretty sure I'll be trying to find a recipe for this one this week!

Oh, and I'll be using a recipe Chary gave me years ago for the spinach and artichoke dip! 

I used to love doing that with Italian-American friends in the US!

It was always my favorite time at Christmas! Glad that I can share it with DH. He loves it. Last year we were both back in the US, so we cooked Christmas Eve dinner with my uncle and did all 7 for once! It was wonderful.

I'm making a good ole fashioned pot roast. Roast beef, potatoes, carrots, and celery in the slow cooker for 10 hours....nothing better! 

I'm making a good ole fashioned pot roast. Roast beef, potatoes, carrots, and celery in the slow cooker for 10 hours....nothing better! 

This is pretty much my menu for St. Stephen's day!  I think we're going to do ham for Christmas day. This is the first Christmas in ages that we aren't going to spend in Dublin with the in-laws.  I love the idea of being with just DH and the kids for Christmas, but I'm not looking forward to all the cooking.

No cooking for me! 

As per usual, we'll be at the in-laws for a few days.  Christmas dinner is traditional - turkey, stuffing, little bacon-wrapped sausages, nut roast (for MIL), brussel sprouts & other veg, followed by Christmas pudding (blech!), hopefully (fingers crossed because I like it!) trifle...but lots of booze so it's all good. 

Later in the evening, we usually have a grazing buffet with leftovers from the the main meal, plus ham, pickles & other bits like that.

MIL not infrequently makes beef bourguignon or steaks with creamy peppercorn sauce on Boxing Day (except for herself - she's pescetarian) - so it might be that or something else entirely!

Christmas Eve is often something with fish.

I just relax & let someone else (MIL, BIL, etc) cook while I enjoy a few drinks...