I spent some time today looking at recipes for Christmas Brunch/Lunch/Dinner which I regularly host. This year for a group of 15 plus one or two. I've moved up the meal from 4 to 12:30 and this is what I am serving:
1) Spiral cut ham
2) Hashbrown potato casserole
3) Green bean casserole
4) Cornbread casserole
5) Raspberry/pineapple jello mold
6) Cinnamon roll casserole
7) Peppermint bark (that I make every Christmas morning with older daughter - tradition going on year 4)
8) Cranberry orange muffins
My MIL brings a shrimp salad, my mother brings bread pudding, and my brother brings wine. I don't know if his fiancée will bring anything, but that will be gravy.
Spending has been willy-nilly all over the board and I got bored tracking. I am starting today because this is the last payday in December. It was $135 short and I believe that is the 401K that I upped to 6% but thought it was being taken after 1/16 (suspended due to switch over, but apparently not really suspended).
I spent $133 at Aldi's on groceries for the week plus Christmas dinner. $17 was a ham and $4 was on a Secret Santa gift that younger daughter forgot about (a set of snowman mugs). I also filled up the gas tank for $40. This weekend and upcoming week we are eating light (lots of salad/sandwiches/and soup in the crockpot).
So, you've had a glimpse at what I'll be serving. How 'bout you?!
I am so nosey! What's your Christmas menu look like?
December 19th, 2014 at 06:25 pm
December 19th, 2014 at 07:22 pm 1419016944
December 19th, 2014 at 07:23 pm 1419017030
December 19th, 2014 at 07:42 pm 1419018164
Xmas Eve at our friends' place has an Italian/fish theme, so my contribution is making Italian green beans, 2 kinds of tofu fish. Also for snacks, fruit skewers that look like the Grinch (grape, banana, strawberry & mini-marshmallow), and slow-cooker spiced nuts. Not sure what my friends are doing; pasta I believe.
For Xmas dinner we're doing an entire menu that Jamie Oliver put together: mushroom tarts, nut roast, roasted whole cauliflower and gravy. Brownies and vegan ice cream for dessert.
December 19th, 2014 at 07:53 pm 1419018808
December 19th, 2014 at 09:12 pm 1419023572
I used to do a standing rib roast for Xmas (prime rib, basically), because that is what the MIL insisted on. But then I was ordering it one year and the meat cost $120, and I thought "all the kids and families with nothing and I'm going to spend that on one roast? So I cancelled it, we donated to the food bank, and haven't looked back.
Now, this year,
we're doing a ham
cheesy potatoes (awesome and so bad for you)
green beans
For brunch, I make a quiche
For breakfast, I make cinnamon rolls.
December 19th, 2014 at 09:43 pm 1419025384
When my family arrives we are having Lasagna and Manicotti. They are bringing it from a restaurant in NE (Valentino's). We'll have rolls and salad with it. One morning there will be egg casserole and fruit, another morning is waffles and crockpot oatmeal. We will have turkey sandwiches and soups for our lunches over the course of the two days they are here.
December 19th, 2014 at 10:42 pm 1419028933
Two turkies of about 22 pounds each, One 10 lbs ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing/dressing, a cranberry salad, two different jello salads, rolls, butter and jam/jelly, cranberry sauce, pickles, olives, milk/water/wine, 24 devilled eggs, yams with marshmellows, green beans and something else.
And that does not count the appetizers that go out at 2: chips and dip of two kinds, spinach dip/bread, cheeses and salami, cut veggies,
And then desserts: at thanksgiving we had 7 pies, one cake, ice cream something and cookies. For christmas we also have choco pretzels and nuts, pb balls, 5 types of cookies, and more pies.
December 20th, 2014 at 12:42 am 1419036159
Her: sweet potato souffle thing, maple brussels sprouts, chocolate dessert
Me: turkey breast only, cranberry sauce, gravy, potatoes dauphinoise, tarte tatin
We love spending Christmas with that other family - it's a tradition!
December 20th, 2014 at 12:54 am 1419036878
December 20th, 2014 at 02:02 am 1419040950
December 20th, 2014 at 02:31 am 1419042685
Ham
Bread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Turkey Gravy
Ham Gravy
Green Beans
Corn
Pumpkin Bread
Chocolate Cream Pie
Egg nog
And the stuff the in-laws add that basically comes out of cans, boxes, or the bakery of a grocery store--
Yams with weird marshmallow stuff on top
Rolls
Stovetop stuffing
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie
Whipped Cream in a can
December 20th, 2014 at 08:01 pm 1419105670
Cocktail - Caesar, Appetizer - crudités with dip, Entree - Spiral ham & raisin sauce, Sides - mashed potatoes, gravy, oven roasted, mixed vegetables, Beverage - Sparking White wine & tea, Dessert - Chocolate Mousse to jazz up leftovers. If I manage to make these successfully in muffin tins I'll take them around to our elderly neighbours.
December 20th, 2014 at 08:03 pm 1419105826
Christmas Day: tomato soup (DH's choice, found a recipe I like online), prawn cocktail, turkey crown with roast potatoes, peas, carrots and parsnips and brussel sprouts. Also stuffing and pigs in blankets.
Boxing Day: Mediterranean platter for appetizers which will have halloumi cheese, sundried tomatoes, peppers and pesto served with some mediterranean loaf. Followed by prawn cocktail again and basically the same dinner because dh and mum agreed that they both wanted turkey with all the trimmings.
December 20th, 2014 at 10:45 pm 1419115500
Ours:
Ham
Scalloped potatoes
Green Beans
Peas
Cornbread
Celery
Blackberry cobbler with whipped cream
December 21st, 2014 at 12:12 am 1419120776
Mashed potatoes (regular and sweet)
crescents (Pillsbury)
green beans
stuffing (maybe)
Rum cake
Will be just my SO and I, so will have plenty of leftovers. We have most of the ingredients - most expensive things will be the dinner roast (Worthington brand I think) and I have no idea how much rum costs - will be my first time ever actually buying any kind of alcohol.
December 21st, 2014 at 07:10 pm 1419189045
December 22nd, 2014 at 04:13 pm 1419264812
Christmas Eve this year is a 'throwback' to a meal my grandma would have made: chicken broccoli casserole over rice and mandarin orange jello. Probably crescent rolls, too. (Maybe one other side, but I don't recall. Sis is making teh casserole, we're responsible for the jello.
Christmas morning we have "jolly breakfast ring", which is kind of like monkey bread but you leave the biscuits whole and layer them in a bundt pan, and top with walnuts and maraschino cherries. Mom usually makes this.
Christmas dinner this year is a standing rib roast with roasted mushrooms and garlic-chive mashed potatoes. Maybe some rolls, but with the potatoes maybe not. We make Christmas dinner, but it's at my mom's house (and she donates some money toward the cost).
Sis is responsible for cocktails at both dinners. She usually finds something yummy!
Desserts will probably just be cookies; we're making a bunch this year, because S is visiting family down south after Christmas so we're sending some down to them. We're making spritz cookies, salted caramel snickerdoodles, Golden Grahams bars (kind of like Rice Krispie treats, but with Golden Grahams cereal and bits of chocolate), and USO/Hello Dolly cookies (a layered bar that my other grandma used to make). Mom and niece had a cookie day, so we'll have those, too. Plus the obligatory stocking candy.