Christmas menu....

[Ali Lee]

My family Christmas celebration is this Sunday. Trying something new this year, an Open House, due to the size of family & small house. My menu will be:
cheeseball, braunschweiger pate, dried beef ball, crackers & party bread
taco dip & chips
carrots, pickles, olives on a tray
dessert table will have- brownies, oatmeal bars, fudge, cereal cookies, choc chip cookies & candy canes, sugar free chocolates, gumdrops will outline the tray (soy butter used not peanut butter)
I will get out my punch bowl my Gr'ma gave me-40 yrs ago, & we will have sugar free punch & coffee.
What are you having?

[Libby]

Sounds great Ali! What time should we be there?

Can I offer one tip? Once you make your food, divide it in half and plastic wrap it for later so if you have 'shifts' of arriving guests...you can always put out a fresh tray of "x" that has mayo or needs to be kept cold/refrigerated. Its usually the dips and cheeses mostly. (example: open house is 8 hours - every 2-3, refresh the dips/cheese etc) Breads and cracker should be put out in batches as well so they're 'fresh' (ie not hard - for bread nor soft for chips) Those are easily replenish-able.

My gf hosted an open house last year - she had over 100 people pop by. She made a deal with the local Chinese food take out place and ordered party trays of noodles and chicken wings etc. She tossed everything out on the back deck in the snow to keep it cold, went outside with big glass bowls to scoop as much as needed and nuked it as needed. She bought Costco sized dips and did the same. She waited til people were hungry or had the munchies before refilling the food to help avoid waste.

I hope your open house is great!

[Jenibelle]

On Christmas Eve when we get together with my dad's side of the family we always have Oyster Stew & Chili, and usually some ham for making sandwiches. Plus lots of dips with crackers/chips.

Mom's side of the family on Christmas day always does Prime Rib, twice baked potatoes & veggies. Grama always makes Baby Jesus' Birthday cake too.

[druthb00]

We really didn't do a whole lot for Thanksgiving....and this is why:

Smoked fish spread
Super sharp cheddar cheese (or maybe muenster, or havarti...not really sure)
Manchego cheese
Stuffed green olives
Assortment of crackers (water, wheat, etc.)
Grapes, apple slices, mandarins

Bacon wrapped filet mignon
Twice baked potatoes
Green salad
Homemade bread

Homemade truffles

Hurricanes (Rum "punch" type drink)

AND....it'll just be BF and I LOL.

[forHISglory]

Christmas Eve is my dad's birthday; he'll be 85 this year, and I'm throwing a brunch to celebrate. Then I'm also hosting Christmas dinner the next day!

Brunch:
Oven french toast with toppings
sausage links
toasted almonds
chocolate truffles
blueberry, pineapple, and orange salad
cheese and crackers
muffins and bagels with flavored butters and cream cheese
coffee and assortment of teas

Christmas Day
oyster soup, crackers
smoky bean and ham soup
green salad
veggie tray and dip
tray of sweets
grapes
pickled herring

Can't wait!

[Mrs K]

I'm hosting a Christmas eve dinner and we will have 12 people round the table. Here's the plan:

Warm brie with onion confit on baguette
Veggies and dip

Mixed spring salad
Pork tenderloin with cinnamon cranberry sauce
Potato leek au gratin
Roasted root veggies
Hm dinner rolls

Crème brulée
Assorted cookies

I want my guest stuffed and happy!

[gottadance]

mmmmm- great stuff you guys - been a long time since I had a twice baked potato, and filet mignon - be still my tastebuds! Here's what I'm making for the five of us:

To drink: kiddie cocktails and Christmas Wine (a local winery makes this wine in white and red - it's slightly spicy with cinnamon, etc., not as strong as glug, but just a perfect hint.)

Appetizers:
Sausage with sweet/spicy horseradish dip
potato chips and onion dip
Nuts

Dinner:
Chuck roast with roasted root veggies (organic from my local CSA farm)
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Stuffing with walnuts
Ham w/pinneaple
Pickled beets

Dessert:
Maybe Pumpkin Pie
Cheese Potica
Walnut Potica
Cookies

[rebecca]

Hams, yams, potato's, stuffing, relish tray, honey buns, shrimp dish, veg. tray, salad, meatballs and all the sweets that everyone made.

[SoccerMedic1974]

We will be having a Cheese lasagna since I am a vegetarian , salad, bread, deviled eggs and lots of desserts.

[acox68]

We are taking a brunch to DH's niece's house so she doesn't have to drag the kids out of the house on Christmas Day. We are taking:

Homemade biscuits and gravy
Amish breakfast casserole
Turkey sausage
Creme Brulee French Toast Bake
Egg, broccoli and cheese cups
Fruit salad
Pumpkin bread and other desserts
Mimosas (champagne and orange juice mixed 1/2 and 1/2)

Andrea

[rosey7415]

we have the christmas buffet at my house. i make: meatballs or a ravioli/cheese casserole, stuffed quohogs, stuffed scallops, clam chowder w/crackers, hot and spicy chicken strips w/blue cheese, crab dip w/chips, a portuguese crockpot of chourico and potatoes (i ordered) and a red velvet cheesecake from bj's. sister joan brings the summertime salad w/shrimp, lg.plate of shrimp w/cocktail sauce. and her famous stuffed mushrooms. sister lorraine brings pastry..cherry cheesecake, lady finger w/ cream dessert....awesome...and bannana cream pie..dh's favorite

some other surprise things show up....but this is the basic menu that we have every year. these are our family favorites as we are all seafood lovers here. we also usually have scallops wrapped in bacon, and hot dog bite crescents....but we are scaling back this year as there is so many leftovers each year and dh doesn't want to eat leftovers for a week.....lol

[Shelli_wnj]

We are having smoked ham, mashed taters, broccoli n cheese, and a tray of ziti. Truthfully I haven't worked out the rest of the details! Agh - it's so close. and gettin closer!

[druthb00]

mmmmm- great stuff you guys - been a long time since I had a twice baked potato, and filet mignon - be still my tastebuds! Here's what I'm making for the five of us:

To drink: kiddie cocktails and Christmas Wine (a local winery makes this wine in white and red - it's slightly spicy with cinnamon, etc., not as strong as glug, but just a perfect hint.)

Appetizers:
Sausage with sweet/spicy horseradish dip
potato chips and onion dip
Nuts

Dinner:
Chuck roast with roasted root veggies (organic from my local CSA farm)
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Stuffing with walnuts
Ham w/pinneaple
Pickled beets

Dessert:
Maybe Pumpkin Pie
Cheese Potica
Walnut Potica
Cookies

Hehe, well trust me...if it were going to be more than the two of us, the filets wouldn't be on the menu LOL. I figure we've only got so many more years we can get away with doing things like this before we have kids and/or have to travel back to IN for holidays.

Oh, and my twice baked potatoes are really easy! I actually microwave them for the first "bake" and then scoop everything out, mix it with scallions, shredded cheese, sour cream, seasonings and stick it back in the shells. The second time they do get baked. But it's pretty quick that way.

We will be having a Cheese lasagna since I am a vegetarian , salad, bread, deviled eggs and lots of desserts.

Mmmm, this reminds me of BF's mom's house on Christmas day. She would always make a homemade lasagna (that rocked!) along with a ham and a turkey. The ham and turkey was always too dry, but her lasagna was delish!

[pip]

I'll be making appetizers on Christmas Eve here ... bbq meatballs, lil smokies, hot artichoke dip with assortment of crackers, herring and crackers, shrimp co**tail, flatbread appetizers, little hotdogs in crescent rolls, cheeses. I'm also going to make a pot of soup, I'm thinking either wild rice or french onion. My mom will bring cookies and pies. I think I'll make some kind of hot cider drink and maybe a cold punch.

Christmas Day, we'll go to mil's. She's having ham. I'm going to bring make ahead mashed potatoes and cranberries.

[rosey7415]

dh just came in and suggested we pick up a french meat pie with gravy.....just one, he says.............so here we go.......scale down my butt.....and he was the complainer about too much.....lol can't win...