what's on your Christmas menu?

**forestdale** · 10-15-2004, 04:57 PM

As you know, here in australia it's almost summer. Christmas day for us is hot, the last two Christmas days have been 40+C (104F). Although some people still have the tradtional hot turkey and baked ham for Christmas, we always have a cold meal.

This year our menu is:

Chili BBQ prawns
Cold organic ham on the bone
Cold organic chicken

Asparagus/ green salad/ tomato and basil salad
German potato salad

Strawberry, mango and passionfruit pavlova
Stained glass fruit cake

Champagne/beer/soft drinks

All our food will be prepared from scratch and some of it will be from our garden.

We will serve the above for lunch on Christmas day to my family, there will probably be about 10 of us. The airconditioner will by on, the dogs will be inside with us in the cool and there will be so many people talking, it will be difficult to know if you're Arthur or Martha. I'm looking forward to it.

How different will your Christmas be to mine?

**guest2** · 10-15-2004, 05:28 PM

Bethany,
Recipe please for your Strawberry, mango and passionfruit pavlova.

Sounds like my kind of dessert!

I make potato cheese soup for Christmas Eve each year.

Christmas morning is homemade banana bread and cranberry orange bread, cinnamon and orange rolls, sausages, fruit juices, coffee and hot chocolate.

Christmas Dinner is Baked Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole and pies.

**kimmee** · 10-15-2004, 05:28 PM

We usually have Prime Rib - which I can eat on hot days or cold days or in a box or with an ox, LOL.
We have that with Yorkshire pudding and veggies, and salads and tons of dessert type things include my famous (at my house) Fudge Truffle Torte! Yum!!

**QuilterMom** · 10-15-2004, 05:33 PM

We'll probably have organic turkey, but I would love to do something different this year and have a really nice shrimp dish. I tried to convince dh to do that last year and he wouldn't hear of it. We'll most likely have what we always do - homemade mac and cheese, corn, green bean casserole, dressing, squash casserole, plantation biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, and deviled eggs. None of that will go very well with shrimp! LOL All of our food will be organic of course since that's how we eat on a daily basis. We'll have a chocolate sheet cake (Happy Birthday Jesus cake) for dessert.

**sunshine** · 10-15-2004, 06:45 PM

This year dh and the kids will go to the inlaws for Christmas-- so the menu will be snacks and finger foods. You know-- cheese balls, BBQ weiners, etc.

**forestdale** · 10-15-2004, 07:15 PM

my Christmas pavlova
(8-10 portions)

8 large egg whites
pinch salt
500g fine sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teasoon vinegar
(The last two ingredients help stop the pav from becoming too dry and crackly.)

Preheat oven to 180C. Get a baking sheet ready with a circle of baking paper cut to the size or shape you want the pav to be.

Beat the whites and salt until soft peaks for, then slowly add the sugar while beating and then add the corn starch and vinegar in the final 30 seconds of beating. Pile the mix onto the baking sheet in the shape you want. Smooth the top and sides - it's important to have straight sides and it helps stabilise the pav when it's cooked and loaded (LOL).

Put in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 150C and cook for 90 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pav in the oven to cool completely.

When you're ready to eat the pavlova, beat 500 mls thick cream and wack it on top of the pav. Cut up your fresh strawberries and mango cheeks, I try to cut them into bite sized chunks that don't look like they've come from a tin, they need to look fresh. KWIM. When you've got all this arranged how you like, cut up 6 passionfruit and spoon over the pulp to cover the tops of the other fruits.

This is delicious, Debbie, I hope you enjoy it.

**Julia Kimber** · 10-16-2004, 01:08 AM

Various cold meats, salad, pickled onions etc and usually an ice cream dessert.
Julia

**canadian gardener** · 10-16-2004, 01:56 PM

hmmm Bethany, I'd be coming to your place if I could afford the plane ticket!!!!

that is one fine meal!!!!!

around here its the usual:

Turkey, stuffing and gravy with
yams
brussel sprouts

smoked oysters,
olives
cranberry sauce for the nice pickle side bits

and christmas cake and shortbread for dessert.

**Ellise** · 10-16-2004, 04:31 PM

We usually have a traditional Christmas meal with family. But this year since we;re going to Texas there's no telling what we'll have.

Once home though the guys will want:

Matzo ball soup
Matzo balls
Turkey & Stuffing
Hostess Ham
Creamed potatoes w/ gravy
Corn
Green beans
Homemade Mac & Cheese
Fresh Cranberry relish
Homemade Christmas bread
Sugar cookies
Apple pie (ds)
Chocolate pie (dh)

Morning after breakfast:
pancakes, cranberry - orange bread, bacon, ham, scones
muffins, pastries, hot tea, hot cocoa, hot apple cider.

We always have finger / snack foods during the holidays from Hanukkah till 02 Jan it's festive around here.

**pkellyc** · 10-20-2004, 07:52 PM

Christmas at mil's is roast beef, mashed potatoes, vegtable casserole, tossed salad and rolls. Cheesecake for dessert. (12:00 p.m.)
Christmas at my sister's includes turkey, stuffing, ham, holiday rice casserole (provided by me), squash casserole, rolls, salad cheescake, and fudge. ( between 5&6 p.m.)

**pip** · 10-21-2004, 05:12 PM

pkellyc,
What's the recipe for your holiday rice casserole? Sounds good!

**wantsabug** · 10-21-2004, 10:05 PM

My sisters and I all make different dishes and get together at my Moms. Turkey, Ham Casseroles, Pecan Pie, Sweet Potato Pie. Cheesecake. My Mom is 93 and Dh's Mom usually goes with us. All the grandkids run around and make a mess and have a ball. I wish just one year I could just sit down and have someone wait on me. I know I won't have Mom many more years so I just try to enjoy myself and my family.

**PrairieRose** · 10-22-2004, 10:00 AM

My dmom and dmil aren't able to host the family gatherings anymore so we do them here.
For Christmas we have:

Turkey and dressing (my dkids insist)
Ham
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Green bean casserole
Cranberry salad
Broccoli and cheese/and or rice casserole
Green salad with homemade dressings
Rolls and breads of all kinds
and just for Darlene, some type of jello salad - which I will be foregoing myself since I know what's in it now.
We also have pecan and pumpkin pies with whipped cream.
I'm feeling diabetic just talking about it all.

**blueknitter** · 10-22-2004, 10:26 AM

We have Mexican for our Christmas dinner at home. Usually Enchiladas or Burritoes, chips and salsa, guacamole, refried beans and cheese, yellow rice, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and something cinnamony for dessert.

Breakfast is what is in our stockings, as we eat an early dinner at home.

We have a total of three Christmases most years, sometimes four. That's a lot of turkey to have to choke down in a week.