Help me cook Xmas dinner!

[SandraC]

Hi! Xmas dinner at my house this year! YIKES! First time ~ 17 people ~ 17 nice people who know I'm nervous about it! YIKES AGAIN!

I've cooked turkeys before, but this is different! I'll have 17 people in my house and great big tree! AND A 2 YEAR OLD and a great big tree!

I need help with:
simplicity
menu
timing

We are eating at 3pm and everyone will arrive about 3pm, we'll eat right away and clear everything out of the living room for Xmas festivities!

THANKS

[eleanor]

I always cook the turkey the day before and make the gravy. Wrap it and put it in the frig without cutting it. {take out the dressing}. Next day just warm it a little before cutting.It gets rid of alot of mess. Make all your desserts days before.Set the table the night before and Christmas day you only have the veggies to do. Eleanor

[Taryn]

I totally agree... turkey and gravy the night before...

No worries about it cooking to slowly or too long... saved my sanity more than once...

We even carved and laid out the platter the night before once and just to be sure it wouldn't be dry once reheated I mixed some of the drippings (saved before gravy was made) with some broth and drizzled that over the meat and covered with foil to re-heat. I think it was the most moist flavourful turkey we ever had.

Easy easy easy... and sooooo much less mess... and we didn't have the traffic jam in the oven if you know what I mean!

[SandraC]

THANKS! I once made a Thanksgiving turkey about three days before and wrapped it in foil. It was nice, but the house didn't smell like turkey on Xmas day. MIL thinks I should cook the turkey days before, I think I might do that. NOW, what turkey and when should I buy it. Its been sooooooooo long since I'll done a turkey. 17 people, how many pounds do I need. HI TARYN! How are you?

[grover]

Sandra- I can't be of much help to you as I am known to NOT be a great cook-On my first x-mas dinner 10 years ago I dropped the cooked turkey on the kitchen floor!! ! However I know that the people over on the recipe and scrapbooking board could be of great help to you! They have given me numerous great ideas and recipes- check it out! Will any of your 17 guests be bringing anything-that could be a great help, they could each show off their best dish!

Grover in Winnipeg :D :smooth: :D :smooth: :D

[Taryn]

Hi Sandra!

Frantically packing for DISCON... I leave in... Oh my... 21 hours... *faints*

We thought it was silly to get a free range fresh until we did one year and it was sooo good... I don't even like turkey and it was the first year I ate it! We could have like three people and we would still probably get a 25 pounder. My BF can eat it for months and never get tired of it, so I have no idea!

I'll check this thread when I get back!

Oh, and as far as your house smelling like turkey... well sometimes I simmer spices on the stove like pot pourri... just some herbs and spices in water usually cinnamon and vanilla or cloves or something... why not simmer the same spices as you have in your stuffing all day... thyme, rosemary... that might work! *getting hungry*

[TimNDansMom]

Sandra, I'm not much of a cook, but my family comes over for Christmas dinner since I now have the larger house. I have been using the Butterball pre-stuffed turkey for a few years now and I found they are great for me. Just pop it in the oven, still frozen~no muss, no fuss!
I've also used the store's (Zehrs or Sobey's) own pre-stuffed turkey and it was pretty good too. The only thing is that you may not be able to find one in a large enough size for 17 people. Last year I cooked it the day before and it worked so well, that I'm going to do it again from now on. Turkey always tastes better the next day anyway. I think I also made the gravy the day before too.

[from Canada]

Julie, Im curious about cooking the turkey from frozen...are there instructions on the outer wrap on how to do this? If not, how would I do that? I think that sounds like a great idea. Half of my trouble with turkey is figuring out how/where to thaw it safely, and in time to cook. I have done fresh too, but then there's the hassle of picking it up at last minute, and Im working right up 'til the big day.TIA
Karen

[cottontail]

Eleanor:

How long do you warm up a turkey that was cooked the day before and at what temp?

Also Sandra, you could cook two medium size turkeys, if you cannot find a big enough one for l7 people.
My family always does a turkey and a ham (one of the ones that just needs warming, like the schneiders old fashioned ham, and warm it in a little apple juice and some pinapple pieces.) They also do that whipped potatoe thing with the philedelphia cream cheese, sour cream and mashed potatoes, (make it about a week ahead and freeze) and take it out of the freezer and thaw in fridge then warm it on xmas day. Good luck,

Deb.

[eleanor]

Hi I warm the turkey at about 225 for 20 to 30 mins covered with foil.The idea of a few dribbles of drippings sounds good . also you still get the turkey smell .Ialso warm up the dressing at the same time.

[TimNDansMom]

Karen, the turkeys that are to be cooked from frozen are specially prepared. They are pre-stuffed with a herb stuffing and all you do is remove the turkey from the plastic wrapper and peel off the giblets which are frozen to the outside of the turkey in a bag and put it straight into the oven. Just like a regular turkey, there are cooking times, according to the weight, located somewhere on the outer packaging. I personally use one of those throw-away aluminum roasting pans and I'll put an aluminum tent over the turkey when it's browned enough. About an hour before it should be ready I stick a meat thermometer into the turkey.

When these frozen pre-stuffed turkeys first came out, only Butterball seemed to make them, they were smaller birds and hard to find, but I have noticed lately, that the grocery stores also carry their own brands, the birds are larger and by the number I see now in the freezers, have become very popular. They are more expensive, so you have to weigh that against the convenience of not having to prepare a bird yourself.

My BIL was horrified that I was not preparing a turkey from scratch when he and my sister first came over for Christmas dinner a few years ago. He was quite surprised how good it was and now my sister buys pre-stuffed turkeys too!

Hope this helps! :)

[Baboo]

Hi Sandra! I noticed that Loblaws has a deboned stuffed turkey abailable this year. This makes it easier to carve it too. It may seem more expensive, but you won't be paying for bones. Maybe you could give this a try. I think that if you are using a regular turkey they say to allow 1/2 a pound per adult since this includes the weight of the bones.

[SandraC]

YIPPY! Thanks! Did the Loblaws turkey come with dark meat too? A couple years ago I bought a white meat only bird, breast only. I never ate the dark meat, but I missed it ~ I'm odd. THANKS!

I am trying to figure out a way we can have a 'sit down' meal. I think with 17 people, we'll be eating off our laps!

[Limmer]

Cottontail, I had never heard of potatoes like that until I ate my MIL's. They are fabulous and I now have my mother making them too! Sandra I highly recommend these potatoes. My MIL uses 1 block of cream cheese and one container of sour cream for a large pot of potatoes.

Also for dessert the best (and easiest) recipe for mini white chocolate cheesecakes is on the back of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (there are all kinds of recipes on the back of the cans with a picture on the front showing the dessert) . These take about a half an hour and they always go like hotcakes. They can be made 3-4 days in advance. On the day add a little whip cream and a small piece of fruit and you are ready to go.

[PoohBWV]

Just wanted to add that I have never thought of cooking the turkey the day before. I always make the cream cheese mashed potatos and a sweet potato casserole the day before, and of course the pies, but now you guys have got me thinking about the turkey as well. We always have a big brunch in the morning as well as the turkey dinner and I really have to watch what I make for brunch, because the turkeys always in the oven! Hmmmm......

[sammi]

Hi Sandra! Yes the deboned turkeys from Loblaws or in our city No Frills are President's Choice brands and are a complete (even dark meat) turkey that only has the drumsticks in them in order for the turkey to hold it shape when presenting it at the table. It also comes fully stuffed and the price is a bit steep but then again everything is edible and there is no waste with bones etc. The price in Hamilton is $4.49 lb and I'm really curious as to what they taste like. Hmmmmm maybe I'll get one and give it a try! Good luck with whatever bird you choose!;) :)

[TimNDansMom]

You should give it a try, PoohBWV. It was so easy to reach into the fridge and pull out the already-carved-turkey and just warm it up in the oven or microwave! And since all the paraphernalia associated with cooking and carving the turkey had been washed and put away the day before, I didn't have the added stress of a big clean-up after everyone goes home.

Sammi and Baboo, those de-boned turkeys sound interesting! I might just give one a try this Christmas if I can find one.

[CindyAnn]

Here's another vote for the Butterball pre-stuffed frozen turkey. My mother bought it by accident for Thanksgiving one year, and we've used it ever since. There are simple to follow instructions on the package, based on the weight of the turkey. In my experience Butterball has been tastier than other brands, but I haven't tried anything else for the last three or four years, either.

We just put it in the oven at about 11:00 or so on Christmas day, so that it's ready by 5:00 in the afternoon (again, that might vary depending upon the actual weight). To me one of the important considerations is food safety. I don't like turkey standing around anywhere, and this way it goes straight from frozen solid to being cooked in your oven.

One of our other traditions is cheese & egg strata for Christmas breakfast. It's a little bit like a souffle, but prepared the night before. We get up, I pop the strata in the oven, and by the time the stockings are opened and played with, the strata has cooked and we can have a substantial breakfast before attacking the rest of the presents.

Speaking of presents - I think I'd better go an wrap some in a few minutes!

[tigercat]

I also cook my turkey the day before then cut it up and put the dripping on it so that it stays moist when reheating it. Also the stuffing is made the day before that. I peel the potatoes (we have mashed potatoes) and cook and mash them the day before. We also have mashed turnip and again that is cooked the day before. Carrots are peeled and put in cold water. The punch is made and put into containers, the table is set, and the serving dishes are readied. This is all done the day before. Then Christmas day when people come everything is organized and ready to go. Just heat and serve pretty well. I have been doing this for years and it has worked really well. I used to do dinners for my family and there were 25 to 30 people there (just my brothers and sisters and their kids). Now there is just my kids and I so there is only 9 people but I still do things the day before. We have our dinner at 12 p.m. so it makes my morning very nice. (We open our gifts after dinner)
tigercat

[sammi]

Another great idea Sandra, that I tried a few years ago was cooking the turkey the day before and then slicing and layering the meat between layers of lettuce! I heard about this somewhere and thought I'd give it a try and boy was the meat so moist and very tender!;) The water in the lettuce keeps everything so moist so that it really does taste like it's fresh from the oven! Hope this helps you out!:wave: :wave:

[SandraC]

THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE! I am touched by all your wonderful advice on XMas dinner cooking this year! I feel like you are all in my kitchen with helping hands! xoxoxoxoxox

Today I am going to to Loblaws and maybe No Frills to see what sort of turkeys they have, I like the idea of the no-bone stuffed bird. But $4.49! WOW! I think I would end up paying $100! But dh and I love the idea, I am definately going to take a look! We like left overs!

I live in a townhouse, it's pretty big for a townhouse, but I have an L-shaped living/dinning room with a TREE! I would like to do a sit-down dinner but not certain about the room. We all agreed that whatever time I set for dinner is the time people arrive, if they are late ~ too bad! It might sound cruel, but we started with rule a while ago and it works great! No 'fashionable late' folks and everything runs smooth, the host(ess) has no worries with this rule either.

I am going to inventory my deep freezer right now and make my list! And check it twice! LOL!

SIL is bringing a wonderful turnip casserole! It's sooooo good!

MIL will bring a dessert, but I bought two already, Bread and Butter Pudding and Mississauga Mud Pie, so chocolate and gooey is covered, I'll let her bring something fruity.

BIL will bring wine.

I do the rest!

What do you think so far:

Turkey
stuffing
cranberries (in a can)
gravy
sour cream/cream cheese mashed potatoes
scalloped potatoes (I like two choices and they are easy)
turnip casserole
yams
peas
green beans
rolls

What am I missing? THANKS! xoxoxoxoxxo SaNdRa

[sammi]

Yummmm Sandra!:) Sounds like a really nice dinner is going to happen at your house! I don't think you've forgotten anything! It's also so nice (and easy) when you planned out and "set" the rules for your dinner.....kinda like pre-planning your day at WDW right? LOL;) Everything will go very smoothly for you on Christmas Day when you have a plan set. Also the de-boned turkey's that I saw averaged about $35.00 each and you're not paying for all the bones either ......so less waste too.

Sandra the turnip casserole sounds delicious......do you think you could get the recipe and post it here for me? I would love to try it as I love turnip!

Good luck with your shopping today and your dinner!:D :wave: :wave: :wave:

[cottontail]

Hi Sammi:

Do you put all this sliced meat back in the roasting pan, or in foil. Do you add any kind of gravy or just the sliced turkey and pieces of lettuce. Do you warm for about 20 min at 300degrees.
Thanks,

Deb.

[sammi]

Hi Deb! When I did the turkey like that I sliced the meat and put it all into plastic Tupperware (plastic) type containers, then layered the lettuce in between, and then put it in the fridge overnight. Christmas day I put the meat in the oven in a foil tray and covered it tightly with foil. I think I took all of the lettuce out before heating (it's been a few years since I did this). As for as how long...hmmmmmm I'd say around 300F or 350F and just keep checking it to see how warm the middle of the pan is getting.Yes you could add a bit of broth or gravy too just to help keep it moist. I know the meat turned out really nice and you know how dry white meat can get. I got a lot of nice comments about it.:)

Good luck with your "bird" LOL;)

[CindyAnn]

Hi Sandra. Your menu looks delicious so far. I was just going to suggest that you go with fresh cranberries. I promise that it's dead simple to make cranberry jelly, and the recipe is right on the bag. I'm guessing you would probably need two bags for your crowd. I always make it two or three days in advance and then refrigerate it. As far as I remember you just need the fresh cranberries, water, and sugar, + maybe lemon juice?

Also, does your family go in for any nibbles before the meal as people are arriving? Just a thought. I really like the President's Choice cream cheese & smoked salmon ring which just needs to be thawed and served with crackers.

I'm glad you posted this - you've got me thinking about it, too.

[cottontail]

Hi everyone:

Don't forget about the wdw xmas parade on t.v. at l0.00 on christmas day. At least that is what is said in the hamilton spectator in the specials section. Enjoy,

Deb.

[TimNDansMom]

Hi! I'm so glad that everyone posted their ideas here. I am actually starting to feel motivated instead of overwhelmed about Christmas Day. I am definitely going to make some changes this year. I really like the idea of an early dinner. It will be an adjustment for my family~they all tend to be "fashionably late" too, Sandra LOL~but I'm going to tell them dinner is now at an earlier and designated time.

I agree with CindyAnn about the fresh cranberries. I usually use the canned ones when it's just us, but my Mom always brings the fresh ones over for Christmas and they ARE delicious!.

The past few years I have played "Martha Stewart" and had a big spread of Christmas baking, veggies and dip, cheese and crackers and a punch for everyone to snack on during the day. Of course, when it's time for dinner everyone is already stuffed. :rolleyes:

Since we are leaving for our WDW trip on Boxing Day, I don't want to be overly tired or stuffed for the long drive, so I've decided to serve dinner at lunch time, or shortly after. That means no (or not many) snacks are required~that means less work for me! We can have dessert (usually a pie and Christmas pudding)/coffee/tea in the late afternoon and by then all the dinner dishes will be done and put away. Dan and Tim can help with this!

I bought a President's Choice pre-stuffed yesterday~a little cheaper than the butterball~so that's one thing off my list!

I'm planning to get as much done as possible the day before because I want to watch the xmas parade, too!:)

[SandraC]

Everyone has been so helpful here! THANK YOU ALL!

I think I will make fresh cranberries this year!

I bought my turkeyS, yes plural! I had to buy two turkeys! I went to four stores this weekend and NOTHING was big enough. We have BIG eaters and we NEED leftovers! So I bought two pre-stuffed, cook from frozen turkeys. I'll cook one on Saturday and one on Sunday before Christmas. I hope the stuffing lasts. I have bought a cook-from-frozen bird before, but not stuffed. I cheated and bought a book of Stove Top Stuffing too, just in case I need it. I have my desserts, most veggies, all the beverages (except wine/beer), we did a dry-run of setting the table yesterday since yesterday is when the tree went up and I could better see seating in the dining/living room! EXCELLENT NEWS ~ I can do a sit-down meal! It will be tight, but it will work! I have one more shopping day before I cook to pick up the freshest stuff (carrots, potatoes, rolls etc.,.).

We will eat at 3pm, so they'll all arrive at 3pm. Big feast! Followed by desserts, tea, coffee. Then we will take down the tables and push the dinner room table to the back wall giving us lots of room to move around and open gifts. I will set up drinks, more coffee and tea on the dinner room table and it's SERVE YOURSELF DRINKS! After gifts I will put out a few after dinner munchies, I have Ovation mints and other mints, cheese ball with crackers, I will make chocolate truffles this week and I am making biscotti as I type right now (MY KITCHEN SMELLS LOVELY!). I figure one savory snack (cheese balls and crackers), one chocolate snack (truffles) and one fancy cookie snack (coffee/choc/cinnamon biscotti) with tea and coffee will do. They will all leave around 7:30 pm (ish, give or take 30 minutes). I can tidy up the kitchen and get the dishwasher going and THEN my family and I will sit down and watch the DISNEY CHRISTMAS PARADE ON TAPE!

[sammi]

WOW Sandra!!!!:D That sounds fantastic.....what a wonderful dinner you've planned!;)

What time should me and my family be there for????LOL

I think you've got everything planned and you'll do just fine. I can't wait to hear how it goes......Merry Christmas to you and your family!........Cindy!:wave: :wave: :sunny: :sunny:

[TimNDansMom]

Ditto that~WOW, Sandra!!! Have a wonderful Christmas Day!

I'm interested in your coffee/choc/cinnamon biscotti. Is that all in one recipe? I make plain almond and a choc/almond biscotti and your's sounds very interesting. Could you post the recipe? Thanks a million! :)