So what's on your holiday menu? Lets share, and get and give some new ideas

[LovesTimone]

Hi everyone...

So we are having our Family Christmas on Christmas Eve this year. I decided that I was not cooking do some big meal... instead more heavy appetizers and snack and of course dessert... LOL

So here's my menu - Pairing down for just the 5 of us was challenging to say the least... When I am normally cooking for around 8 or 10 now a days, during the holidays. So really small plates instead of full on platters.

Publix Chicken Tender tray with honey-mustard - this is the only tray that I am ordering.
Pepperoni and Cheese Roll and Ham and Cheese Roll - you make them with frozen bread... I will have a small plate with lettuce, tomato sliced, onions, and marinara dipping sauce for the pepperoni roll, and mayo with a bit of dry ranch packet mix or herb mayo for the Ham and Cheese roll.
Shrimp Platter - cocktail sauce and lemon wedges
Veggie platter
Fruit Platter with fruit dip - cream cheese and marshmallow fluff, some nutmeg and vanilla
Several different dips for everything - along with crackers and chips... Ranch, Blue Cheese, French onion, - and either Shrimp or Seafood dip..
Pickles and Olives and some other pickled veggies
I might make some pasta salad - it has a buttermilk kinda ranch and blue cheese dressing not sure right this minute... but I have to make it the night before so depending on my time...

Brownies
Apple spice cake
Christmas cookies...


Christmas Day
DH and I will be at Epcot, and having a late lunch at Rose and Crown...

Updated: 12/20 -

Originally I had no earthly idea about New Years Eve and New Years Day.. So yesterday we decided...

New Years Eve - We are going to do our version of a low country boil... lots of crab legs, shrimp, scallops, sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes. With some crusty bread of some sort... some Land Sharks for DH and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling for me..

New Years Day - leaning towards, Either Chinese or Japanese - I think that we are wanting to go out and eat... If our little local Japanese place is open then we are going there... if not our local Chinese place for to go for sure, my neighbor said that they are asking for you to order ahead so that they are prepared...




So what's everyone else having... ?

 

[BadPinkTink]

Following this and I will come back and post photos next week. This year its just me and my mom. We have very different tastes in food so it just naturally worked out that this year we are both making our own food on Christmas Day. My mom is very traditional and has planned basically the same menu as we have had for the last 40 years. I am taking this opportunity to cook food that is not traditional but food that I love. I am planning various restaurant copycat recipes and cooking things from scratch.

 

[tasha99]

It's just me and my husband. For Christmas, we are having yakiniku (Japanese bbq) with wagyu flatiron steak and scallops as the meat. Probably spinach and broccoli (in separate packets), and onions (grilled directly) for veggies.

Not sure about Christmas Eve or New Years Eve yet. We are having a belated anniversary dinner tonight of salad, French bread and crab legs w/ butter. We held off a bit hoping to get fresh dungeness crab, but no luck. Maybe for New Years it will be available.

 

[LilyWDW]

It is now just me for the whole of the holiday.

Yule will be a bone in ribeye, baked potato, and roasted zucchini.

Christmas eve is a beef and spinach lasagna, garlic bread, and cheesecake.

Christmas day will be leftover lasagna for dinner. I will be doing cheese and crackers, summer sausage, chicken tenders, and spinach dip for lunch and cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

New Years eve I usually do snacks and apps. Going to be planning that this week.

New Years day I will do something "fancy" but again, will be planning that this week as well.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I will be hosting my mom and my sister’s family for Christmas Eve

cheese ball in the shape of Rudolph
Shrimp cocktail
Prime rib roast
Lobster tails
Mashed potato bar
Rosemary rolls
Oreo cheesecake

My mom hosts Christmas. Much more casual.

honey ham
Potato salad
Baked beans
Broccoli casserole
Various pies and cookies

 

[SaintsManiac]

Mini meat pies
Finger sandwiches
Deviled eggs
Cheeses and crackers and fig jam
Cauliflower Mac and cheese
Chocolate chip cookie pie

 

[leebee]

Christmas dinner is always casual at our house. About 15 years ago I realized everyone was having a wonderful Christmas, watching football and holiday specials, reading their Christmas books, playing with Christmas games... except me. I was in the kitchen, making brunch, cleaning up from brunch, making mid-afternoon apps, cleaning up from apps, making dinner, cleaning up from dinner, and then dropping exhausted into bed (as I am up pretty late on Christmas Eve, wrapping). I put my foot down and said "no more!"
It's just DH and me for brunch and the afternoon, as DD is working 6a-3p. Breakfast will be bagels and fruit... maybe yogurt, or maybe an overnight breakfast casserole. Mid-afternoon there will be soup that I make several days in advance, maybe some bread and cheese, maybe onion dip or buff-chicken dip.
Supper will be DH, DD, DD's boyfriend and his 4 year old son, and me. This year we are having stuffed shells (from Sam's) and either meatballs (homemade if I get ambitious on the 23rd, or Bove's frozen) or rotisserie chicken (also from Sam's) with a veggie tray from.. Sam's! There will also be lettuce if anyone wants to make the veggie tray into salad, and a loaf of bread (guess where I get that, too?). Dessert will be where the effort is, but made in advance: Red velvet cake and Boston cream pie (although lemon meringue is also calling to me). I intend to spend most of Christmas Day reading my new books that DH ALWAYS gets for me!

 

[nw6675]

Brown sugar ham
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Green beans
Deviled eggs
Yeast rolls
Cherry pie and ice cream

Christmas Eve is chili and finger food. Haven't made a pineapple pecan cheese ball in awhile so may include that.

 

[Immadismom]

I am still trying to decide. Christmas Eve will just be DH and I, and Christmas Day we’ll have our three kids (19, 18, 17) and likely DD’s boyfriend. Thinking I might do a small spiral ham, cheesy potatoes, rolls, and a dessert. If I make it Christmas Eve, we can just have the leftovers the next day and be done.

 

[MomToOne]

We normally travel to my brother's for Christmas, so I don't usually cook, but we called off the trip this year and I was left scrambling to come up with a menu for myself, DD20 and her boyfriend. After a week of negotiations, we decided on the menu and I did the shopping today. I wanted meals that were special, but not too much effort - I want to enjoy the days too, and not be in the ktichen the whole time.

Christmas Eve will start with a hot crab dip. Dinner itself is going to be take out from the "fancy" Chinese restaurant in town. A soup (probably hot and sour), Peking Duck (YUM!), gai lan (Chinese brocolli), and a noodle dish of some sort. Maybe one other dish of DDs choosing. This is traditionally the bigger day for my family, so we will do a zoom dinner and then our gift exchange with them.

Christmas breakfast is going to be a veggie frittata, sausage, real NY bagels (courtesy of Goldbelly) with cream cheese and lox, and a hot chocolate bar (DDs request - mine will have coffee in it!). A mimosa may make its way into my hands too

Christmas dinner is going to be Maine lobster tails, artichokes and scalloped potatoes.

We are making a single dessert to cover both days, since there are just 3 of us. We've decided on a chocolate caramel pecan torte. Never made it before, but looks good. We'll have backup "Santa cookies" in case it's a fail.

Either New Year's Eve or New Year's day will be Prime Rib. Not sure what sides yet. I'd rather do it New Year's Eve, but I'm working that day - or at least claiming to LOL - so it'll probably end up being New Years day.

 

[tikilyn]

Our big meal will be on Christmas Eve. There is only 5 of us and I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. Our menu will be
Stuff salmon (from Sam's)
4 cheese gnocchi
parmesan and bacon brussel sprouts
sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls
and my daughter is going to make a chocolate cake that has stout and mayo in it. Lord help us! LOL

Christmas day is usually laid back for our family.
Breakfast home made cinnamon rolls
lunch croissant sandwiches
dinner probably a frozen pizza! LOL

 

[boop0524]

Just DH and I this year. A small meal with our favs, and I’ll break out the China for the first Christmas in our new house. Dinner and presents on Christmas Eve as he is working on Christmas (boo). Menu as of now:

Ham, brown sugar glazed
Green bean casserole
Scalloped potatoes
Possibly squash
Sweet Hawaiian crescent rolls
Dessert - half pie from Fresh Market

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Christmas Eve - this is our big day. We will go to my grandmas and have pasteles, pernil (roast pork), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), coquito (coconut rum drink) and arroz con Dulce (sweet rice pudding dessert). Then we will probably stop at my brothers house where my SIL makes a full soul food spread (she’s an amazing cook). We then open gifts at midnight.

Christmas Day - This is our rest day. I’ll probably make a quiche and DD14 (who has really gotten into cooking) will maybe her buttermilk pancakes. We will stop at my grandmas around lunch and have the leftovers from Xmas eve. I’ll make a charcuterie board for the evening. My SO suggested a lasagna but I don’t think we will be hungry for a full meal.

NYE - we will have traditional Puerto Rican party food. Rice, roast pork, potato salad, plantains, macaroni salad, green banana salad with gizzards, bacalao salad and mini sized fritangas (fried snacks/apps).

New Years Day - it’s usually Some kind of soup for the hangover. Lol. Everyone usually puts money together and MIL makes an oxtail soup and everyone goes to her house but that’s not happening this year. I won’t attempt to make that soup myself so Chinese food it is.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

We're ordering our Christmas dinner from a local farm (Verrill Farm in Concord, MA if anyone here knows it). Their food is delicious! We're getting:

-braised beef short ribs with a side of polenta
-scalloped potatoes
-bacon wrapped scallops
-chocolate creme de menth cake (peppermint mousse, vanilla buttercream, ganache top, chocolate garnish)

I'm also going to make garlic butter green beans.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Christmas Eve, we'll have chicken parm. We're not a "fancy" family, but I'll probably have a salad and homemade garlic bread.

Christmas breakfast will be overnight cinnamon roll French toast. I'll serve this with OJ, fresh fruit, and the good bacon. (Memo to self: order the good bacon).

Christmas dinner will be a smoked standing rib roast, Stouffer's mac and cheese (don't laugh--it's considered a delicacy in our house), glazed carrots, rolls, salad. For snacking, we'll have cookies, shrimp cocktail, and leftovers.

New Year's Eve will be heavy appetizers--vegetables and dip, fruit with dip, maybe wings, cocktail meatballs in jelly, maybe little smokies. New Year's Day won't be anything special--probably leftovers.

 

[LovesTimone]

Christmas dinner is always casual at our house. About 15 years ago I realized everyone was having a wonderful Christmas, watching football and holiday specials, reading their Christmas books, playing with Christmas games... except me. I was in the kitchen, making brunch, cleaning up from brunch, making mid-afternoon apps, cleaning up from apps, making dinner, cleaning up from dinner, and then dropping exhausted into bed (as I am up pretty late on Christmas Eve, wrapping). I put my foot down and said "no more!"
It's just DH and me for brunch and the afternoon, as DD is working 6a-3p. Breakfast will be bagels and fruit... maybe yogurt, or maybe an overnight breakfast casserole. Mid-afternoon there will be soup that I make several days in advance, maybe some bread and cheese, maybe onion dip or buff-chicken dip.
Supper will be DH, DD, DD's boyfriend and his 4 year old son, and me. This year we are having stuffed shells (from Sam's) and either meatballs (homemade if I get ambitious on the 23rd, or Bove's frozen) or rotisserie chicken (also from Sam's) with a veggie tray from.. Sam's! There will also be lettuce if anyone wants to make the veggie tray into salad, and a loaf of bread (guess where I get that, too?). Dessert will be where the effort is, but made in advance: Red velvet cake and Boston cream pie (although lemon meringue is also calling to me). I intend to spend most of Christmas Day reading my new books that DH ALWAYS gets for me!

Good for you... Enjoy...

 

[LovesTimone]

Christmas Eve, we'll have chicken parm. We're not a "fancy" family, but I'll probably have a salad and homemade garlic bread.

Christmas breakfast will be overnight cinnamon roll French toast. I'll serve this with OJ, fresh fruit, and the good bacon. (Memo to self: order the good bacon).

Christmas dinner will be a smoked standing rib roast, Stouffer's mac and cheese (don't laugh--it's considered a delicacy in our house), glazed carrots, rolls, salad. For snacking, we'll have cookies, shrimp cocktail, and leftovers.

New Year's Eve will be heavy appetizers--vegetables and dip, fruit with dip, maybe wings, cocktail meatballs in jelly, maybe little smokies. New Year's Day won't be anything special--probably leftovers.

I love glazed carrots... over the last few years... I finally perfected the way my family loves them even my DD who really doesn't like carrots... I steam them first in a electric steamer, to just right at done, I melt a stick of butter, honey, some brown sugar, ( you can use maple syrup, for a nice maple favor if you like) and quite a few shakes of Worcestershire, salt and pepper... Once just to done, I drain off any water which is normally not very much, then add them to the pan, with the butter mixture... and let them simmer for a while... so good...

 

[tvguy]

Stay at home order here, so Christmas gatherings, like Thanksgiving gatherings, forbidden. And not smart. So just my wife and I. So smallest ham we could find, fresh green beans, homemade apple and pumpkin pies.

 

[easyas123]

Pairing down for just the 5 of us was challenging to say the least

This is something I've struggled with this year, I never realized how many 'traditional" meals we have this month. We have/had a set meal for a few different situations/get togethers all during December. Once it became apparent that many of those gatherings wouldn't be happening or would look very different, I needed to give up some of those traditional meals. Frankly, it was hard to do! I found myself saying a few times "but we always have that, we have to have that!".
Next Year.
But for this year, we will keep with our food traditions 100% on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.
Christmas Eve mid-morning we usually go out for breakfast - obviously this will look different, so maybe a drive or a hike if it's not raining with a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks or Dunkin?
Christmas Eve late afternoon/early evening - we do a take on the 7 fishes. This year it looks like clams, crab dip, king crab clusters, steamed shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops and fried smelt. Add to that a bit of sliced ham, some rolls and a seafood mac & cheese. Cookies & Chocolate peppermint cake.
Christmas morning - traditional late breakfast, Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, scrapple, hashbrowns, eggs, creamed chip beef. I don't make any lunch or nibbles since always have so many leftovers from Christmas Eve!
Christmas Dinner - I make two ducks, one w/ orange sauce and a turkey. All the usual trimmings.

And then leftovers for days!

 

[DisneyHardin]

We normally eat at my aunt's house on Christmas, but that is not happening this year, so just DH and I will be at home. I am planning to cook a big breakfast (biscuits and gravy, bacon and eggs). Then later in the day I am going to do appetizers and we are going to watch A Christmas Story. I have bought a shrimp ring, mozzarella sticks and little pigs in a blanket.