What are you making for Christmas Eve Dinner?

[yeheyprincex2]

Thankfully I do not cook for Christmas Eve. We will be going to my SIL house for pozole traditional Mexican stew with pork and hominy. Lots of snack and desserts cookies,cakes,for the wait till midnight hour to open presents.

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you need an easy dinner, we are having lemon butter garlic shrimp over orzo with ceasar salad. Very fancy, very celebrational, very easy (and very quick to pull together - I preshell the shrimp and even pre-prep the sauce, so when I get home Christmas Eve, I just throw the 2 together in a skillet while I cook the orzo).

 

[Egdisney]

I think I finally decided! On Christmas Eve we will have Roast with all the trimmings, and a cheesecake. Roast is much easier than a turkey because I can just put it in the crockpot along with potatoes and carrots and forget about it! Then I will make fresh baked bread(using frozen dough). Candies yams(my husband insists on the canned ones, so very easy) and a lettuce salad. My husband works Christmas Eve day so the kids and I just hang out and watch Christmas movies anyway.
Christmas morning will be an overnight French toast casserole, eggs and bacon. Christmas lunch is courtesy of the local Chinese Buffett, and the rest of the day will be spent on easy to make munchies and cookies. Now I need to hurry and get the grocery shopping done tomorrow so I can avoid stores until after Christmas!

 

[FINFAN]

I've been shopping for it! It's $10.99/lb here in Chicagoland. I think I may still go for it! Thanks!

I'm in Chicagoland...Naperville~ Caputo's had it for $5.99, and Meijer usually puts it on sale for $8 or under and believe it or not, theirs is really good. We've had Jewel's before, blech, NOT worth the $$$$ from there. I hope you can score some for less than $10.99

 

[brookmey]

We always do snacks Christmas Eve and have dinner the next day. There are 4 people in my family so we each pick 2 of our favorite snacks. The kids always choose sweets or chips so DH and I pick something like deli meats and cheese or even pizza rolls to balance the sweets. It's the 1 day a year where we let the kids eat whatever they want and how much they want. Besides Santa, it's the thing they always look forward to at Christmas.

 

[gncntry]

Dried beef gravy and waffles is a family tradition. It started when my mom (now 80) was a child and her family used to decorate their Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

 

[Heidict]

We used to always go to my MIL for Christmas Eve, but she passed away in May, so this year we will go to my SIL.

We will have the same food though. Pernil (pork roast) Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pasteles (puerto Rican version of tamales), a variety of root veggies, some weird banana and chicken gizzard thing, green salad and Italian bread. Apps are normally crackers, cheese, guava paste, olives and a type of salami called salchicha.

For Christmas days main meal we will have prime rib, stuffed baked potatoes, asparagus, artichokes and popovers. For dessert I am thinking of doing a chocolate cheesecake and these strawberries I read about.

You soak the strawberries in chocolate vodka and then dip in chocolate. I have a feeling they might be good with cherries also.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Hosting my family on Christmas Eve and having the traditional turkey dinner.

 

[peainapod]

Does anyone have a good oven roast recipe? (nothing with "soup" mix please as it needs to be gluten free)

I thought about maybe some Progresso gluten free french onion soup and beef broth poured over the roast with carrots and onions?

 

[Graciesmom77]

Does anyone have a good oven roast recipe? (nothing with "soup" mix please as it needs to be gluten free) I thought about maybe some Progresso gluten free french onion soup and beef broth poured over the roast with carrots and onions?

I throw carrots, potatoes and an onion in a crockpot with a well seasoned roast. I just use seasoning salt and pepper to season. Add some chopped garlic and about 1-2 cups beef stock. That's it and my family loves it. I don't eat meat, but the carrots and potatoes and so yummy and have amazing flavor. It's simple but somehow always turns out. Good luck!

 

[Mousemom234]

It's just DH and I for Christmas eve, and we usually go out for a nice lunch, as we both get it off. Then we go home, I finish up any last minute cooking for Christmas dinner and pack what I can, and he gathers up the gifts so we know we've found them all (mostly).

We've done Chinese take-out, but around here you have to order it nearly a week in advance for both Christmas and New Year's eves.
The good Chinese buffet charges 'holiday' prices ($5 more than their regular dinner), but doesn't really add anything except crab legs on the lunch buffet. We've not gone there for dinner, yet.

..snip... I have tried to change the date of my birthday to Aug. 24th and actually have a friend who still mails me a Birthday card in August

My best school friend's birthday is Dec 26. One year she refused to celebrate it, and insisted that her half-birthday be recognized instead. She still does that, 30+ years later.

I have never made a pot roast, is it particularly expensive meat? I have never looked at the price before....is the meat labeled as pot roast or chuck roast or something else? Thanks!

You can use most cuts of meat as a pot roast. A boneless chuck is very good, but sometimes shreddy. So, for slicing, I prefer a bottom round or eye round - eye round can be semi-expensive, but makes lovely thin slices of beefy goodness.

 

[java]

I'm in Chicagoland...Naperville~ Caputo's had it for $5.99, and Meijer usually puts it on sale for $8 or under and believe it or not, theirs is really good. We've had Jewel's before, blech, NOT worth the $$$$ from there. I hope you can score some for less than $10.99

Mmm I'm on the lookout now for crab! I've only made king crab legs once, steaming them then sauté in garlic and siracha(sp?) how do you make your crab?

 

[dpswift]

First thing that came to mind.......homemade personal pizzas (everyone can dress their own, just like they want it ) and a create-your-own sundae bar for dessert. Add in a fruit tray and a veggie tray to round things out.

Great idea. DS requested homemade pizza insted of our regular frozen(I posted earlier that since the restaurants we went to for years either closed or close at 4pm on Christmas eve that we now do appetizers)

We will still have a cheese and meat tray, chips and dip.and a warm meat.

 

[jcemom]

I throw carrots, potatoes and an onion in a crockpot with a well seasoned roast. I just use seasoning salt and pepper to season. Add some chopped garlic and about 1-2 cups beef stock. That's it and my family loves it. I don't eat meat, but the carrots and potatoes and so yummy and have amazing flavor. It's simple but somehow always turns out. Good luck!

This is what I do also. No soup mix because it's not something I normally buy, so I never have it in the pantry.

 

[captainjen]

Appetizers for Christmas Eve, Pigs in a blanket along with a ton of home made cookies and a marinated chicken, orzo, arugula dish with red onions and red pepper, easy to make and everyone likes it, oh yeah and lots of sparkling wine
Christmas day is the traditional formal Turkey meal, same one that we make for Thanksgiving. A lot of work but everyone likes it so much that I don't mind doing it.

 

[LilyWDW]

Christmas Eve will be lasagna, salad, and garlic bread for most people. My cousin and I will be making Alfredo since neither of us can have the lasagna due to medical conditions. I may ask to cook up some broccoli since I also can't have salad dressing and need something green!

Christmas Day dinner is normally a beef roast, bread, and sides.

 

[charming23]

I have decided on pasta bake with salad and garlic bread.

 

[melifeld]

We are having the same dilemma. We always went to my uncle's place, but this year he is in the process of a major job change (different city). So we are staying home and my parents are coming here. It will be just the 5 of us.

My uncle always did leg of lamb for Christmas Eve dinner, waffles and bacon on Christmas morning, and a standing rib roast for dinner on Christmas Day.

Now we are trying to decide what to do. DH and I were just talking about maybe doing things our own way. I like the idea of Chinese food for Christmas Eve. Now to convince DH. Then we just have to decide about Christmas Day.

Thanks for the great ideas everyone!

 

[peainapod]

I wanted to share this appetizer recipe I will be making:
http://www.shugarysweets.com/2013/11/chili-queso-dip-everyone-agrees

 

[peainapod]

This is another easy one:
http://therecipecritic.com/2012/06/individual-seven-layer-dip/