The 2018 Christmas Dinner thread!!

BaZmO* wrote: »

Why don’t you just take all the hassle out of it and make the stuffing and freeze it? It freezes really well and it’s one less thing to do on the day.

Thanks. I'm freezing my stock so might just freeze the stuffing too

tea_and_cake wrote: »

Thanks. I'm freezing my stock so might just freeze the stuffing too

I have already made the stock
chicken wings, celery, onions, carrot, clove of garlic, tossed with oil in roasting tim, roasted for an hour, then put the lot with water in slow cooker for 3 hrs and strained, cooled and put in freezer, one job done.
Now thinking of taking the work out of stuffing on the day, and making it ahead and freezing.

Any suggestions on the best sausage meat for stuffing? My mum uses the butcher's daughter but not sure I can get this in my local supermarket.

tea_and_cake wrote: »

Thanks. I'm freezing my stock so might just freeze the stuffing too

As for the onions and freezing them, I had a few lying around, so decided to slice and dice and bag and freeze, will get back to ye on how they come out of the freezer and work on the recipe when I do something with them, It would be a handy way of not wasting onions, as they can come in handy if it work out

tea_and_cake wrote: »

Never thought of the slow cooker. Thanks. Tomorrow will be my cooking day so. Sort the sausage stuffing and stock. I'm only doing stuffing, stock and mulled wine.

The slow cooker is also great for the mulled wine, I did that last year, it was lovely

The Black Oil wrote: »

Saw an 8.2kg ham in the supermarket earlier.

Picked mine up yesterday.
8.4 kg (on the bone)
Normal sized Christmas ham in our family!

Some of the OHs family coming over from Lithuania for xmas along with her sister & family who live here so we have to a Christmas eve dinner (which is their xmas dinner) and a xmas day dinner both for 13 people. Im leaving xmas eve up to her and her sister to do so will be more of their tradition. Weird little soft pastrys with jam or poppy seeds, salads and alot of fish dishes & cold sides with a main of Hake in breadcrumbs.

Im doing xmas day and dreading cooking for that many people and afraid Im not going to have enough oven space or big enough pans. Will do a turkey roasted, a ham boiled in coke then baked in treacle and mustard powder with a sausage stuffing balls idea I have in my head and roasted veg. Has the potential to be a right cock up. An Italian Christmas pudding recipe from Nigella Lawson for desert then but Im not making that.

goat2 wrote: »

any one know if we can make the ham glaze a few days ahead, put it into jam jar and store in the fridge,
has anyone tried this, and how did it work out

That would be fine.

How much making is in your glaze?
Mine is usually just honey and mustard.

If I prepare carrots/parsnips/sprouts day before whats the best way to keep them fresh - in cold water in a pot or...?

the beer revolu wrote: »

That would be fine.

How much making is in your glaze?
Mine is usually just honey and mustard.

Honey, mustard, cloves, garlic, brown sugar, all mixed very well,

I'm working from home today. Which means.....

I have just made the cranberry sauce & Bazmo's stuffing balls!!

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

I see Aldi are now selling Stuffing Balls. I hope you’re on commission Bazmo!

Chance would be a fine thing!

I'm late to the party, but anyway:
It's just me, man, picky af toddler and we have his parents and uncle over on Stephen's day. So a minimal preparation, max outcome dinner it will be.
I'm not Irish and we aren't into Turkey and Ham so it's something different every year. We also don't need bazillion sides since we're just 2,5 people.

On Christmas eve we have a bit of a game night inspired dinner: Buffalo Chicken wings, Ribs, Padron peppers, Nachos, dips and watching Die Hard.
Christmas day breakfast is Buttermilk pancakes, himself also got nice Breakfast bacon and sausages.
The dinner itself will be a Porchetta with super crunchy skin, following Matty Matteson's recipe. Accompanied by herby roasties and Mediterranean glazed veg. We'll be so full that we don't bother with a formal dessert but we have a tub of that lovely Magnum almond ice cream. Once the kid is in bed film marathon while in vegetative state because food.

Stephen's day we host an informal get together with the In-laws. Now they're fussy eaters and quite unadventurous so we do a party food buffet sponsored by Tesco's finest, they wouldn't be comfortable eating something we'd homemake because seasoning is the devil.
Himself will make a Victoria sponge as dessert and bake bread to accompany the Italian Charcuterie we have.

I didn't to anything yet but will start tomorrow making the table presentable and prepare garlic herb butter and a few small bits and pieces.


Edit: I gladly take suggestions, I need butcher's twine, preferably tomorrow, so in one of the supermarkets.

Am planning a nice easy few days. Shopping is all done & I just need to pick up the Turkey, Ham & Spiced Beef from the butcher on Christmas Eve.

Will boil the ham & beef on Christmas Eve & have that with cheeses, pickles & other nibbles for dinner.

Will also make my stuffing & prep the veg too. I usually do a few sides (honeyed carrots & parsnips, maybe braised red cabbage), but was asked if I'd cut it back to just sprouts this year. Less work - more time for relaxing - I'm in! I'll also make the base for my gravy with the giblets.

Christmas Day - I'll have smoked salmon on brown bread with G&Ts for 'breakfast' in Nana Billy's. Back home, we won't have a starter - just a few nibbles while I'm making the dinner & sipping on a chilled glass of Amontillado.

On the drink front, I'm considering breaking tradition this year & going for a dry white instead of a robust red with the main. Maybe a Pinot Grigio.

I've completely forgotten about dessert. (We're not big into it.) I'll ask today if they want something in particular. If not, it'll be coffee & Mrs Billy's Christmas Cake or her mince pies. (We had a batch yesterday afternoon & they were lush!)

The evening will be finished off with a mug of tea, cold turkey & pickled onion sambos with salad cream & white pepper.

Maybe a brandy, then to bed.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas everybody!!!

My aul lad was always the chef in my family, he had it down to a damn tee. He stressed, we all just ate it. In later years, now I'm into food, I would try and sub in for the veg dishes and help out to give him a hand, but now the family situation is ****ed due to a seperation and a death, turns out I'm the main chef this year. I'm doing the roasties, the various veg and the stuffing this year. My mother is doing the ham, I'm doing everything else.

First time doing a white sauce (I practised doing a roux and sauce for a cauliflower and cheese a week or two ago, and it was delicious) but I can nail roast spuds no problem, proper burney/roast bits and soft insides. Veg: (Carrots in orange/honey, sprouts with bacon/almonds, peas and mint, sausage meat stuffing (again a new thing for me, but I nailed it two weeks ago for my friends) ... no reason I can't do it justice. Still. I'm cacking myself.

Why? First time doing a prawn cocktail starter. It's simple. Prawns, don't over do them. Bit of leaf, lettuce, bit of avocado, bit of onion for those who I know like it, ignore for those who don't. The sauce though. Making a solid marie rose is simple, but that's the key to the whole thing and I'm fully sure I'm going to cack it up.

Ketchup. Mayo. Lemon juice. Paprika. Bit of Worchester sauce. More paprika. Can't **** that up, right?

With himself being an Ovo-vegetarian there’ll be no meat this year.

I’m planning on Timpano; a baked pasta shell filled with tomato sauce, vegan cheese stuffed pasta shells, mushrooms, and veggie sausage. Dessert will be tropical mess. Meringue, whipped coconut cream, mango, kiwi, and pineapple.