Christmas Eve/Christmas, New Year's Eve/Day 2020/21

[kayb]

Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, I've been instructed. Ham, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, mac and cheese, baked beans. Not very festive, but what the kids want. Christmas day I will have leftover ham for snacking and sandwiching and such. Christmas morning latkes with ham and eggs alongside. 

 

New Year's Eve still up in the air. Thinking about boiled shrimp; taking a cue from @gfweb, it'll be the Feast of the Two Fishes, as there will be Worcestershire in the cocktail sauce. Doesn't look like I'll get down to Marvell to get local caviar at the fish market. I have smoked salmon in the freezer, so likely that in a cream cheese spread with lots of dill. Hey, that takes me up to Three Fishes!

 

NY Day, black eyed peas, likely with tomatoes and smoked sausage; mustard greens (obligatory), cornbread. Plenty of ham left. 

[BetD]

And if you are still a little up in the air about what to serve.....

 

https://blog.britishmuseum.org/how-to-cook-a-medieval-feast/?fbclid=IwAR2FJPV0fwGrPTMJTfoq7TntEiC4YZz9yhwOGPlxDuFs02HdyNujPy2rIUk

 

... nothing says Christmas like Cabbage Cowder and Creamed Fish.

Edited December 22, 2020 by BetD (log)

[Kim Shook]

Revving up to high speed now.  I just said in the Christmas cooky thread that I have never in my adult life cut things as close as I am this year.  Today is delivering the last of the presents that will be delivered before Xmas, fresh food shopping, decorating sugar cookies, and fitting in wrapping every single gift for Mr. Kim and Jessica (I am NOT normally a gift bag person, but I will be this year).  Here's my timeline for Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and Christmas night meals:

[heidih]

@Kim Shook oh the lists - deja vu my past life. Not that you need permission, but it is o.k.to cross-out & change times when life is chasing you. I can rationalize most anything

[Kim Shook]

The turkey for Xmas night is now resting in the fridge with a dry brine of salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, and za'atar:

[kayb]

Today, I'm prepping the sweet potatoes and baked beans, baking the ham, and making a broccoli and cauliflower salad. Will probably also make dough for rolls tonight and set it out in the garage for a long overnight rise. Tomorrow I'll cook the sweet potatoes and baked beans, and saute' some brussels sprouts and bake the rolls. We'll open gifts around 2:30 or 3, and eat afterward.

 

Oh, and make a butter cake. Almost forgot that. Made brownie bites and pecan pie cupcakes and some weird gluten free cookies with buckwheat flour yesterday. Also made some smoked salmon spread for snacking.

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

Revving up to high speed now.  I just said in the Christmas cooky thread that I have never in my adult life cut things as close as I am this year.  Today is delivering the last of the presents that will be delivered before Xmas, fresh food shopping, decorating sugar cookies, and fitting in wrapping every single gift for Mr. Kim and Jessica (I am NOT normally a gift bag person, but I will be this year).  Here's my timeline for Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and Christmas night meals:

 

I just got very, very tired.🙂

[Tri2Cook]

Christmas Eve plan: keeping it easy, cooked onions long and slow in butter and olive oil for a batch of onion dip (young'un request), made a batch of pimento cheese and a batch of deviled ham and making pecan pie bars from the LCBOs Food & Drink magazine which are basically just shortbread with a topping similar to pecan pie filling. Assorted pickles, vegetables, breads and crackers to accompany that stuff. And nope, I'm not making homemade potato chips for the dip, they're from the grocery store. Gonna freestyle mulled wine in the crockpot. Red wine, pear cider (the boozy kind), apple cider (not the boozy kind), sliced apples and pears, orange and lemon peel + the juice from both, sliced ginger, cinnamon sticks and cloves. It'll either be tasty or ridiculous, we'll see.

[heidih]

12 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

 Red wine, pear cider (the boozy kind), apple cider (not the boozy kind), sliced apples and pears, orange and lemon peel + the juice from both, sliced ginger, cinnamon sticks and cloves. It'll either be tasty or ridiculous, we'll see.

Well at absolute minimum it will smell great!

[heidih]

I brilliantly decided to take turkey thighs out of freezer last night, without light save for a memorial candle lit, and no glasses. Around 4am I had a flash that perhaps I'd taken out the wings meant for future stock but too cold to leave my perfectly arranged blankets. Yup wings - BUT so cold minimal defrost had started. 

 

I was going to thick slice and roast the sweet potato for tonight but I think a brief MW session to give them a head start might be wise. Since I opened a can of very rich coconut milk yesterday for my orange spice bread I think I'll poach the planned shrimp in a spiced coconut broth.  Coconut milk is also in the blenderized broccoli soup whose leftovers will be lunch today.

[robirdstx]

Merry Christmas Everyone!
 

Keeping it simple here, too. Just the two of us. Tonight will be Sausage and Lentil soup from the freezer. Christmas Day will be snacky things at lunch time with dinner at 5:00. 
 

 

The turkey thigh is the only thing I really need to cook. I had previously frozen leftover potatoes, dressing, gravy and rolls from Thanksgiving, so they just need to be reheated. I made the hard cooked eggs a couple of days ago, so the deviled eggs will come together quickly.

 

[kayb]

My Christmas dinner, which will be today, is all cooked, save for the rolls, and awaiting guests' arrival. 

 

In this year of small celebrations and pandemic precautions, eGullet plays an even bigger part in my life. I wish each of you a joyful, if small, Christmas.

[catdaddy]

12 minutes ago, kayb said:

My Christmas dinner, which will be today, is all cooked, save for the rolls, and awaiting guests' arrival. 

 

In this year of small celebrations and pandemic precautions, eGullet plays an even bigger part in my life. I wish each of you a joyful, if small, Christmas.

Well said. Thank you. And right back at you.

[Elkyfr]

Seafood? It is something that was on the table as a family ... with beef and cod.

 

Happy Christmas!

[Tri2Cook]

22 hours ago, heidih said:

Well at absolute minimum it will smell great!

It's tasty... needed a little honey to bring it together which surprised me a little with all the cider but I'm happy with it.

Edit: I removed the spices, fruit, etc. when it reached a spice level I was happy with before everything turned to mush. It was good but a little flat. Shot in the juice from another lemon and it's perfect. And goes down a little too easy... 

Edited December 25, 2020 by Tri2Cook (log)

[Orbit]

It's just the two of us, so it's Shepherd's Pie for Xmas eve. We're keeping it simple....though I do plan to make deviled eggs and pumpkin pie at some point. I hope everyone has a happy holiday!

[Shelby]

Just so you can track Santa--who is wearing a mask....

 

https://www.noradsanta.org

[AlaMoi]

yup.  all the family hunkering down at home.

 

I know it's a really bad situation when DW requests a light soup Xmas dinner.....

a brunch savory rye/smoked salmon/egg custard dish

and soup later . . . .

 

not a turkey leg . . .

nor anything aka spiral ham . . .

. . . . anywhere in the discussion....

 

a covid-19 meal mash......

[Anna N]

27 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Just so you can track Santa--who is wearing a mask....

 

https://www.noradsanta.org

Better hope he’s not right over your house because that many reindeer can produce an awful lot of poop. 

[gfweb]

A tea was scheduled and I was talked into doing the 7 fishes as a afternoon Christmas tea.

 

Smoked whitefish

 

Jalapeno Tuna deviled egg

 

Crab and artichoke dip

 

Shrimp salad, Lox, pimiento cheese sandwiches

 

Mediterranean cod

[heidih]

27 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Better hope he’s not right over your house because that many reindeer can produce an awful lot of poop. 

I thought they wee magical - thus poopless - just as Easter Bunny does not leave masses of round pooplets for the kids to step in.

[heidih]

2 minutes ago, gfweb said:

A tea was scheduled and I was talked into doing the 7 fishes as a afternoon Christmas tea.

 

Smoked whitefish

 

Jalapeno Tuna deviled egg

 

Crab and artichoke dip

 

Shrimp salad, Lox, pimiento cheese sandwiches

 

Mediterranean cod

Oh come on - no arm twisted you had fun right? and the guests were thrilled.b More info on cod?

Edited December 25, 2020 by heidih (log)

[gfweb]

Just now, heidih said:

Oh come on - no arm twisted you had fun right? and the guests were thrilled

 

It was fun.  And they had a good time. All true

[Shelby]

Merry Christmas!!!!  I just semi-finished putzing around and getting the kitchen cleaned up and some gifts put away.  I was a better girl than I thought I was this year lol.

 

Christmas Eve dinner was SO good.  I kind of felt guilty about ordering the cioppino, but I got over it quickly....the amount of seafood included was AMAZING and so good.  I served it over a bit of linguine along with Wellfleet oysters,  Caesar salad (which included two anchovies which counts towards the seven fishes) and sourdough bread.

 

 

 

 

 

 I have thought about @ChocoMom's apple snickers dessert since she very first posted it.  I happened to have granny apples and cool whip so I ordered some Snicker's bars from Amazon and made.  O M G.  We devoured it.  I even got up in the middle of the night and ate some...which resulted in having to brush my teeth again, but it was worth it.

 

 

I had another glass of wine while looking at the tree for a while

 

 

This morning we had the kolaches I ordered.  I had been wanting these for a very long time.  The sweet ones are blueberry and cherry and the savory are sausage, cheese and jalapeño.  The sausage is really good.  It's links.  No gristle.  Spicy.

 

 

Mimosas

 

 

Eggs, hash browns and boudin to go with.

 

 

I'm ready for a nap lol.  BUT it's almost time to start on dinner  

[robirdstx]

 

Let the snacking begin!