Christmas 2022

[Tri2Cook]

It'll be just me and the younger daughter this year. I asked her what she wants for  Christmas dinner (thinking main protein) and her reply was "yorkshires and gravy" (yorkies were always a bit of an Achilles heel for me until Kerry Beal shared her recipe and then I was suddenly the daughter's yorkie hero). So I decided if I have to do that, there's gonna be beef. Got my order in with the guy at the meat counter for a hefty center cut striploin roast. Sides beyond the young'un's request are still undecided. 

[liuzhou]

There is a nice, short history of mince pies as mentioned in the first post of this topic, here.

 

Quote

One of the favourite sweet treats at Christmas is the mince pie. This crumbly pastry is filled with fruit, often soaked in brandy and flavoured with citrus and mild spice. However the mince pie was originally a savoury pie – and not even round!

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

I more or less gave up on Christmas when I moved to China; it's a normal working day here. However, I usually cook myself something a bit out of the ordinary.

 

This year I decided to do some roast quail. Still trying to decide how many I will eat.

 

Anyway, I ordered some online and they just arrived. 20 of them! That should cover it! They are now residing in the freezer. They were delivered frozen in two bags of 10 (inside a further insulation bag inside a polystyrene insulation box also containing a couple of ice packs. I've removed the bag from the top layer of 10 for the sake of clarity in the photo. I have since replaced it.

 

 

[Dejah]

We'll be doing 2 Xmas meals. The first will be on the 25th with our oldest son and his family, and the in-laws: 7 adults and 2 kids. Son will do the turkey, and I will do a ham as grandson doesn't eat fowl. My side contribution will be Michael Symons Holiday Brussel Sprouts and scalloped taters. Dessert will be my Dad's from scratch Banana Cream Pie.
On Jan 1, our daughter and s-i-l will be able to join all of us. They both work in the medical field and kidless, so they work over Xmas but get NY off.

We will have a late Xmas with the whole family, NY , and early 80th birthday dinner for my husband.
I have a whole tenderloin trimmed up, so may roast that, or if I can get a Sterling Silver Rib roast on sale, that may be the ticket!

Of course, there will be Yorkies and English trifle for dessert.

Meanwhile, I have been making shortbread, Reindeer Crack, New Zealand Birdseed Bar.

 

                             

 

Mincemeat was as difficult to find as Bugles, which General Mills has stopped producing in Canada. A friend coming up from Texas brought me 12 bags!

I looked all over town for mincemeat, and finally found jars of Roberson Mincemeat at Giant Tiger. I may have bought the last 3 jars!

Only my hubby and I eat mincemeat, but I will be gifting to friends who can not bake any more due to poor health.

[MaryIsobel]

This is what the aforementioned cheese crispies look like. Very simple recipe, yields about 4 dozen. They are really nice with cocktails, very short and crisp with great cheese flavour.

[ElsieD]

18 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

This is what the aforementioned cheese crispies look like. Very simple recipe, yields about 4 dozen. They are really nice with cocktails, very short and crisp with great cheese flavour.

 

How long do these biscuits stay crispy?  If I make them on Wednesday will they still be nice and crispy on Friday or will they have started to soften?  Have you ever frozen them?

[MaryIsobel]

2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

 

How long do these biscuits stay crispy?  If I make them on Wednesday will they still be nice and crispy on Friday or will they have started to soften?  Have you ever frozen them?

I always freeze them, taking out just as many as I need at one time. Sometimes I give them 5 minutes in the toaster oven to freshen them up a bit.

[MaryIsobel]

A batch of Alison Roman's Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread. These became a fast favourite when I first made them a few years ago.

[Kim Shook]

On 12/17/2022 at 3:00 PM, MaryIsobel said:

This is what the aforementioned cheese crispies look like. Very simple recipe, yields about 4 dozen. They are really nice with cocktails, very short and crisp with great cheese flavour.

I'd love that recipe!!!

 

Nevermind - found it in the Christmas Cookie topic!  

Edited December 18, 2022 by Kim Shook (log)

[Amy D.]

I love reading about everyone's different Christmas recipes, will definitely have to try the cheese biscuits .

 

We used to make lots of mince pies when I was a child, used to love topping them with a marzipan star rather than pastry top . I haven't made one for years, though I have discovered our local shop freshly bake these thin pies that have my perfect ratio of filling to short pastry, that I would try to replicate/improve on if I had more time but as it is they really hit the mince pie spot!

 

We like to have Christmas day at home with just us and the kids, I always do a Christmas lunch with either goose (my favourite) or chicken (the kids preference) and the star of the meal the pigs in blankets (sausage wrapped in bacon), a nut roast for my veggie oh, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puds, stuffing, roasted Brussel sprouts, red wine braised cabbage and carrot and swede mash. Followed some hours later by christmas pudding and brandy butter.

 

we go visit my family and the in-laws on other days, spreads things out and the kids love it as they get three Christmases, we used to end up having three Xmas lunches too though usually now it's more of a grazing buffet affair.

 

 

 

[MaryIsobel]

3 hours ago, Amy D. said:

I love reading about everyone's different Christmas recipes, will definitely have to try the cheese biscuits .

 

We used to make lots of mince pies when I was a child, used to love topping them with a marzipan star rather than pastry top . I haven't made one for years, though I have discovered our local shop freshly bake these thin pies that have my perfect ratio of filling to short pastry, that I would try to replicate/improve on if I had more time but as it is they really hit the mince pie spot!

 

We like to have Christmas day at home with just us and the kids, I always do a Christmas lunch with either goose (my favourite) or chicken (the kids preference) and the star of the meal the pigs in blankets (sausage wrapped in bacon), a nut roast for my veggie oh, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puds, stuffing, roasted Brussel sprouts, red wine braised cabbage and carrot and swede mash. Followed some hours later by christmas pudding and brandy butter.

 

we go visit my family and the in-laws on other days, spreads things out and the kids love it as they get three Christmases, we used to end up having three Xmas lunches too though usually now it's more of a grazing buffet affair.

 

 

 

I do lke mince tarts, but now, since my Dad has passed, I am the only one who cares for them. I guess they are an aquired taste.

[heidih]

Sister gave me a chuckle with her menu. So traditional. Turkey (pricey in OZ) and ham with pineapple rings. Tongue in cheek I asked if maraschino cherries were involved and her straight answer was "no I don't like them" - then she felt compelled to email today to clarify that ham would be baked but served cold - so no raw pineapple. I asked why so traditional if Sydney projects 90F+. Past menus were more grilled baby octopus and such. Close family husband she thinks may not make to next Christmas so she wanted it to be memorable. Horrid medical event 15 or so years agoand his memory is shot but she thinks he may remember. Only 60ish - so I get it.

 

My singleton plan is roasted kabocha squash, coconut shrimp curry with mung bean noodles, kale salad https://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/raw-tuscan-kale-salad-recipe.html Son deep in his work tasks of feeding many at shelters so will see him nearer Jan 1.

[Shelby]

We were going to have Ronnie's kids over on Saturday for brunch but that's been canceled due to our Covid situation.  So, it's just us again  

 

I'll probably make a breakfast/brunch for us on Christmas Day if we feel like it.  Prime rib for Christmas dinner.  Oyster...or fish and oyster type stew on Christmas Eve. 

 

I don't think I'll make any cookies....not feeling up to it, but we've been craving cinnamon rolls forever so maybe those will get done.  

 

Have to make up two gift baskets and cards to drop off for his kids and in-laws which might not happen until after Christmas.  I'm certainly not getting out before then I don't think.

 

Thankful that we are warm and cozy and at home  

[chromedome]

This year's scaled-down Cookie-palooza is pretty much wrapped up (I have a few details to put on snowmen, but that's about it). Sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies in multiple seasonal shapes, something I know as "Russian tea cakes" (aka "Mexican wedding cakes," "pecan meltaways," etc), zimtsternen, Linzer cookies (one granddaughter's special favorite) and vanillekipferln. Decorated cookies with my grandkids on the weekend, and this afternoon - fulfilling a promise I made when I moved - I'm heading back to my old building to decorate another batch with my former neighbour's three sons.

 

I've lost count, but it's somewhere between 300 and 400 cookies total. Down somewhat from previous years, due to time and budget constraints, but enough to bring gift boxes to many friends and family.

[Shelby]

9 minutes ago, chromedome said:

300 and 400 cookies total

😳  That is scaled down?  I'm exhausted just reading it!

[heidih]

@chromedome Have to ask - how do your Vanilliekipferl differ from the Russiancakes? and are the Linzer ones a rolled out sandwich style with red jelly and a hole on top one so you see the red? (red currant jelly for us) Bravo overall and lovely on the bake-along with the sons.

[chromedome]

16 minutes ago, heidih said:

@chromedome Have to ask - how do your Vanilliekipferl differ from the Russiancakes? and are the Linzer ones a rolled out sandwich style with red jelly and a hole on top one so you see the red? (red currant jelly for us) Bravo overall and lovely on the bake-along with the sons.

Yes, red jelly for the Linzers. I say "jelly," but usually it's raspberry jam with the seeds strained out. I know apricot is equally traditional, and one year (when I actually had some apricot jelly on hand) I made some of each, but raspberry is much easier to find. The vanillekipferl are pretty much the same dough as for the Linzers, but with the dab of cinnamon omitted and with vanilla instead.

 

The "Russian tea cakes" are shortbread-ish, but with nuts added (walnuts or pecans; this year it was walnuts because my pecans had bugs in 'em). They're rolled into 1-inch balls and baked, then rolled in confectioner's sugar while still warm from the oven, and again after they've cooled. The icing sugar melts the first time, of course, but it makes them sticky and helps the second coating of sugar adhere. They're best when the nuts are toasted first, and we usually make them with browned butter (50/50 with plain butter) for that extra bit of nuttiness.

[chromedome]

49 minutes ago, Shelby said:

😳  That is scaled down?  I'm exhausted just reading it!

It's just a couple of big batches of each kind of cookie, and heavily weighted to gingerbread and sugar cookies which are relatively easy to handle and bake in quantity. It's not taxing, really. A couple of afternoons and evenings for the baking, and a couple more for the decorating. I have a whole table's worth of of cooling racks, and lots of plastic tubs to store them in between the baking and the decorating stages, and a small-but-adequate collection of seasonal cutters.

 

I give out boxes or baskets of cookies to many of our friends, relatives and neighbours, and I expect I spend less time on this than most of you do on shopping for gifts, so to me it's basically a holiday-season "cheat code."

[heidih]

33 minutes ago, chromedome said:

The "Russian tea cakes" are shortbread-ish, but with nuts added (walnuts or pecans; this year it was walnuts because my pecans had bugs in 'em). They're rolled into 1-inch balls and baked, then rolled in confectioner's sugar while still warm from the oven, and again after they've cooled. The icing sugar melts the first time, of course, but it makes them sticky and helps the second coating of sugar adhere. They're best when the nuts are toasted first, and we usually make them with browned butter (50/50 with plain butter) for that extra bit of nuttiness.

We kept a separate jar of powdered sugar with a whole vanilla bean in it for the crescents. Really nice.

[kayb]

I will likely pitch into treat-making tomorrow, as our Christmas is delayed to 12/30 due to Child B and hubby deciding to give their kids a surprise Christmas visit to Orlando. I have on hand the makings for three or four batches of fudge, some nut brittles, some pralines, and some cookies and quick breads. And more Chex mix.

[heidih]

Went to prep my kale salad (keeps very well) and fouund several large leaves riddled with the mosaic virus I mentioned plaguing our California crops.The way the leaves curl I did not notice at **store. Salvaged enough to make a decent amount of salad.   

 

 

[kayb]

Not food related, but I offer to all of you one of my favorite Christmas gifts. Enjoy Clarabell the Christmas Cow.

 

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/life/family/2016/12/21/clarabell-the-christmas-cow/95732960/

 

 

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

Not food related, but I offer to all of you one of my favorite Christmas gifts. Enjoy Clarabell the Christmas Cow.

 

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/life/family/2016/12/21/clarabell-the-christmas-cow/95732960/

 

 

 

That is one of the sweetest stories I have ever read.  Thank you so very much!

[MaryIsobel]

All ready for brunch tomorrow. Bagels, lox, etc., monkey bread, no carb breakfast casserole of onions, peppers, bacon cheese and eggs, and wait for it...frozen hash brown patties done in the air fryer. Kind of a nod/joke, as for years that was the only thing my daughter wanted for Christmas breakfast. I never bought them and she'd had them at a friend's house and declared them "sooooooooo good!" Coffee/hot chocolate/drinks station. Bubbly, cranberry juice and orange juice will be put out last minute.

[Tropicalsenior]

Just thought that I would share this,

And wish everyone a Merry Christmas.