Christmas 2025

[Shelby]

Remember when the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed like a year?  Now it seems like a couple of days lol.

 

I'm doing brunch on Christmas Eve day, again, for us and Ronnie's kids and grandkids. I'm so glad I posted on last years thread--I think I'll do almost the exact same menu.  

 

What's everyone else doing?  Are you going to have a white Christmas?  

[FauxPas]

White Christmas is not likely here, but it does happen now and then. Today is high of 13C (55F) and low of 7C (45F) but later in the week, temps will drop a bit more. 

 

I cooked big turkey dinners for last few years for several holidays and I wanted something different this year - and easier for me! 

 

I decided I wanted Tourtière for Christmas dinner (and not just as Christmas Eve meal). They aren't hard to make but I saw Costco has a nice-looking one and will try that. Also bought a vegetarian version from a local bakery. Both are in the freezer. I'll make a cranberry chutney to go along with that, maybe a mango chutney also as i have mango in the freezer. 

 

I'll make an interesting salad and a couple of side dishes. I'm thinking of a butternut squash gratin from Leite's Culinaria. And something green - like broccoli or snap peas or green beans. Or maybe even Brussels Sprouts, local farms have some delicious ones. 

 

Pumpkin pie, because my husband loves it and it's easy to make. Maybe some mulled wine. 

[ElsieD]

31 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

White Christmas is not likely here, but it does happen now and then. Today is high of 13C (55F) and low of 7C (45F) but later in the week, temps will drop a bit more. 

 

I cooked big turkey dinners for last few years for several holidays and I wanted something different this year - and easier for me! 

 

I decided I wanted Tourtière for Christmas dinner (and not just as Christmas Eve meal). They aren't hard to make but I saw Costco has a nice-looking one and will try that. Also bought a vegetarian version from a local bakery. Both are in the freezer. I'll make a cranberry chutney to go along with that, maybe a mango chutney also as i have mango in the freezer. 

 

I'll make an interesting salad and a couple of side dishes. I'm thinking of a butternut squash gratin from Leite's Culinaria. And something green - like broccoli or snap peas or green beans. Or maybe even Brussels Sprouts, local farms have some delicious ones. 

 

Pumpkin pie, because my husband loves it and it's easy to make. Maybe some mulled wine. 

I'll be curious to read what the Tourtière from Costco is like.  Is the brand Kirkland?  Are you having the cranberry chutney with the Costco ot the bakery one?We have a local restaurant that makes really good ones at Christmas and sells them as a fundraiser for a local charity.  I bought one last year and it was really good so I ordered 3 of them this year.

[Darienne]

Ed (whose Mom actually was French Canadian) makes an excellent Tourtière.  I think we need one for this Christmas.  Ed got the recipe from his French teacher when we lived in Quebec.  

[YvetteMT]

It's currently 47F and windy, god knows if we'll have snow or not.  (Such a weird weather pattern for us)

 

Stepdaughter requested halibut this year (she doesn't get seafood in her house so Christmas Eve with her is always something from the water). Since I did halibut chowder last year, this year I'm planning on pasta with lemon sauce and halibut,  shrimp cocktail for an appetizer (her dad's request), maybe salmon dip. 

[gfweb]

Rain is going to clean out the frigging snow, so no white Xmas. Which is fine.

[FauxPas]

5 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I'll be curious to read what the Tourtière from Costco is like.  Is the brand Kirkland?  Are you having the cranberry chutney with the Costco ot the bakery one?

 

Not Kirkland, it's made by a Quebec company - Plaisirs Gastronomiques. It's quite big, almost 2 kg. 

 

 

This is the vegetarian one, from a small local place - Honey Grove bakery:

 

 

 

I'll just put out chutneys and sauces and people can choose what they like. 

 

Edited to add:

 

And the sun just came out and temp has climbed to 17C (63F) so it's feeling pretty mild for mid-December.  🙂

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by FauxPas (log)

[TdeV]

@FauxPas, please try and remember to tell us what that vegetarian tourtière tastes like.

 

Mushrooms, potato, lentils, walnuts, sourdough bread crumbs –– what's not to like! 😋

[FauxPas]

1 minute ago, TdeV said:

what's not to like! 

 

And someone else made them for me, too! Bonus! I'm just so tired this year, I didn't even want to make my own. 😆

 

But I will probably still end up spending quite a bit of time on salad, side/veggie dishes and dessert. 

 

I will report back on taste/quality! 

 

 

[ElsieD]

49 minutes ago, TdeV said:

@FauxPas, please try and remember to tell us what that vegetarian tourtière tastes like.

 

Mushrooms, potato, lentils, walnuts, sourdough bread crumbs –– what's not to like! 😋

Lentils?

[Tropicalsenior]

7 hours ago, Darienne said:

Ed got the recipe from his French teacher when we lived in Quebec.  

I would love to hear about this recipe. I usually use the recipe from @Ann_T. It is excellent.

[Maison Rustique]

Since the only ones of us who still cook have limited time and energy this year, we've decided to have Italian. My sister and her husband host. She is going to make eggplant Parm and I'm to pick up a lasagna from a very good local restaurant here to take. I'll take bread and salad. My BIL will make some sort of dessert. He does a fantastic tiramisu (makes his own ladyfingers for it) but I don't know if that is what he'll make.