Christmas Dinner

[viscousmemories]

I was going to suffer being alone for Christmas by having sandwiches or something for dinner, but I decided instead to use some of the money I was gifted to make a holiday meal. So I went to the grocery store and bought all kinds of stuff I wouldn't normally get. The funny thing is everything I got is actually traditional Thanksgiving food! Right up to and including cranberries and pumpkin pie. And I swear Thanksgiving didn't even cross my mind.

Anyway so for dinner I'll be roasting a turkey breast and having stuffing, mashed potatoes, (with turkey gravy on all), this gourmet green bean casserole (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=14652#post14652), cranberries and those yummy little white rolls. Throughout the day I'll snack on Ruffles with french onion dip and Triscuits, and at the end of the day I'll have hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and pumpkin pie with Cool Whip or Blue Bell Neapolitan ice cream.

All of this with an ongoing Buffy marathon and/or forum browsing and posting.

Happy Christmas to me!

So anyway, I think the reason for falling back on a Thanksgiving meal is that we never had a traditional Christmas meal in my family (at least that I can remember). So I'm puttin' it to YOU! Do you have a traditional Christmas meal?

[godfry n. glad]

Nope.

[pescifish]

When I was growing up we didn't because the Christmas thing was at my Aunt's or cousin's house where it was pretty much the same at Thanksgiving; 30-40 people potluck, turkey, ham, chile relleno casserole, beans, etc..

But my immediately family did sorta have a Christmas Eve "casual" tradition that grew from both of my parents usually working on the day. I think Christmas Eve night was the only "fun" family holiday I can remember. We would eat dinner in front of the tv. Since my sister and I generally cooked anyway, we would make one of the family quick'n'easy favorites: round or sirloin steak cut in strips and cooked in frying pan, cottage cheese, chedder cheese, some kind of vegetable (from a frozen box!), salad. We would eat the beef rolled up in tortillas with strips of cheese. Then we would open presents. No perfection required.

As we grew older, my mother hyper-traditionalized this into a more fancy dinner (which, of course, I had to prepare): shrimp cocktail, prime rib roast, creamed spinach, salad. We used my mom's favorite stoneware and stainless flatware for this event and it was still fairly casual. I.e., the required perfection wasn't too hard to achieve. Margaritas helped here, of course.

Now that I can reclaim my own holidays, the prime rib has stuck as my christmas dinner. It's moved to New Years since that's when my niece is available and she and my sister will come to my house for our "family" holiday get together. We have given up trying to get to the big extended family thing on Christmas Eve because it's 100 miles away for me in Santa Ana and too much of a bitch to get to through LA traffic.

However, I most enjoy my personal holiday dinners like the one you are doing today, vm. I do a repeat Thanksgiving sometime on the weekend after the big family thing at my cousins for that holiday. And yesterday I made a wonderful pork loin roast with rice pilaf and a veggie packed garden salad. Maybe someday in the future I will prefer to have lots of folks around, but for now, my preference is my own company where I can be joyful in my own time and way.

Merry Christmas to us!

Actually, I will be doing some cleaning today in prep for a small party I'm throwing on Tuesday for The Wives Club (cookie exchange). And the prime rib dinner next weekend will probably have about 5-6 people, so I need to do some prep for that.

[JoeP]

What you describe as a thanksgiving meal is pretty much a traditional christmas dinner in Britain and here.

In SA, many people are valiantly trying to break away from European traditions and do something more appropriate to high summer for Christmas. But there's no new tradition I can discern. We've had gammon, bread sauce, mange-tout (you might call them snow peas or sugar-snap peas), carrots, and roast potatoes. A full-on traditional meal would have turkey with stuffing (regular and chestnut), sausages, more varieties of veg, and would include puddings like christmas pud, mince pies, and all that kind of stuff. Nobody else in the family likes mince pies but I have a stash. We do have a couple of rich heavy fruit-cakes.

[lisarea]

We never really had a traditional Christmas dinner in my family. We'd just do turkey or goose or whatever. Kinda Thanksgivingey. Until a few years ago.

My sister's young gentleman friend is from Louisiana, and every Christmas, he makes low country boil. It's just sausage, shrimp, red potatoes, and corn on the cob, cut up and boiled in water with spices. You leave the pot on the stove, and everyone serves themselves throughout the day, tossing the shrimp tails and corncobs onto old newspapers.

Recognizing a worthy tradition when we see it, we've adopted it as our official Christmas dinner, too. It's festive in its own way, it fits right in with our slovenly "sitting on the floor in our pajamas all day" theme, it's foolproof , and it's just insanely good. Way better than it sounds.

I highly recommend it.

[pescifish]

JoeP, you might be interested to know that peppadew sauce is now an official ingredient in my cranberry sauce (made some last night to go with the pork loin). I don't have any peppadews left, but I still have some hot and mild sauce. It really punches up the cranberries in a very tasty way.

[viscousmemories]

Pesci: The fancy meal thing sounds really good. With my big family holiday is synonymous with buffet or potluck, so I've never thought of having a regular good meal.

Joe: Interesting... so what do you have for Thanksgiving? :D Oh and what's 'gammon'?

Lisa: That sounds delicious but not at all what I would think of as a Christmas meal. I think that's really cool. :yup:

Oh hey pesci did you by chance see my post around here that they have Peppadews at Albertsons?

[Farren]

Joe: Interesting... so what do you have for Thanksgiving? :D Oh and what's 'gammon'?


VM: What in hell is Thanksgiving? I don't know if they do it in the UK but its not a traditional celebration over here in SA.

[viscousmemories]

VM: What in hell is Thanksgiving? I don't know if they do it in the UK but its not a traditional celebration over here in SA.
Hehe... yeah I know. It's the day we celebrate the evisceration of the Native Americans by having a big feast and portraying it as a cooperative ceremony with the friendly and welcoming natives who willingly sacrificed their land for the use of their caucasian friends. Or something like that.

[Farren]

VM: What in hell is Thanksgiving? I don't know if they do it in the UK but its not a traditional celebration over here in SA.
Hehe... yeah I know. It's the day we celebrate the evisceration of the Native Americans by having a big feast and portraying it as a cooperative ceremony with the friendly and welcoming natives who willingly sacrificed their land for the use of their caucasian friends. Or something like that.

Sometimes I'm so thick. I didn't even see the big grinning smiley.

We had something similar over here. A Boer holiday called the "Day of the Covenant" when Afrikaners the land over celebrated their "miraculous" delivery from slaughter while attempting to colonise occupied land, after they fought off wave after wave of inexplicably upset locals (ten times their number!) armed with pointy sticks by shooting at them with firearms. The "covenant" part comes because they made a promise to God that if he delivered them and their vastly superior firepower, they would celebrate it forever.

The day has subsequently been kept but changed to a National Day of Reconciliation, which I think was a topping idea.

[viscousmemories]

The day has subsequently been kept but changed to a National Day of Reconciliation, which I think was a topping idea.
That's cool. I know of no serious effort to rebrand Thanksgiving here in America.

[Socratoad]

One good thing about being a hermit (well except for the many creatures) is the choice of eating whatever one wishes for a holiday meal, and so the Toad has been serving himself high quality slices of pumpernickel slavered with duck pate, topped by lots of cream cheese and topped off with a thin spread of hoisin sauce ...... mmmm mmmm good.

There is lots O kinds of various fruits about, but methinks by the time I satiate myself with the aforementioned concoction BB, Smiley and other furred, scaled and feathered creatures will get most of the fruit.

Oh ya, before I forget: even to me, a creature expert extraordinaire, I find it somewhat mind boggling that BB the woodchuck and Smiley the iguana both love the same food equally.

Damn I really must get a camera and whatever else is needed cuz I really would love to share with all of you the sight of BB and Smiley eating a mixture of fruit from the same bowl. This just happened today as before today BB was not to sure what he thought of the miniature dinosaur.

All the best of the season to all of you, no matter where you are, and no matter what or how you mark this time of year. Remember folks we got it beat now, the days are growing longer. Can spring be far behind? Except for those among us in the southern hemisphere, but then again you guys are basking in great weather most of the time. :wave:

PS: I really must try Lisaria's recipe ....... a little hoisin sauce would not go amiss

[JoeP]

pesci: peppadews! :southafrica: :cheer: :chilipepper:

toad: all that and hoisin sauce! Mmm!

[freemonkey]

Ths year its going to be simple. I'm making a prime rib roast (my first ever, I hope I don't mess it up), some baby white corn, garlic mashed potatoes and those big flakey Grands biscuits.

I did not even get a dessert this year, but about an hour ago I wished I had and went out in search of one. No luck, the only place open was RiteAid. I got some Oreos for the hubby.

I really like Lisarea's idea of having a pot on the stove and just helping yourself when you feel like it.

[pescifish]

Oh hey pesci did you by chance see my post around here that they have Peppadews at Albertsons?At your fancy-pants Albertsons perhaps! :wink: I supermarket I shop at regularly is Albertsons and I looked and looked and looked soon after your post. IIRC, the price you quoted ($7) is significantly cheaper than the online place I got mine ($11), even without figuring in shipping. I may have missed them on the shelf, though; shopping is definitely one of my top "can't do so well" sorts of activities.

Socratoad, your beasties enjoying holiday meals with you brings to mind how much my parrot enjoys when I make turkey. Munching on turkey bones is arguably one of her favorite activities.

[Socratoad]

VM, although I have already posted to this thread I just realized that I did not answer your question regarding traditional Christmas meals. Odd now that I think of it but actually there was hardly any difference between Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners. Turkey, dressing, potatoes, usually candied yams, various other vegetables, and of course cranberries. Gotta love those cranberries. For desert: pumpkin pie, mincemeat pie .... both served with either whipped cream or ice cream.

Oh ya, one difference: plum pudding or carrot pudding at Christmas but never at thanksgiving.

Of course thanksgiving is a month or so earlier up here on the tundra than down thar south O the border.

And Farren, perhaps we should think of another name for the holiday celebrating when we palefaces began to cheat the natives bigtime.

PS: Its been a few years since I ate a traditional holiday meal. Then again its been a quite few years since I have done anything traditional.

[Dingfod]

This year? Leftover chili and cheese in a flour tortilla, followed by cinnamon bread with Nutella spread on it, eaten while watching A Christmas Story with my daughter Roxy after I got up from sleeping all day. At work last night, Rib Crib*™ catered a BBQ ribs, brisket, and chicken dinner, the leftovers of which will be eaten in about 15 minutes, I'm hungry.

We will have a more traditional dinner of spiral-sliced ham and the usual side dishes prepared tomorrow by my wife, who is off work tomorrow, assisted by Roxy. Again, I will sleep all day, get up and eat and slog off to work for one more night.

[Socratoad]

Peppadews? Would someone please enlighten this poor northern barbarian from up here in Polarbearland.

[pescifish]

It's all JoeP's fault so I hope he'll jump in and give a description. But since I keep bringing them up (because of their peppery goodness!), I will link you to JoeP's first peppadew introduction post here (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7639&postcount=7).

Based on his description and the website he links in the post, I found an online place I can order them. Later, vm said that he saw them on the shelf at his local supermarket -- the lucky pup that he is!

And my plans for tonight are foiled. Some friends of mine called earlier to invite me to their Christmas dinner. I was screening my calls, so I waited until a few minutes ago to decide in the midst of my cleaning frenzy. Carlo guilted me into accepting when I called to decline. I adore this family, so I'm sure it will be fun, even though it wasn't what I had in mind.

Carlo said: ham, asparagus, salad, wine...

This is this family's first Christmas dinner on their own as Maria's mother died a couple of months ago and apparently the extended family tradition fell apart in a nasty mess. This, btw, was how Carlo guilted me into accepting. He said they wanted to make the day special somehow so they thought to invite me. Stinker--he knew I was looking forward to my alone time.

[Socratoad]

Thanks pescifish, much appreciated. I'm always on the lookout for good food. Some of those or that on the smoked salmon along with the other goodies mentioned would even bring a dead toad to life.


I really must check to see if they have made their way onto the frozen tundra.

[Ex-zombie]

The tradition in my house is to try something new each year. This year my fifteen year old daughter volunteered to cook the dinner for us. She planned the menu. She made roasted duck, cheese mashed potatoes, wild rice, and steamed vegetables. For dessert, she made cheesecake brownies. It was her first time making an entire meal by herself. It was so delicious!

[Socratoad]

What a great story zombie. You must be very proud of your girl. Plus suddenly I'm sitting here in the middle of the night with my mouth watering.

[Ex-zombie]

Thank you Socratoad. I am very proud of her but then I have good reason to be. She is the most intelligent, the most beautiful, the most kind, and the most charming 15 year old in the universe.

[viscousmemories]

Well everything turned out great for me. The green bean casserole (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=14652#post14652) could've used more mushrooms and I didn't have fresh herbs (or even dry bay leaves) so that wasn't perfect, but it was still excellent.

I used the leftover heavy whipping cream (from the green bean recipe) in the mashed peeled Yukon Gold potatoes. I also added garlic powder and white pepper, though not enough of the latter. I don't usually peel potatoes but I felt like it.

The turkey was perfect. Plump and juicy. I bought a Jennie-O turkey breast, and cooked it in a Reynolds Oven Wrap roasting bag (tip courtesy of Lauri D. - thanks Lauri. :) ) I had slices of it on kaiser rolls with gravy for brunch today.

The stuffing was a little dry, but that was solved with gravy.

Everything else was great, too. I'm really glad I made the effort for this meal. :yup:

[JoeP]

It's all JoeP's fault so I hope he'll jump in and give a description. But since I keep bringing them up (because of their peppery goodness!), I will link you to JoeP's first peppadew introduction post here (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7639&postcount=7).
Jumping in as requested.

:toad:, peppadews (or probably PeppadewsTM - the name is trademarked and they call the actual fruit "sweet piquante peppers") are mild-to-moderately hot chilli/chile pepper, red and round-shaped, with a delicious tangy sweetness. They are always sold in jars and I think some of the sweetness may come from the pickling liquid - whatever the case, the leftover liquid in a finished jar is excellent in its own right, in salad dressings and so on.

Joe

[Farren]

Peppadews are great. Thanks for the background Joe. I didn't realise they were acually a kind of pepper (stoopid I know).

[JoeP]

I don't know for certain they are, but the 'peppa' in the name, the redness, the hotness, and the speculation on their website that the original plant is Central American all point to it.

[LadyShea]

I think Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are usuallly the same with most US families, VM. Turkey or ham is usually the main course, and regional or ethnic/family side dishes. Dressing varies widely by region, I have found. Also, here in Nevada and when I lived in Southern Colorado, there is a widespread Christmas Eve tradition of tamales.

[wade-w]

Also, here in Nevada and when I lived in Southern Colorado, there is a widespread Christmas Eve tradition of tamales.

Tamales are common in New Mexico as well.

[Socratoad]

It's all JoeP's fault so I hope he'll jump in and give a description. But since I keep bringing them up (because of their peppery goodness!), I will link you to JoeP's first peppadew introduction post here (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7639&postcount=7).
Jumping in as requested.

:toad:, peppadews (or probably PeppadewsTM - the name is trademarked and they call the actual fruit "sweet piquante peppers") are mild-to-moderately hot chilli/chile pepper, red and round-shaped, with a delicious tangy sweetness. They are always sold in jars and I think some of the sweetness may come from the pickling liquid - whatever the case, the leftover liquid in a finished jar is excellent in its own right, in salad dressings and so on.

Joe


Thanks Joe for further enlightening me about these little beauties. I shall search for them on the tundra this week, providing the damned frigid spell lets up enough so that even me and polar bears may safely venture forth. If I am unsuccessful in my quest I'm gonna contact the bureau of statistics at the United Nations and have my country dropped several notches in most desirable nation in which to live scale.

[wildernesse]

We don't have a traditional Christmas dinner--we being my parents, as well as my me + RA family--but we generally have the same thing as at Thanksgiving without the whole turkey. It's just a big family meal.

This Christmas at my parents' we had: smoked turkey, honey-baked ham, cornbread, squash, turnip greens, sweet potato stuff, ribs, and cabbage. I think that's everything.

Plus, desserts.

[pzmyers]

We had a very traditional Christmas dinner: Chinese take-out in New York City. Well, not traditional for us, but at least for someone.

[Maynard]

After being asked to 'chip-in' to the dinner making by putting a Caesar Salad together, I sat down on the peek-a-do (a term one of my kids coined as a toddler; must have been reminded of it by Peppadews!), and Googled, "christmas caesar salad" and came up with a great recipe at The Reluctant Gourmet (http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/caesar.htm). (The site's name seemed appropriate). Everyone like it so much that I was asked for a repeat of the salad on New Year's Day. I think I may have just started a tradition! I hope that's a good thing :D ... but even I can make it and not screw it up. On both occasions though, I gave a shriek :yell: after adding the oil to quickly! Still, it turned out well enough and tastes great.

[livius drusus]

That looks like THE classic recipe, Maynard. My parents used to do the whole side of the table production number complete with giant wooden bowl on tripod.

Emulsifying the oil is definitely the hardest part. If you can, make one of the guests/kids/family do the slow stream while you whisk it in. That'll make the process much more enjoyable for everyone. :eat:

[godfry n. glad]

We had a very traditional Christmas dinner: Chinese take-out in New York City. Well, not traditional for us, but at least for someone.


According to my Jewish wife, who grew up in the NYC environs, Chinese take-out is the traditional Jewish Christmas dinner. I suspect that this is because the Chinese restaurants were amongst the few that were actually open on that day.

godfry

[Dingfod]

I remember a year that my dad went out and bought a bag full of 15 cent hamburgers from Burger Chef (http://burgerchef.sites.cc/). My mom was sick with the flu and only until the past couple of years my dad never learned to cook anything more complicated than Instant Malt-O-Meal.