For most of us, Christmas is the first or second biggest family event of the year, especially in the cooking and baking department.
Some people prefer turkey, some prefer ham, and others (like me) prefer beef.
Since I have a small group on Christmas Eve, I usually splurge and get a rib roast (with or without bones), and prepare a few side dishes to complement this yummy main course. There’s a special rich potato and Gruyère cheese casserole, usually a salad and a simple green vegetable, although I have added other things. One year I made a really good mushroom tart with puff pastry (should do that one again, now that the kids eat mushrooms). I make either a mixed berry trifle or a pumpkin steamed pudding with maple sauce for dessert.
On Christmas Day I don’t cook anything, other than breakfast.
I know that some ethnic groups have special dishes and meals that are prepared for Christmas. For instance, Italians traditionally have a fish and seafood meal on Christmas Eve. Polish families often have dishes like fresh kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, and pierogi.
What do you (or your family) usually prepare for Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day dinner?
Stella's Place 
Tonight we had ham, potato salad, red cabbage, and homemade coffee gelato with Bailey’s. Tomorrow for Christmas day dinner we’re having beef filet medallions “Rossini” (with foie gras and a Madeira sauce) with pommes pavé. Mmmmmm.
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I had leftover braised pork shoulder with sauerkraut and apples for supper tonight. Beef tomorrow!
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I’d be happy with your leftovers!
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No special foods for Eve, so tonight we are cooking fried rice with shrimp and chicken, and egg rolls. Christmas dinner is being deferred to Sunday, so we can include the GGS who is spending tomorrow with his mother & sisters. We change the menu up sometimes, turkey, ham, goose, shrimp. One year we had an oyster festival, with something with oysters at every course.
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Well tonite will be a hamburger, hot dog (angus), and egg in a sandwich! Tomorrow will be left overs.
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Kinda easy peasy cookin’ for yourself! Only question is what veggie do I want. Lima beans tonite and maybe peas and carrots tomorrow.
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Enjoy! Lima beans are probably the only vegetable I don’t like. Maybe turnips too.
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On that we can agree.
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What’s kinda weird is I’ve loved Lima beans since I was a little boy! My mom always cooked our faves on our birthdays. Needless to say, my 2 sisters hated those beans! But on the bright side, I got both their helpings and was in 7th heaven, LOL!!! Still like them to this day. Maybe that’s why (non likable) they’re always available on the canned shelves at the market. I never found out there was anything special in them (nutrition wise) that my body craved them so. I could eat them by the pound!
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Good you are getting a variety of veggies…. When I was cooking for one my go to foods were chicken thighs or pork chops. And i love lima beans!
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I went to Bob Evans restaurant, a place that makes home cooked style food, and picked up two turkey/dressing, etc. meals. This includes a big piece of delicious pumpkin pie and really good rolls. I have tried different things in the past that probably cost more.
I used to love fixing Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. But, it just leaves too much food for two people now.
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Sounds like a good plan to me!
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We do a stop and go with several friends and family and we serve finger foods and this is on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day I do a brunch for family and that is all of the cooking that I do on Christmas.
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We do a stop and go with several friends and family and we serve finger foods and this is on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day I do a brunch for family and that is all of the cooking that I do on Christmas.
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Today we had the traditional biscuit and gravy brunch. When our kids were growing up we always came home from Midnight Mass, opened presents, and then had the huge breakfast before going to bed. When the grand babies came along we stopped that, and my husband and sons have groused about it ever since.
I cooked almost all my food for tomorrow’s dinner already, and I have an overnight blueberry French toast casserole ready to cook for breakfast. My son is smoking a lamb for tomorrow and I have a ham in the oven now. Bacon wrapped carrots, a new potato recipe, the traditional ethnic Czech bread, and the DIL gets to do the rest. Oh yes, pies are made already too.
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I live alone, and my family have all decided to not have our traditional big get together. I didn’t do anything special yesterday. It is Christmas morning now and I am making myself the breakfast I always made for my husband and son when son was growing up: Grapefruit, pigs in a blanket, scrambled eggs. For dinner, a filet mignon, mushroom sauce, garlic roasted potatoes, balsamic roasted brussel sprouts. Pecan pie later! Merry Christmas everyone!
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I’m alone this year too. Treat yourself!
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always had a simple meal on Christmas day…Potato soup and what ever snack’s put out on table.,
but I like the idea of a prime rib roast..
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For those who are having turkey, doesn’t this look good for leftovers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVu7FVQKrXQ
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Every Christmas Eve my mom makes homemade pizza and cannolis. Christmas day we eat prime rib with various sides.
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