Christmas menu

[The Barefoot Contess]

I was wondering if you could help me out here. This will be the first time I will spend Christmas away from home (Spain). Sigh. I will be my myself for Christmas Eve and Christmas day... and since I am in the US, I would like to cook something traditionally American. I have looked up stuff online, and there are lots of menus, but I am honestly not sure if those are things people actually make. So, if you have time, I would like to know what your menu will be for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
And, of course, FELIZ NAVIDAD!

[FalconAngel]

Being predominantly Anglo-Saxon, as a culture, you might try goose, ham or turkey. Particularly turkey as it is an exclusively North American bird. Don't forget the stuffing with the turkey.

And don't forget the trimmings either.....Sweet Potatoes (aka Yams), green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy.

For desert it is common to have pumpkin pie or cherry pie or pecan pie or apple pie. With whipped cream, of course

Those tend to be the common holiday meals.

Merry Christmas
Happy Yule

[chick14441]

fix some ham. mashed potatoes, green beans. gravy. and dessert. what ever u like most Americans. fix a lot of different things for dessert. chocolate pie, pumpkin. and so many more.

[HighEnergy]

I always cook a huge Christmas dinner. Now that I'm divorced, I make it all on Christmas Eve since that's my day with my girls until midnight mass. Last year, I invited my favourite Bear couple over for a wonderful low key Christmas day and reheated it all and we watched movies. It was perfect.

I make a shrimp cocktail and vegan, wheat/peanut free chex mix with olive oil and Old Bay for the appetizer.

I make a big ham with the bone in it so I can make bean soup later. I used to fuss over making a peach glaze for it, but have since discovered the old recipe of pouring a coke over it to tenderize it and it's delicious. This year I'm going to try Vernors Ginger Ale for kicks and giggles.

Baked beans with cooked ground meat, peppers, onions, ketchup, worchestershire sauce and brown sugar, oh and some mustard.

Scallops potatoes. I used to make them from scratch until I made them out of the box the year I had hand surgery right before Christmas and everyone raved over how good they were!

Yams, cooked ahead and skinned and sauteed w/ butter and brown sugar.

Green beans, just plain, enough stuff on everything else.

Homemade cranberries because my middle kid doesn't think any holiday is complete without them. I cook them with lots of sugar and a tangerine cut up in them until they get thick.

My sister will bring a pie she gets from a restaurant because it's safer than eating her actual cooking. I'll have all kinds of different Christmas cookies and candies I've made.

On Christmas day, my queer friends have some quirky idea that "it's fitting the fags bring the fruitcake." Turns out trappist fruit made by monks is really, really good stuff.

My Dear Contess, I do hope you have a good day. I'm sorry you will be alone and wish you could wander to Ohio and I set another place for dinner. My blood relatives are completely and totally dysfunctional and insane, but they make for good joke fodder and Al Anon stories. Hence, my chosen family comes for the Holy Day.

[DiamondDog]

Beef is pretty good too. Most people just eat ham for Easter.

[gfofbiguy]

Bisexualnewbie and I are having turkey this year. Some years I have had ham, other years a prime rib roast, and once leg of lamb.

We're also having stuffing, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts (well, at least he is!), broccoli and Yorkshire pudding (as he's from England).

Feliz Navidad, Contess! I'm sorry you have to spend the holidays so far away from your family, but I hope it is happy one for you

[jeancarleo]

Querida Contess,

Aca en mi familia mexicana preparamos romeritos, bacalao a la vizcaina, pavo o pollo relleno, mole y de postre pastel tres leches, champurrado, ponche navideño y tequila de bebidas y tamales dulces.

Here in the US we make stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes or warm german potato salad, coleslaw, tamales, atole, ponche navideño, christmas cake which is a fruity cake kinda like the British cake.

As for me since I'm the only vegetarian in the family I cook and bake some dishes for me such as mint cream soup, nicoisse salad, spicy tofu and noodles with veggies, garlic eggplant and flan napolitano.

Sorry for the Spanish but I just to make it easier for u to find those recipes if interested. Feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo!!!

:bipride: Buen provecho!

[jedinudist]

Normally, I make Roast Beef, yorkshire pudding, a steamed green vegetable such as green beans, asparagus, etc., fresh rolls, Mashed white potatoes and gravy or roasted sweet potatoes, etc.

This year - Cabbage Rolls!

I sincerely hope you have a happy and relaxing holiday, especially since you are far from home.

Blessed Be~

[arana]

Contess I am sorry you are spending the holidays alone but hope it will be a nice one for you at any rate.

This year we are having a baked ham, sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, layered salad, green beans, rolls and desserts.


And don't forget the trimmings either.....Sweet Potatoes (aka Yams), green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy.

Actually yams (reddish brown and tubular shaped) and sweet potatoes (pale yellow/white and more of a potato shape) are two different things and taste different as well but for some reason get passed off as the same. Sweet potatoes are more expensive also, but IMO taste much better.

I hope everyone has a lovely and peaceful holiday no matter where they spend it or whom they spend it with.

[HighEnergy]

Beef is pretty good too. Most people just eat ham for Easter.

Not here in Ohio! Those huge meat bins in the grocery have one for turkey and one for ham.

[citystyleguy]

the good ole' us of a has many variations on the theme; the most common, mainstream has been expressed here with the turkey, gravey, potatoes, yams, etc. and these can be wonderful.

however, every immigrant group has put their spin on the theme, as well as every region of the country has done the same. for me, and now that i am like you single and alone during the holidays, i recreate what my mama and my beautiful wife created. for my parents, it was a double spin, with my mothers french heritage, and my dado's english/german, christmas was goose with wild rice and morel stuffing, three mushroom soup, garlic mashed potatoes, salmon moose, port wine aspic, steamed red cabbage, finished off with buche noel (sp?) and plum pudding, with brandy sauce.

my wife loved my mama's cooking style, but would alternate some of the above with southern dishes, i.e. cornbread muffins, sweet potatoe, pecan pie, etc.

now that i do the main entertaining, i invite others that i know that are alone, and they bring along some of their traditions, one of the big items that i enjoy are the plates of tamales, menudo, and piles of hot, fresh tortillas.

maybe a bit of this and that, from all that has been mentioned, plus that which is within in your own lexion of culinary favorites would help during the holidays?

may your holiday be blessed!