Spinoff: Christmas Eve Dinner

[TwoMisfits]

We tend to do fishes, but not 7.

This year, Aldi's had an amazing deal on frozen langoustine, so we're gonna do a langoustine pasta with white wine, olive oil and garlic. I may also make either a shrimp tray or mini crab cakes as a 2nd fish. Then, we'll have a fruit and veg, based on sales. Total out of pocket for 6 will be around $35.

Christmas is always Peking Duck...and b/c Rib Roasts are so cheap, I'll buy and make one this week as my family's yearly "if I cooked on Xmas" meal with mashed potatoes, homemade gravy with roasted onions and mushrooms, and fruit/veg. Then folks can have the leftovers as sandwiches.

 

[ronandannette]

Restaurants and bars are open Christmas Eve where you live? Most things close by 6 pm or so here. Maybe Tim Horton’s is open.

The only time we've ever eaten out on Christmas Eve it was a Chinese place. Cliched, I know. Nothing else of substance was open.

I used to make my own pierogi, but I haven’t for about five years now. I get them from a local Polish deli.

Frozen pierogi are ubiquitous in the grocery store freezer aisle here. Do you have to get them from a specialty place, or you just like to?

 

[leebee]

I'm making a big pot of pasta e fagioli and we'll have crusty hot rolls, a meat/cheese charcuterie, and salad (maybe- lots of veg in the soup). Dessert is either gingerbread or blueberry crisp (one on Christmas Eve, one on Christmas... can't remember which).

My SIL's family (his parents, brother/SIL/niece, and 3 grandmothers) are coming for Pasta Madness Lunch on the 23rd. We'll have spaghetti, ziti, red sauce (no meat), cheese sauce, pans of sauteed veg (onions, green peppers, mushrooms), broiled meatballs, and pan-sauteed chunks of Italian sausage. Everyone can make their own pasta dish with whatever they like. We'll also have salad and bread, with brownie sundaes for dessert.

For Christmas, DD is making braised short ribs, mashed potatoes, mashed turnip (actually rutabaga), and.. green beans? I asked for the turnip! Dessert will be whichever we didn't have on Christmas eve, and maybe a lemon meringue pie (DH's favorite).

 

[GAN]

Seafood …lots of seafood. Clams, mussels, snail salad, smelts, scallops, squid, baccala, shrimp, oysters. Not crazy about the fried smelt or baccala but Christmas Eve is the one time a year I force myself and still don’t care for it

 

[AustinTink]

Italian food this year. I’m making baked ziti, verdure al forno, spaghetti in a lemon caper sauce, assorted garlic/crusty breads, spinach artichoke dip, charcuterie board appetizer and a wreath salad. MIL is making a chocolate amaretto cheesecake for dessert.

And wine. Lots of wine.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Yes, turkey or ham or roast beef for Christmas Day, but how about the day before?

I usually alternate between seafood (Feast of almost seven fishes) and Polish food.

This year I’m making Rhode Island style clam chowder. Clear broth, not red like Manhattan nor creamy like New England. Plus crab cakes, broiled scallops, and some kind of shrimp.

For Polish dinners it’s usually pierogi, kielbasa and kapusta (sauerkraut), Krupnik (mushroom barley soup) and stuffed cabbage.

What’s on your table 12/24?

Christmas eve is always prime rib. Christmas day is lamb.

 

[leebee]

Christmas eve is always prime rib. Christmas day is lamb.

YUM! Can I come to your house?

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I love reading about how everyone celebrates. Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year.

 

[GAN]

This year I’m making Rhode Island style clam chowder. Clear broth, not red like Manhattan nor creamy like New England.

Someone knows what’s going on here….

 

[Sweettears]

Most of the pierogi I made were actually mushroom, or sauerkraut, or spinach. Only occasionally with potato. I never tried meat pierogi.

Sometimes I bought dessert pierogi filled with blueberry or raspberry pie filling, served with whipped cream or powdered sugar.

If you’re making any mushroom or sauerkraut and you find out you have too many pm me. I can provide an outlet

 

[Sweettears]

We tend to do fishes, but not 7.

This year, Aldi's had an amazing deal on frozen langoustine, so we're gonna do a langoustine pasta with white wine, olive oil and garlic. I may also make either a shrimp tray or mini crab cakes as a 2nd fish. Then, we'll have a fruit and veg, based on sales. Total out of pocket for 6 will be around $35.

Christmas is always Peking Duck...and b/c Rib Roasts are so cheap, I'll buy and make one this week as my family's yearly "if I cooked on Xmas" meal with mashed potatoes, homemade gravy with roasted onions and mushrooms, and fruit/veg. Then folks can have the leftovers as sandwiches.

We’re not Italian either but we are doing the seafood menu. Black cod blackened snapper oysters on the half shell mussels in wine sauce shrimp cocktail smoked salmon and pickled herring

 

[TipsyTraveler]

We do a hot cocoa bar on Christmas Eve but the food is just whatever I feel like having any given year, usually apps/finger foods, something easy to eat while watching Christmas movies. Sometimes I pick a theme to give me some direction, anything from fancy French foods to sports bar grub. This year is going to be an odd hodgepodge. I was inspired while placing an online food order to make (vegan) duck and fried oysters, then someone here mentioned fondue and I thought the kids would enjoy it so I’m adding that in, too, for cheese and chocolate.

 

[ronandannette]

We do a hot cocoa bar on Christmas Eve but the food is just whatever I feel like having any given year, usually apps/finger foods, something easy to eat while watching Christmas movies. Sometimes I pick a theme to give me some direction, anything from fancy French foods to sports bar grub. This year is going to be an odd hodgepodge. I was inspired while placing an online food order to make (vegan) duck and fried oysters, then someone here mentioned fondue and I thought the kids would enjoy it so I’m adding that in, too, for cheese and chocolate.

How do you make vegan fried oysters? What's the base protein and is it the same as the duck?

 

[TipsyTraveler]

How do you make vegan fried oysters? What's the base protein and is it the same as the duck?

They are May Wah products that I ordered from Lily’s Vegan Pantry in New York. Many of the meat substitute products they sell are in our regular rotation, but I’ve never cooked these two before so how they turn out remains to be seen. I’m adapting this recipe for the duck:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/slow-cooked-duck-green-olives-and-herbes-de-provence

…and plan to do a basic buttermilk-type batter for the fried oysters.

 

[tony67]

Mostly do appetizer stuff and desserts.

Anchovy Dough is the only holdover from the seven fishes tradition. (anchovy wrapped in dough and deep fried)

 

[TwoMisfits]

Someone knows what’s going on here….

I agree. Since I can no longer have dairy, I always make a Rhode Island style clam chowder now. Spouse likes it better without the dairy b/c it's more clam-my...

 

[TwoMisfits]

We do a hot cocoa bar on Christmas Eve but the food is just whatever I feel like having any given year, usually apps/finger foods, something easy to eat while watching Christmas movies. Sometimes I pick a theme to give me some direction, anything from fancy French foods to sports bar grub. This year is going to be an odd hodgepodge. I was inspired while placing an online food order to make (vegan) duck and fried oysters, then someone here mentioned fondue and I thought the kids would enjoy it so I’m adding that in, too, for cheese and chocolate.

Fondue is great. It's my Valentine's tradition...and one of my rotating New Year's Eve ones...

Here, I just do chocolate now, so I tend to have a simple dinner protein and then a tray of fresh fruits with 2-3 treats. Kids demolish it.

 

[NannyBeBe]

We will have our traditional Christmas Eve dinner -- Ronald Reagan's Hamburger Soup along with homemade tamales. I will make the salsa for the tamales.

 

[livih99]

My mom and I make either stuffed shells, stuffed manacotti or baked ziti. It's all the same recipe, so just depends on what type of pasta we get. There's usually either sausage or meatballs and bread. My mom also usually makes red velvet cake for dessert.

 

[mjkacmom]

This year we’re doing a 7 fishes thing, cioppino with shrimp, cod, mussels, clams, calamari, a crab dip, and scungili salad.