christmas dinner menu

[eragon]

cooking for large group of friends my christmas dinner will be:

First course:

selection choice of
prawn cocktail  with brown bread and butter
smoked salmon  with brown bread and butter (gluten free bread and dairy free spread supplied )
melon and ham, and plain melon (not near ham!)
pate and crackers

sparkling wine

Christmas dinner

turkey,
gammon
roast potato, parsnips
sausages with bacon
peas, carrots, brussel sprouts
chestnut stuffing (gluten free) (kept away from son as not sure about chestnuts anymore)
sage and onion stuffing (veggie)
bread sauce
cranberry sauce
gravy
and veggie marmite gravy (kept away from son re allergy)

red and white wine of choice

sweet course.
warm mince pies (gluten, nut, dairy free)

christmas pudding aflame with brandy and cautious steady hand as brought to table. (gluten free one supplied) 

christmas fluff/trifle ( whipped cream with vanilla, sugar and splash of tia maria= gluten free )

cupcakes (gluten, nut and dairy free)

served with brandy butter, custard, cream

dessert wine

cheese and biscuits (gluten free crackers supplied)

coffee and mints, tia maria , baileys, brandy,  cigars (for those with no asthma, and with a  polite request for smokers to stand in garden near our log /music cabin.)


table decorated in red and white.
each person will have christmas cracker to pull, and note on  candy cane with the words 'please take a santa peg from jar in middle of table'
Each santa peg has a moustashe of differing styles to choose and stick on. Guest encouraged to take selfies, snap chat and compare styles. rude jokes and quiz questions also on place cards at each setting. 
Above planned to entertain guests if my roast potato's show little sign of correct crispiness and need more time.

catering for one veggie person, one ige wheat allergic, and for my family, no milk, nut , raw egg, histamine etc etc.

music and dancing with or without brooms in kitchen in early hours of morning will be enjoyed once full belly reduced and wine/beer continues to flow. music selection loud, very loud or ear bleeding type loudness. 

[Macabre]

Lovely!  Explain a Santa peg please.

Wouldn't prawns be high in histamines?

[hedgehog]

Your dinner sounds fabulous! But it also sounds like a lot of work.  Wow.

I am hosting three Christmases at my house.  Never done that before.  The first is on the 21st, with DH's family.  Due to travel schedules, we cannot see them on Christmas Day this year.  The second is Christmas Eve with my father.  The third is Christmas brunch with my mother.  Brother's family will be here fir both Christmas Eve and Christmas brunch.  I have not begun planning the two dinners.  But I have planned brunch. My mom is vegan, so I thought of several options she can have, but have still kept a few dishes she cannot.


Xmas brunch

Oatmeal
Vegan muffins
Frittata
Bacon
Fresh fruit
Poached pears
Almonds
Hash browns
Cheese and crackers
Some kind of pastry?

Most of the food only takes a few minutes, or can be done in advance.  Of course, advance means Christmas Eve, when I am hosting a dinner.  At least I won't have little kids waking me up before the crack of dawn to open presents.  So I can stay up a little later with prep and cleanup.

[GoingNuts]

How am I going to get back and forth from Hedgie's to eragon's?  What to do, what to do. 

They both sound wonderful. 

[eragon]

santa peg is just a clip (used to hold christmas cards on string) which looks like santa!

son will avoid prawns, will have melon,or safe crackers with butter!

[becca]

My back aches just reading that, eragon!  Sounds wonderful!  You as well, hedgie.  Yum! 

[hedgehog]

Ok, I have planned, without too much detail, the two dinners.

For DH's family, a big pot of sauce with sausage, meatballs, braciole, chicken thighs, maybe short ribs. Pasta of course to go with that.  Garlic bread.  Maybe a salad.

For Christmas Eve, a roast, probably tenderloin, potatoes, veggies.

[PurpleCat]

hummmmmm....... those menus are wonderful!

I'm a Christmas Menu underachiever! 

But I bake lots and lots of kinds of cookies and holiday breads!

[YouKnowWho]

Lasagna casserole and have talked MIL out of green jello salad.

I go easy because it is so crazy here as I host my parents, MIL and SIL.

[MaryM]

I guess I have to start thinking about this.
Christmas Eve is easy.  MIL makes meatballs, I make safe ones for the kids & we have cold cuts.  That's their tradition. 

I think I'll will make a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner. DH will want Yorkshire pudding but I'm not sure I want to deal with eggs in the house on a holiday.  It's hectic and easy to make a mistake.

[eragon]

MaryM
I buy our yorkshire pudding. its cheating but stops the cross contamination of raw egg. I agree its hard to concentrate when house is busy at this time of year.


I have made my cranberry sauce and frozen ready for the dinner. Its a orange and port cranberry sauce, and tastes rather good.
However have failed with the mince pies. Am considering using them as door stops or house bricks.  Will make another attempt at weekend!

[MaryM]

eragon, I've never seen it for sale here.  I think we will just skip it. DH will understand. 

[hedgehog]

I googled eggless Yorkshire pudding, and lots of recipes came up.  This is the first one I clicked on

http://www.alternativestores.com/vegan-vegetarian-shopping/blog/vegan-yorkshire-pudding-recipes.html

Maybe you can find a recipe that works for you.

[MaryM]

Thank you hedgie!!

[hedgehog]

I juist found out that for DH's family, we are having 16!  That is more than usual.  One niece, her significant other, and their child have been coming to things for the last year or so, after not being at a family event, including her brother's wedding, for quite a few years.  And they are coming. 

So the menu works perfectly.  Not much difference between making that meal for 4 or 20.  But I need to come up with appetizers still.  Definitely pigs in blankets, or DS will be very disappointed.  DH will be disappointed.  I know he will want shrimp cocktail, but nephew's wife is allergic to shellfish.  I will try to pick up a nice local cheese, if I can get there during their limited hours.  Not sure what else.  Maybe a spinache artichoke dip, and/or wings.