What are you cooking for Christmas - your traditional foods?

[Wally_Hood]

Homemade raviolis and butterball soup.

The raviolis are from my 100% Italian grandfather. We use our own homemade Italian salami for the stuffing.

The butterball soup is from my 100% German-from-Russia grandmother. Butterballs do not refer to the turkeys, but instead, to a butter dumpling that my grandmother makes. This is a Germans-from-Russia dish, and not German. It's made out of all-spice, bread crumbs, butter, sweet cream, and eggs. Fattening, but oh so delicious. Then you pop these suckers into a chicken broth, add noodles, then cook.

It's a Christmas tradition that we have butterball soup on Christmas Eve at Grandma's house. And that's where I'll be this year!

Oh,dear, what isn't delicious but fattening? Everything you posted looks absolutely amazing

 

[Wally_Hood]

My family always have a traditional English style Christmas luncheon. Except last year where we went out to restaurant as the family members who were supposed to be hosting had some health issues. No blame to them, of course, but the break in tradition was a grievous blow to me.
The traditional menu is:

Roast turkey with roast potatos, gravy, peas epicurean, brussels sprouts and carrots vichy
Christmas pudding with custard, cream and brandy butter. We will be flaming it this year, I hope I don't flame myself again.

This year I will be cooking a few extras, namely a spiced apple cake and eggnog. I had intended to make the pudding but I couldn't find a suitable pudding basin in which to steam the befruited blighter.

LB, Your plans sound elegant, classy, and delicious. Your comment that the break in tradition was a grevious blow resonates with me: Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings and meals have to hold fast to the old established traditions or I go into pathetic holiday funk.

 

[Wally_Hood]

Traditionally, I've always done a standing rib roast (AKA prime rib...although I'm told the average consumer actually cannon "prime" rib because it contractually all goes to restaurants & hotel suppliers, and the best the consumer can get is choice) with au gratin potatoes, dressing, green beans with onion & bacon, popovers or Yorkshire puddings in the popover pan, a big salad (field greens, dried cranberries, pear pieces, Gorgonzola cheese with a balsamic viniagrette) and usually a couple pies, although we have done plum pudding a few times and I've had a hankering to do it again. Last year we had dinner at friends' instead of a family celebration. The year before was the above her, and then the 2 prior years we flew down to Palm Springs for the holiday at friends since it was the first time I was able to travel in a dozen years (caring for an invalid parent at home those 12 years).

We had friends over for dinner last week and I went all-out - pork loin in a cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, big salad, rolls, green bean casserole, two pies, etc. Fire in the fireplace, table decorated with cedar boughs with candles as the centerpiece, the holiday china and linens. We sat down to eat at 8...and we were still at the table laughing and yakking at 12:45 when someone ruined the evening by looking at their watch. Everyone's been raving about everything since, so I'm thinking I may do our "Christmas dinner" a day late with a bunch of friends here, and coincidentally it's one of our friend's birthday.

The pork loin was ridiculously simple - three pork loins in a roasting pan. One can of whole-berry cranberry sauce into a bowl with a couple tablespoons of spicy Dijon mustard - put that in the microwave for a minute or so until it's warm and stirable. Stir it all up and spread it over the pork loins and into the oven for 30-40 minutes (however long it takes to get up to the internal temperature that signals the doneness you like). Slice into medallions & serve. Everyone loved it - and next time, I'm going to add some orange zest to the berries. In fact, I thought about that as the centerpiece - some cedar boughs, a couple candles and then zest 2 lemons, 2 limes & 2 oranges into the meat, and put the zested fruit on the cedar boughs since once zested, they're really aromatic.

Sir, do you cater out of town?

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Christmas breakfast is always scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, sour cream and a dollop of caviar"

We start out,Christmas Luncheon with champers and cold seafood, prawns, Crayfish, out by the pool, last year one of my nieces made a Champagne "Cup" with Malibu, pineapple juice and Champagne which was ever so good. despite reminding me of KMS Shampoo!"Its going to be fearfully Hot here on Christmas day (36c/97f) However, we will still have the traditional Hot Turkey roast, with Ham, Vegetables, Scalloped potato bake, Brussel sprouts!!!!!(we all love them), roast Pumpkin, followed by Christmas Plum pudding and brandy custard, but we will eat all that inside where its air-conditioned, and away from those damnable flies"

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Sir, do you cater out of town?

It has been suggested before. In fact, for a couple years after moving to Seattle 15 years ago, I had friends & family saying "How about you fly down and do Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years here?" or asking if they could come up here. And HAVING to do something sort of takes the joy out of it.

 

[Wally_Hood]

"Christmas breakfast is always scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, sour cream and a dollop of caviar"

We start out,Christmas Luncheon with champers and cold seafood, prawns, Crayfish, out by the pool, last year one of my nieces made a Champagne "Cup" with Malibu, pineapple juice and Champagne which was ever so good. despite reminding me of KMS Shampoo!"Its going to be fearfully Hot here on Christmas day (36c/97f) However, we will still have the traditional Hot Turkey roast, with Ham, Vegetables, Scalloped potato bake, Brussel sprouts!!!!!(we all love them), roast Pumpkin, followed by Christmas Plum pudding and brandy custard, but we will eat all that inside where its air-conditioned, and away from those damnable flies"

This sounds wonderful! A notable holiday deserves a notable feast.
We're still putting together a last minute Christmas dinner which may or not materialize: a get together for folks who can't get together with their families.

 

[exquisitebones]

I am hosting the Wayward Christmas this year... my mom who has no other family and my sister in law who's husband is out of state.. and my brother.. who is .. just wayward. [huh]

Last year we made Prime Rib and garlic mashed potatoes...
but this year we are going outside of the box of christmas recipes and I am making
Salmon Chowder! YUMMMM.

I have this amazing salmon chowder/bisque recipe. its So creamy and yummy, I am actually excited for christmas this year lol

 

[bunny chan]

In Italy we have strong tradition of christmas food, that changes region by region.

We usually do two meals: christmas eve dinner and christmas day lunch.

On christmas eve we do not eat meat, but fish (I'm vegetarian though so no meet, or fish all year long !).
Typical dishes of my region (I live in Rome) are fried artichokes and couliflowers, and fried stockfish and eel.

Christmas day typical food is lamb with potatoes, boiled meat and pasta with broth!

Very hard days for a vegetarian !

By the way I never cooked by myself, because my grandma, or my mom always do everything!

This year I'm traveling to Japan so no dinner or lunch with family !!!

B.

 

[Lily Powers]

We hit a local cafe in the morning with the dogs and friends and hang out and talk. Then back home to laze and cook later. This year we are brining (start the brine on Christmas Eve) a turkey stuffed with pears, apples and potatoes and grilling it outdoors on a gas grill. Side dishes of asparagus and cous cous. I'll make an apple pie from scratch (making note that Kosher salt is waaaay stronger than regular salt, thereby saving anyone the agonizing ritual of pretending the crust doesn't taste like a pretzel).

Bunny, I'm not a strict vegetarian, but I know what you mean. When we eat poultry, it comes from a local organic farmer who grows his grains, feeds his stock and "processes" them himself in a humane manner. He only sells directly to individuals, never mass market. It still "pings" me just a bit, but we appreciate the bird.

 

[Selvaggio]

In Italy we have strong tradition of christmas food, that changes region by region.

We usually do two meals: christmas eve dinner and christmas day lunch.

On christmas eve we do not eat meat, but fish (I'm vegetarian though so no meet, or fish all year long !).
Typical dishes of my region (I live in Rome) are fried artichokes and couliflowers, and fried stockfish and eel.

Christmas day typical food is lamb with potatoes, boiled meat and pasta with broth!

Very hard days for a vegetarian !

By the way I never cooked by myself, because my grandma, or my mom always do everything!

This year I'm traveling to Japan so no dinner or lunch with family !!!

B.

I was luck enough to spend Christmas in the Dolomites a couple of years back and we feasted on stinchi (shanks) and had a couple of bombardini (whisky eggnogg and coffee) afterwards.....mmmm....Yum! (Though perhaps not for our vegetarian friends).

 

[Viola]

We tend to do Chinese food. This year I think we're buying some and making some. We have a family dinner and its pretty nice.

 

[Woland]

Pinnekjøtt!!!

Utterly Norwegian and very tasty.

 

[bunny chan]

I was luck enough to spend Christmas in the Dolomites a couple of years back and we feasted on stinchi (shanks) and had a couple of bombardini (whisky eggnogg and coffee) afterwards.....mmmm....Yum! (Though perhaps not for our vegetarian friends).

Dolomites are wonderful aren't they? And the bombardini are very good to warm you up in the snow !!!
B.

 

[Smuterella]

This year will be my second Christmas alone but I'm still going to make a big meal. Roast chicken (I couldn't justify a turkey or afford a duck...) with stuffing, roast potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes with caramelised onion topping, roast carrots, roast onions and garlic, a few sprouts more out of duty than want. I'm going to make a heavy port and redcurrant laced gravy with some chicken stock I made last time I did a roast - gravy is the best bit of any roast.

Should feed me for a week!

I've bought all the other bits and bobs, mince pies, pudding etc. Couldn't be bothered baking anything for just little old me.

 

[tuppence]

We will have two Christmas dinners this year, one (before Christmas) with my wife's family and another on the day with mine.

Australians tend to divide between those who follow the English tradition of a a baked dinner (ham, turkey etc) followed by plum pudding with brandy custard (which is what we do) and those who break with tradition and accommodate our climate a bit more.

In Sydney, Christmas day can often be blindingly hot, so the modernists will serve cold seafood, prawns (shrimp), oysters, balmain bugs (like small crayfish), smoked salmon, with salads, followed by a cold pudding such as an icecream cake.

After all that food, it is practically impossible to move, though if you live near the beach its nice to go for a swim after about 4pm when things have cooled down a bit.

My wife's family has Italian heritage, so last year we made a porchetta, which is a heavily herbed, slow roasted pork loin roll. Yum.

You better eat early, because if you get the cramp and drown. I told you so!!

We're having B.B.Q but i think it will be raining down here

 

[John in Covina]

Often we would have turkey again, but it could be a beef standing rib roast which comes out like prime rib, a ham, or the occassion lamb dish. Suerkohl a creamed version of saurkraut was always on the table, a cinnap sauced veggie which is in a light mustard sauce would sometimes show up.

My mom usually made a whole series of Danish and Scandinavian Christmas cookies too. Butter cookies, sugar, ginger and hard meringe and those flour based fried in lard ones too.

We usually alternated Christmas at our home or at my brother's Godparents home. After moving to California with my brother, my parents would go to our cousin's home in Lindenhurst which is a much shorter drive.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Well it's supposed to be a balmy 30C (86F) in Sydney tomorrow, so we'll be having Champers, prawns, oysters, smoked salmon, cold ham & assorted salads for Christmas lunch. Christmas pudding for those who must & Pavlova for the rest of us, yum!

 

[amynbebes]

Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings and meals have to hold fast to the old established traditions or I go into pathetic holiday funk.

Ha, my mom dared to do cornish hens rather than turkey a few years ago and I was not in a good mood

 

[El Erico]

Tamales and some Ham! Can't wait to over-eat.

 

[Caity Lynn]

We always do Oyster Stew and Friend Oysters for Christmas brunch.