Spinoff: Christmas Eve Dinner

[kanne323]

We are keeping it casual. Calzone, salad, maybe veggie tray and dip. Dessert will be favorite treats from a local bakery.

 

[SueInBoston]

our tradition is that I host Christmas Eve Dinner and we go out for Christmas Day dinner.
This year's menu:
Apps:
Bacon wrapped scallops
Crab filled pastry shells
Dinner:
Rosemary & Garlic Beef Tenderloin
Mashed Potaoes
Garlic Green Beans
Balsamic & maple syrup Brussel Sprouts
Jiffy's Corn Pudding
Dessert:
Magnolia Banana Pudding (I add Christmas sprinkles)

My 2nd big dinner is on the 23rd, we are doing Chinese hot pot.

Christmas Day breakfast is sausage/potato casserole, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and fruit.

 

[E&Cmom]

We will probably go out for a late lunch or early dinner along with either a movie or going to a lights display.

 

[Skywalker3]

Last few years, we've had a standing rib roast and a couple of sides on Christmas Eve. It's usually just the 4 of us, unless my older son is in town, he won't be this year though.

 

[LoveDaisy]

We always have baked stuffed shrimp on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure of the sides yet it will depend what veggies look good when I go to the store.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

My sister and I take turns hosting Christmas Eve dinner. We usually go all out. My menu is usually:

Baked crab dip with toasted baguette
Prime rib
Lobster tail
Mashed potatoes
Sautéed asparagus
Rosemary rolls
Cheesecake
Nice red wine and sparking juice for the teens.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Heavy apps that we go through over the course of the night. My sister will also come up with some kind of "specialty cocktail"....and my husband and I always bring a bunch of nice wine. This is my family, my sister's in-laws, assorted friends of theirs....so it's a big group. A sit down meal doesn't work for this crowd. This year we're doing:

Crostini with beef tenderloin, horseradish aioli and caramelized onions
Cacio e pepe arancini
Crab cakes with a lemon aioli
Lobster bisque soup shooters
Sausage stuffed mushrooms
Goat cheese, bacon and caramelized onion tartlets
A big chopped salad with roasted veggies (for those who don't do dairy or meats)

And then on the table there will be a big cheese platter with nuts and chutney as well as some charcuterie.
Guests usually handle desserts.

My sister and I will prep all of this the day before and then we reheat and assemble in batches through the night. We switch out some of the apps each year, but tend to stick with the "hits". My husband does the wine shopping. My BIL gets the cheese/meat platters and bread from "up north" in NJ....because they have better bread. We have it down to a science at this point.

How do you keep the beef tenderloin and bisque shooters warm?

 

[disykat]

We're pretty flexible. This years plans are:

Ham dinner with friends on the 22nd. Salmon dinner with both adult kids and their families on the 23rd. I'm not hosting either of those, just contributing. The only thing I know for sure I'm making is an apple spice cake for the 22nd. (The 22nd is our wedding anniversary and while we agreed when we married to celebrate a different day if we want to go out due to holiday stuff, we do generally have apple spice cake on that day since that was our wedding cake flavor.)

Melt in your mouth chicken, roasted veggies, cranberry applesauce, etc. with sister, BIL and mom on the 24th. We're all church musicians and will have snacks between services that night too. Brunch of French Toast with caramelized bananas and Eggs Benedict on the 25th with the same group. Friends joining us in the afternoon for appetizers and desserts. I'm still deciding what I'm making for that.

I'm making out menus and the grocery list tonight.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We do snacks during the day and have a soup or stew for dinner.

 

[ronandannette]

Christmas Eve is our biggest church service of the season; no services on Christmas Day. The time varies; sometimes morning, or early or late evening. Afterwards we often have company or go to someone else's house. None of us serve a sit-down meal - it's always fancy hot appetizers and cold trays and tons of festive sweets.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Christmas Eve is our biggest church service of the season; no services on Christmas Day. The time varies; sometimes morning, or early or late evening. Afterwards we often have company or go to someone else's house. None of us serve a sit-down meal - it's always fancy hot appetizers and cold trays and tons of festive sweets.

That sounds lovely!

 

[dvcgirl67]

How do you keep the beef tenderloin and bisque shooters warm?

We have a few of these electric warming plate thingies.....got them several years back, from Amazon I think. We set them up on a buffet and keep adding warm appetizers to that. We keep the bisque warm in a crock pot, and will just fill up about 8-10 "shooters" as people hit the food area and refill as necessary. Word gets around that the food is out and people hit it pretty hard that first go round, and we just replenish as we go. My sister has a big double oven and a warming tray too...so a good set up for this kind of entertaining.

 

[soccerdad72]

Prime rib, twice stuffed potatoes, popovers and salad, plus some veggies on the side.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Usually turkey with one side of the family on Christmas Eve and turkey with other side Christmas Day.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Do you make your own pierogi? Honestly, I have no idea what we're doing this Xmas eve. It's different every year. Sometimes we're running around and just grab Taco Bell, other years we have our Scheiß together and have something more elaborate, other years we say "chuck it" and go to the bar. It all depends on what happens that day and our mood.

On Christmas Eve we eat lunch at my aunt's house. We have turkey/ham sliced for sandwiches/veggie tray/chips/etc. Christmas Eve night, DH and I go out to dinner. This year we have a reservation at a nice steakhouse.

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.

 

[mumto3girls]

We do appetizers Christmas Eve. Best meal of the year. My mom started it when my sisters and I were little. She’s gone but we will all still be at her house (my dad is still alive and living in our childhood home) but my sisters and I prepare all the food now and handle set up and clean up.

I will do turkey and ham Christmas Day at my house. In laws come too.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

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.

Yes, a few. Mainly here in town which is even better as we can walk to them.

 

[RedAngie]

Do you make your own pierogi? Honestly, I have no idea what we're doing this Xmas eve. It's different every year. Sometimes we're running around and just grab Taco Bell, other years we have our Scheiß together and have something more elaborate, other years we say "chuck it" and go to the bar. It all depends on what happens that day and our mood.

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

 

[Lord Manhammer]

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

That's great! Do you like them with meat or potatoes? I took a class in Krakow last year to make them and they are very easy.

 

[RedAngie]

That's great! Do you like them with meat or potatoes? I took a class in Krakow last year to make them and they are very easy.

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.