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Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

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Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Dec 02, 2020 10:54 am

I love this time of year. I get my cooking hat on, and ponder over all sorts of meals, snacks and ideas.
Magazines have especially good suggestions to mull over.

And I look forward to making dishes that I wouldn't change too, despite all the tweaks & twists offered up each year.
Breakfast on Christmas Day: I will always have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.
The eggs take me half an hour over a bain marie, 1 pot of double cream plus 6 eggs, stir stir stir.

I want to make nibbles and snacks this time, in the run up, but haven't really noticed anything yet that jumps out at me.

Our Christmas main might be fillet steak and frites yet again. With a freshly opened jar of dijon mustard - last year, I spent £7 on a jar from Partridges in Sloane Square. Can't say it was any better than Maille, but that store is so beautiful.

Any recipes or foodie plans, please share ....

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Renee » Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:03 am

Cor! I would love that breakfast Gill, but might not be able to eat anything for the rest of the day!

For the first time in my life, I will be on my own on Christmas Day. Not to worry, because I do like messing around with food and making all the accompaniments to go with the turkey. It will be a smallish one and freerange. I will be making Jamie's Christmas Gravy. I will freeze down portions of turkey, two types of stuffing, chipolatas to have later Christmas meals. I have had an invite from a close friend to have a meal with them, but they live in quite a remote place, not too far away, so have decided to stay cosy in my home.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby smitch » Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:17 am

We’re having a veggie roast for just the two of us rather than hosting my in-laws this year. I’ve got an assignment deadline and an exam in January plus placement in February so I don’t want to take any chances.

I’ve ordered bagels, cream cheese and salt beef (for OH) and we’ll have some for our Xmas Day breakfast. I’ve also got some nice cheese on order too.

We’ve decided to make some boxes of treats for family, which we’ll deliver the weekend before alongside the gifts we have. I’m still deciding what will go in but I’m thinking rocky road, mincemeat cupcakes, Dan Lepard’s stollen bites, cookies of some kind and some Christmas scones with cranberries and orange zest. I love baking so I’m really looking forward to putting them together.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:32 am

Renee, we make sure our Xmas Eve meal is not too big. So we are up for the breakfast.
Sorry you're on your tod this year tho. & I still have Dchem's makeahead gravy filed somewhere.

Smitch, your hampers sound delightful.
What a lovely thing to do. I sort of want to do the same thing here, but for Tony and I, not for gifts. A selection of delights we can enjoy at home.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Dec 02, 2020 12:56 pm

I´ve got no idea what we´ll be having for Xmas yet, but it will probably end up being the same old, same old...
Hallacas (pronounced aY-Ácas), which are somewhat complicated tamales, cooked in plantain leaves and filled with marinated pork, chicken, chickpeas, olives and sweet chile; Roast leg of pork (usually heavily dosed with wine, orange juice, oregano and garlic); chicken salad (a variation on a Russian salad, but with chicken) and Ham Bread ( a delicious Brioche loaf filled with smoked ham, raisins, bacon and stuffed olives).
Not much there for a vegetarian, so I´ll probably have a curry 8-)

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:03 pm

I think I will be having a pescatarian Christmas, as meat is too hit and miss

If I were doing food for a crowd the obvious would be a seafood platter, but not sure what to do for one

Any suggestions? Most spices are out apart from chilli & ginger. I’ll probably end up just going to the fishmonger and seeing what’s good

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Busybee » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:20 pm

Maybe stay plainish Sue? A dressed crab with salad and good bread or lobster?

BB

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby smitch » Wed Dec 02, 2020 1:27 pm

Can you not do a mini platter for one? Or BB’s suggestion sounds good.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Pepper Pig » Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:29 pm

Yes, I'd go for a lobster/seafood platter as well.

As it is it will, for the first time, be just me and OH. His appetite is poor and "he knows what he likes". :roll: So that'll be turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, possibly a parsnip, sprouts and gravy. I will make bread sauce for me. Followed by Christmas Pud and brandy butter. That should send him to sleep for the rest of the day so I might have something fishy myself for an evening snack.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby PatsyMFagan » Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:56 pm

karadekoolaid wrote:I´ve got no idea what we´ll be having for Xmas yet, but it will probably end up being the same old, same old...
Hallacas (pronounced aY-Ácas), which are somewhat complicated tamales, cooked in plantain leaves and filled with marinated pork, chicken, chickpeas, olives and sweet chile; Roast leg of pork (usually heavily dosed with wine, orange juice, oregano and garlic); chicken salad (a variation on a Russian salad, but with chicken) and Ham Bread ( a delicious Brioche loaf filled with smoked ham, raisins, bacon and stuffed olives).
Not much there for a vegetarian, so I´ll probably have a curry 8-)


Is it too late to book KKA ? Just for one. There will be me and daughter on 'the' day and she will probably want a basic roast... I have a turkey thigh and guinea fowl in the freezer - oh and a rabbit, but she wouldn't touch that. Nor will the weekend man who will be coming over for Boxing day :roll: So it will be left overs and jacket spuds.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby scullion » Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:24 pm

karadekoolaid wrote: so I´ll probably have a curry

we have had indian for the last few years.
we each make a couple of different curries and accompaniments.
we decided that to have a day with less work and more socialising it was the way to go, as most of the food is prep'd a day or two in advance (⬆︎ flavour) and we can make sure that there's no chance of gluten in any of the dishes (a coeliac in one of the households).

i may still make a tray of roast spuds though...

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Amyw » Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:33 pm

smitch wrote:We’re having a veggie roast for just the two of us rather than hosting my in-laws this year. I’ve got an assignment deadline and an exam in January plus placement in February so I don’t want to take any chances.

I’ve ordered bagels, cream cheese and salt beef (for OH) and we’ll have some for our Xmas Day breakfast. I’ve also got some nice cheese on order too.

We’ve decided to make some boxes of treats for family, which we’ll deliver the weekend before alongside the gifts we have. I’m still deciding what will go in but I’m thinking rocky road, mincemeat cupcakes, Dan Lepard’s stollen bites, cookies of some kind and some Christmas scones with cranberries and orange zest. I love baking so I’m really looking forward to putting them together.


That sounds amazing , make sure to post photos .

Sue what about a bought salmon en croute as could still have potatoes and veg with . Or I agree with a selection , some blinis , good smoked salmon , maybe a little prawn cocktail as it’s Christmas

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:44 pm

Salmon en croute or something like that (I'd make my own because of not trusting the herbs) might work, I really don't want a platter for one, which would really just be picky bits or a salad, it wouldn't feel like a Christmas dinner. I'll probably have quite a lot of picky bits over the holiday period

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Wic » Wed Dec 02, 2020 4:54 pm

I’m really impressed at all of you who take the trouble to cook properly for yourselves. I have lots of good intentions, but when on my own I might roast a chicken and do vegetables too, then there are leftovers for a day or two, however, I’m just as likely to make do with a sandwich.

I remember, years ago, I was assembling a salad with cheese, but by the time I got around to supper time I realised I’d eaten all the cheese as I was pottering around.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:06 pm

Well, if you live alone, and you like good food and in 2020 you can't go out for meals mostly, either you cook properly or give up, and that's really depressing, It's not like being on your own while your partner is on a 2 week business trip, it's a situation for life for many of us
I'm not spending the next 25 years living on sandwiches, - depressing, not very nourishing, and I'd have to find another hobby!

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Wic » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:33 pm

Yes, I totally understand that! In fact, thinking back to when mine was in the Falklands and I was on my own for a long time, I did cook properly, but I think when it’s the odd week here and there it feels to me like getting away with something when you don’t absolutely have to make a proper meal.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:52 pm

When my late OH went away for short trips I used to live on cheese, as he hated the stuff
Not much else, just cheese & apples, but I think the longest he was ever away was a week so that was enough

In lockdown, it has quite literally been a pastime for me, even when my sense of taste wasn't all that good, I'm quite slow so a bit of radio and an onion to chop and I'm fine :)

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby WWordsworth » Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:22 pm

It will be just the two of us on Christmas Day, which is fine.

We are hoping for a good day so we can go for a decent walk in the morning. Christmas dinner will be a repeat of our anniversary dinner last month, which was a seafood platter.
I will probably upgrade to a whole lobster this time.

It will be served with a green salad and HM bread.

Not sure about pudding.
I usually make a Christmas crumble but I happen to have a sticky toffee pud in the freezer...

I often make a couple of fruit loaves and include them with gifts.
Sometimes they get a jar of HM jam, depends on how good the raspberry crop was.

Pal (who lives alone) is likely to come over on 26 Dec, if it's allowed.
That will involve a walk, rugby on the TV and something like a casserole or a lasagne.

I probably need to consult with him as he is on a very strict diet at the moment and I don't want to make things difficult for him.

He has pretty much given up drinking so as long as I have some diet soft drinks in he's happy with those, and copious mugs of tea.

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby Earthmaiden » Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:35 pm

We have started a tradition of my family coming here on Boxing Day regardless of whether or not I have spent Christmas Day with them elsewhere. My favourite thing is to spend Christmas Day on my own with picky treats and pootling about making preparations for a cold buffet lunch the next day. They like it to resemble cold Christmas leftovers even if cooked especially for the occasion and insist on hot jacket potatoes because we had them one year and they were a hit. The whole thing is easy and suits me down to the ground, I've had smart Christmases, ones at work, at the inlaws, childhood ones and ones at other people's houses and prefer to save showing off cookery or expensive treats for other occasions.

There are two things that make Christmas lunch complete. One is bread sauce and the other stuffing for the neck end of the bird as my mother made it. I miss them if I am elsewhere or with DS who always serves roast beef (huge disappointment). My mother got the stuffing recipe from the Farmers Weekly in the 60s. It is made by buttering sliced bread of one's choice and stacking up the slices with generous sprinklings of mixed herbs and lemon juice and seasoning between each layer. Milk is then poured over the bread and the bread cut unto squares before being squished up in the fingers to make a big ball. The neck cavity is then filled and the skin pulled tightly across and secured so that it gets a lovely brown crust on it when cooked. It sounds weird but it's not Christmas without it regardless of how many other stuffings are served!

We've never had a special breakfast. Either too busy in the kitchen or having a lie-in! Coffee with posh biscuits for elevenses maybe!

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Re: Christmas recipes foods, and cooking ideas

Postby KeenCook2 » Wed Dec 02, 2020 10:57 pm

Gosh, that stuffing does sound lovely, and so easy!! Definitely a plus in my book :lol: And one for pushing out the boat for real butter, even then, EM ;) (Or did you enjoy the luxury of butter during your childhood!? I certainly didn't! :lol: )

That said, we've given up doing whole turkeys since we moved here. We feel there's just not enough space and we've been very happy with our various boneless, stuffed roasts, 3-bird or otherwise!

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