What can you not live without at Christmas Dinner? [General]

2006 Dec 10
It's that time of year - I'm planning my menu. What items do you look forward to every year or your Christmas or Hannukah (sp?) table?

For me, it's gotta be turkey with mushroom and sausage stuffing or bust! Mashed potatoes and gravy rank a close second. As for veggies, it just wouldn't be the same without creamed onions - interestingly enough, I hate onions every other time of year, and harvard beets.

2006 Dec 10
One year we did a ham instead of a turkey. Not the same.

Can't live without Mom's butterscotch squares, date squares, and peanut butter cups.

Sister's MIL's sausage stuffing which is prepared in a baking dish and the result is more meatloafy than the texture of traditional stuffing.

Chocolate and nuts....

Eggnog is a must!

2006 Dec 10
How about:
- Chinese fried rice (I recommend Yang Chow Style Fried Rice) or
- fried sticky rice (have you tried this before? I tried Lichee View for party takeout few years ago and don't know if they still do well on this dish) or
- a tray of BBQ pork "skin" from Double Happiness (pre-order required) and
- Japanese sushi platter (teenagers' WOW dish nowadays for party)?

2006 Dec 10
I'm a 'vegetarian who eats fish', so I don't go for the turkey part of dinner. That said, I do love stuffing if it is made on the side. My stepmother-in-law makes wonderful sweet potatoes that I've grown to love over the past few years. I also love my mother's sweet rolls (in this case, white bread rolls made with a little sugar thrown in for a touch of sweetness).

And I have to agree with mmmfood; Eggnog is a must at Christmas Dinner!

2006 Dec 10
Buttons are a family tradition that I would sorely miss. Just bits of a thick dough, boiled and then fried in bacon fat with onions. Served with sour cream. They are delicious and greasy and I love them dearly.

2006 Dec 10
Mashed potatoes. I don't have my kids this Christmas, and I'll be working the 23 and the 24th, so I might end up having just mashed potatoes with some sauteed mushrooms, butter and sea salt. I can pass on the rest of the dinner entirely.

2006 Dec 11
Mom's incredible cookies that she mails all the way from Victoria!

2006 Dec 11
Looks so good! How lucky you are!!!!

2006 Dec 11
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole. So base yet SO GOOD.

2006 Dec 11
Tiana, I think that sounds like a recipe I need! Care to share?

2006 Dec 12
Things you need:

-bag of frozen hashbrowns (not the patty type)
-can of cream of (whatever you like) soup
-about 1/4-1/2 cup thinly diced onion of your choice (sautée first if you like em soft)
-2 cups grated cheese, aged cheddar is my pick
-1/2 cup sliced mushrooms(portabello are the best!) (optional)

Things you do:

1-bake the hashbrowns until crispy (other family members skip this step but I find it helps to reduce sogginess

2-mix everything together and pour into casserole dish. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a bit of milk or sour cream

3-top with a bit more cheese if desired

4-bake at 375 until everything is bubbly and the top is crusty

It tastes even better the following day!

2006 Dec 12
Hmmmmmm...interesting. I've heard of something like this before - although it was called Schwartie's Hash Browns. It was recommended for buffets or large breakfast gatherings. Always wondered how it would taste so it's nice to know you give it a ringing endorsement :)

2006 Dec 12
Yes that is the name of this but Shwartie's is originally the brand name of the hash browns and the recipe was on the bag several years ago.

2006 Dec 12
Our traditionnal Xmas dinner always includes Turkey, Stuffing on the side, Tourtiere, potatoes, and other veggies. Oh, and lots of gravy of course. An english person that started dating a member of the family tried to introduce Cranberry sauce with the Turkey, but it wasn't a success. I don't mind it personnally, but i prefer the turkey on its own or with lots of gravy. :p

My brother and his girlfriend do what some would consider a huge crime.. they put so much ketchup on their tourtiere that they probably don't even taste the meat.

:)

2006 Dec 20
This is my non-traditional spin on Xmas fare. My Filipino compatriots and I (as well as their respective spouses/partners) can't live without Lengua Estofado. This is braised tongue in a mushroom tomato/wine sauce and olives.

2006 Dec 21
that looks excellent!

I've never looked for it, but is tongue available a lot of places in the region here?

2006 Dec 21
SteffQc, I know that Sobey's sells tongue (and heart and oxtails for anyone who's interested). Probably any local buther shop could get it for you if you wanted.

I've had baked and braised tongue. It's quite tasty, but I have to say that Love to Cook's recipe looked very nice. Any chance of posting a recipe?

2006 Dec 21
For me, it's coleslaw, but only the stuff my mother or younger sister makes. And turnips. And carrots. With lots of butter and sea salt.

Okay, and stuffing with gravy ;)


2006 Dec 22
It would be my pleasure to post a recipe. But, it's the Friday before Xmas and I'm on a train to TO. I would like to ask the Forum Moderator where I should post the recipe?

2006 Dec 22
You can post a recipe right here in this forum! :-)

2006 Dec 31
Bah! Just posted, and the post disappeared, so -- abbreviated --

Just made 'cheesy hash brown casserole.' I'd been curious about hash brown casseroles for a while...

It, er, doesn't look great, but it's surprisingly tasty. Comforting. The appearance problems are probably due to an unappealing tint from using an awful lot of mushrooms, and from using the patty sort of hash brown -- yeah, yeah, you said not to, but it was all I had, and they came apart quite easily.

I like it enough to wonder if it might be better with home-made hash browns, and a better brand of cream of mushroom than Campbell's...

Really -- for all of you looking at the recipe and thinking 'WTF? That's good?' -- it is indeed worth a try.

2007 Jan 1
Oh yeah it looks gross even when made "right". I've made it with roasted diced potatoes, fresh mushrooms, homemade creamy sauce with aged sharp cheddar and it was really good too.

2007 Jan 7
This is ForLoverofAllGoodFood who wanted a recipe for a Flipino Xmas Dish Lengua (i.e. Tongue) Estofada.

www.ex-designz.net

A few Tips.

a) The Lengua will have a tough outer coating that NEEDS to be removed. I would ignore the technique suggested for removing it in the URL above. Instead, I would boil the Lengua until it becomes obvious that the layer can be easily removed. Believe me, this will be obvious.

b) This is a fairly time intensive recipe and would benefit from the use of a pressure cooker.

I would suggest this to be a lazy Sunday afternoon project. For a true Foodie, it's worth the effort!