Christmas Dinner Ideas

Updated on December 09, 2009
M.J. asks from Saint Paul, MN
6 answers

I am hosting Christmas for my parents, my brother and his fiance and my inlaws this year for the first time. I am really looking forward to it all but have no idea what to make for the Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day meal. Any suggestions? I love to cook but am not always the best at it. :)

1 mom found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.B.

answers from Chicago on

Christmas Eve is our big meal-beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, salad, homemade bread. The tenderloin is very easy to make and you can buy large ones at Costco. For Christmas day, we always have a big brunch-sausage/egg casserole, fruit, yogurt & oatmeal and coffee cake. Finally, Christmas day dinner is make your own pizza night. It's fun for everyone to have the traditions-and I don't spend forever trying to figure out what to make! Good luck and Merry Christmas!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.K.

answers from Chicago on

ooh sounds like fun! I recommend a turkey for Christmas Day. If you get a Cooking Magic bag, they're a breeze and come out super moist & yummy. Make stuffing (stove top works fine just follow directions) and clean out the cavity then salt it, stuff it full of the dressing. I spread a little butter on the skin (it prevents the bag from sticking and helps it brown nicely) then sprinkle with some poultry seasoning. Seal it up & bake according to the directions on the cooking magic bag's container. Add some nice veggies roast asparagus is nice, boil your potatoes then mash with butter & a splash of milk, nice & easy. And the dreaded gravy?? Buy a couple cans or jars & be done with it. Done is better than perfect. And if you've never made successful gravy why reinvent the wheel??!!

As to Christmas eve, there's an old tradition that you eat seafood on Christmas eve, maybe do an easy dish - I make an excellent & easy salmon. You get a glass baking dish & lay a long piece of foil, shiny side up, on there, with ends extended off. You place slices of lemons on the foil, top with your spices (my sis does fresh dill, I like garlic & salt & pepper), then place the salmon skin side down onto the spices & lemons. Seal the foil into a pouch and bake for 20 minutes per pound of salmon plus 20 minutes for the pan at 350 degrees F. The lemons steam the fish & give it a nice fluffy texture. I don't like salmon but I like this! :) Serve with yummy veggies.

Another option if you're entertaining twice, consider doing heavy appetizers Christmas Eve with the main meal on Christmas Day. You could put good frozen meatballs in spaghetti sauce in the crock pot then serve with nice french bread, shrimp cocktail, veggie tray, cheeseball and maybe a good soup. Trader Joe's has nice Spinach pies, you could bake & serve as well so you could have a little something for everyone. If you're interested, drop me a note & I'll send you some great recipes.

I often host the holidays and have learned through trial and error, people love tradition and keep it simple or you don't get to enjoy your own holiday festivities. Seriously, learn from my mistakes & keep it very simple. Everyone wants to see you, not watch you slave in a hot kitchen. If at all possible, do as much as you're able ahead of time, that really, really helps.

Good luck & have fun. This is supposed to be FUN! :)
D.

ps Trader Joe's has great frozen asparagus for CHEAP, $2/bag!! There's no need to break the bank if you don't have to. Also, of all places, Aldi has butterball turkeys for a great price. Check them out.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.R.

answers from Chicago on

My mom and I both love to cook. We've had some years where we tried new and exciting recipes and others where everyone just wanted old favorites!

If you don't feel super confident in the kitchen, my advice is to make something you really LOVE- something you feel good about making and proud of serving. You want to enjoy the day too and not be stressed out!

If you are having your 'big' meal on Christmas Eve, first off, I suggest getting a nice veggie tray, some cheese and crackers for folks to nibble on while you're getting things together in the kitchen. Also, make some punch ahead of time, or put your husband in charge of wine or whatever drinks you want to serve. He can focus on the guests while you focus on what you're doing.

I would suggest making a Beef Wellington, which is MUCH easier than it sounds and very impressive! You can do almost all the work a day ahead of time, too.

1)Get a nice big beef roast from the butcher- tell him you are making Beef Wellington and for how many people and he will help you get what you need. Also ask him how long it should cook ( it will depend on how big the roast is).

2)buy a frozen pie crust- the kind that comes in the box in a rolled circle of dough- NOT the kind in a pie pan. You might want to buy an extra box, just to be sure you have enough.

3)Brown the beef in the pan on the stovetop just to give the meat a nice color. Let the beef cool off and allow the pie crust to thaw enough so you can unroll it easily. Then just wrap the pie crusts all around the beef roast, almost like a present, so you have a wrapped 'package' of beef. Use a little warm water to 'glue' the edges of the crust shut if you need to.

4)You can use cookie cutters to cut some little shapes - stars, holly leaves, etc.- out of the extra crust and also attach those to the top of the roast to make it pretty.

5)Then you can put the roast into the fridge until the next day. Take it out about 15 minutes before you want to actually cook it and let it sit while the oven warms. You can roast it in a roasting pan or a dutch oven- whatever you have.

6)Break an egg into a glass and keep the egg white, discard the yolk. Brush the crust with egg white, just like you would for a pie. This will make the crust shiny and pretty. Heat your oven to 350 and (depending on the size of the roast) plan to cook it for about an hour to an hour and a half.

7) check it after about 40 minutes and make sure the crust isn't getting too brown. If it is, lay a piece of foil lightly over the browned crust to protect it from the heat. When the time is up, check it with a meat thermometer. Remember- the temperature of the meat is what is important and means that it is cooked! Just insert the thermometer on the side or somewhere it won't show too much.

8) if the meat is done, take it out and sit it on your serving platter with the piece of foil over it. Let it sit for about 10 or 15 minutes- this will make the meat really tender.

9)While the meat is cooking, put together a bag of salad with a few fancy extras, like dried cranberries and walnuts. Also, one of my fave side dishes is green beans with hazelnuts. I usually steam the green beans in the microwave for about 4 minutes. While they steam, I heat up a non-stick skillet and get some crushed up hazelnuts ( you can do this with walnuts or pecans too) and I stir-cook the nuts in the pan with a little butter. It smells delicious! Then drain the green beans and drop them in the pan too with some more butter. Cook them and stir them all around until you are ready to serve! You can also roast some little potatoes with this meal too.

For Christmas day, I say a ham is great. you stick it in the oven, everyone has sandwiches at lunchtime with some potato salad or things like that. Or a nice macaroni and cheese casserole with some bacon in it- comfort food you can just stick in the oven and don't have to mess with! Get a coffee cake or something for the morning and let people just snack and enjoy the day! Good luck - and remember what Julia Child said 'In your own kitchen nobody can see you!" have fun- I'm sure it will turn out great!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.

answers from Chicago on

My family likes to make lasagna for one of the Christmas meals. It takes a bit of work to get it together, but can definitely be made ahead of time so that you just throw it in the oven. You can make a salad ahead of time, too and you could even make garlic bread or I love to serve Cheesy Artichoke Bread (I just found a recipe by googling...except I add more garlic to mine)

Otherwise, maybe a ham and you could make a cheesy potato casserole to go with and some other veggies.

I guess it depends on how fancy or casual you want to be. Sometimes my family also makes italian beef in the crockpot and then it will last for several meals.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Dear Mommie A J, I second Sally's idea about the lasagna. We do that for one of the meals. So easy to make ahead of time. then salad and bread and wala your done. Chicken breasts baked in the oven with some baked potatoes are easy. as is greek chicken. this gets made in the oven with the potatoes under it. very easy one dish meal that looks amazing. make an egg casserole for breakfast along with some muffins and fruit and your done with breakfast. good luck
i love having the family all together for the holiday
S.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.B.

answers from Chicago on

My family loves the smoked turkey & ham from Honey Baked Hams so we make it a Christmas eve tradition. I add side dishes of baked mostaccioli, salad & rolls

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions