You Christmas Dinner Tradition

    • 5420 posts
    December 23, 2010 8:22 AM PST
    Most everyone I know has a special family tradition for their Christmas Day Meal(s).  Since I was brought up by a very Italian Mom, the tradition of ravioli, meat balls and suasage has been passed down, and I can't remember a Christmas in over 50 years without ravioli.  We have since added our traditional Christmas breakfast of glazed cinnimon rolls to be eaten while the kids open their presents.

    What's your Christmas meal???
  • December 23, 2010 9:09 AM PST
    As a young child with 10 aunts and uncles, and cousins of more than 14 on both sides of the family, nomatter where we went, there was plenty to eat as each family brought a vegetable or two and a desert. There was also a turkey, ham and beef. I now set a meal for 5 and a simular meal of a lot smaller size and volumn. Still do the turkey and stuffing,,... All of us and the bird.
    • 580 posts
    December 23, 2010 9:23 AM PST
    Always do a roast ham on Christmas Eve - leaving it to cook slow in the oven whilst we're out delivering our pressies.  Then come home to hot ham butties and mince pies all washed down with a nice whisky.  (I actually started this as the easiest way to get out of cooking a full tea when the kids were little but we just simply can't envisage a Christmas eve without it now).  The remainder of the ham does for cold cuts on boxing day, along with the stand pie (a large pork pie) and the cold cuts of turkey too - all served with cheese and pickles (onions, chutney, picallili etc). This is followed by home made trifle.

    Christmas day - a full english breakfast after opening Santa's gifts and late afternoon/evening a full roast turkey dinner and Christmas pudding  - somply can't be anything else.

    Have a lovely Christmas everyone

    Hugs (o:
  • December 23, 2010 11:36 AM PST
    wife was raised sicilian- we do a huge italian feast christmas eve day- anti past- lasagna - manicoti- canolis- tirimisu-etc.............. eat all day- then christmas day is a fabulous left overs!!!! i cannot wait til tom. !!! merry christmas everybody!!!!
    • 5420 posts
    December 23, 2010 11:41 AM PST
    dabonman02 wrote...
    wife was raised sicilian- we do a huge italian feast christmas eve day- anti past- lasagna - manicoti- canolis- tirimisu-etc.............. eat all day- then christmas day is a fabulous left overs!!!! i cannot wait til tom. !!! merry christmas everybody!!!!

    That menu reminds me of my grandpa's house pretty much any sunday

  • December 23, 2010 1:22 PM PST
    we have a mexican dinner with enchiladas burritos tacas and whatever else the family can come up with that is in this theme but for dessert its (for me anyways) BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!! for those of you that dont know them they are Peanutbutter balls dipped in chocolate and served on a toothpic. very very tasty mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. thats a tradition that we have had for as long as i can remember i only get them on thanksgiving and Christmas. i look forward to them all yr long. we also have some other desserts but i couldnt tell ya what they are cause i never get past the Buckeyes lol.
  • December 23, 2010 1:22 PM PST
    we have a mexican dinner with enchiladas burritos tacas and whatever else the family can come up with that is in this theme but for dessert its (for me anyways) BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!! for those of you that dont know them they are Peanutbutter balls dipped in chocolate and served on a toothpic. very very tasty mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. thats a tradition that we have had for as long as i can remember i only get them on thanksgiving and Christmas. i look forward to them all yr long. we also have some other desserts but i couldnt tell ya what they are cause i never get past the Buckeyes lol.
    • 9 posts
    December 24, 2010 2:33 AM PST
    Do you remember the Grinch? Roast Beast! And that's what I've called it ever since I started the tradition about 20 or so years ago. Everyone is sick of turkey so soon after Thanksgiving, and I for one am not a big ham eater, so it seemed only fitting to do the roast beast. I DO love my red meat. And it has to be rare. Smacked on the ass and passed over a flame, rare. But the secret to a heavenly roast beast, is in the cut of meat, the seasonings, and the cooking time. I buy a sirloin tip, about a pound per person (leftovers). Season with a dry rub (of your own making), then brown in sauteed onions. After browning, scrape all bits with a little water or broth, and laddle over the roast. Try to roast on a rack, if you can. Set oven temp. to 425 degrees for 20 minutes. After the 20 is up, turn oven down to 325 degrees, and roast for no less than 15 minutes per pound. For best results, use a meat thermometer and let it come to between 145 and 160 degrees for a rare roast. If you like your meat medium or well done, add 5 minutes per pound and let thermometer come to between 150-165 degrees. It is important to note that meat should be at room temperature when you start. Use only a small amount of salt while cooking, as this will dry a roast out over a long cooking period. If you like to roast your potatoes with your roast, I suggest adding them during the last hour of cooking time. I prefer smashed with mine, but that's just me. Try this out, you'll love the change, and I can guarantee that there will be nothing left after tomorrow, if it lasts that long...Ride and Eat Free
    Tweek
    • 601 posts
    December 24, 2010 5:15 AM PST
    Well I grew up in a large family, so it was a case of first up, best dressed and the fastest hand survived, coming from a fishing village we always had salmon for Christmas dinner and still do, we keep the turkey and ham for new years day. Tomorrow we will have salmon stuffed with shrimp and red cabbage and some chilli....and lots of wine.

    Nollaig shona dhaoibh mo chairde, agus ath bhlian duit. ( merry Christmas and happy new year....in Irish.)
  • December 24, 2010 5:27 AM PST
    We all go down to my parents house around 9am and we eat a big southern style breakfast withe bacon and eggs, homemade biscuits and gravy. We exchange our gifts then we start snacking on vegetable trays and cakes and pies. My mom makes the best the best pineapple and carrot cakes ever. We sit down for dinner at about four oclock to a big roasted turkey and a ham that my sister gets at a bbq place near her house. My mom is world famous for her stuffing and everyone eats a ton of it. We have about 8to10 different sides and we eat so much that we all go out in the living room and lay on the carpet and complain about being too full. Everyone on here has such great stories that im getting hungry just reading them. Merry Christmas to all of My CF family members!!!
  • December 25, 2010 1:52 AM PST
    The wife is from Mexico, so we typically have Mexican food. This year it is home made tamales.....yum.
    • 2072 posts
    December 25, 2010 11:48 AM PST
    Honey baked spiral cut ham with all the trimmings. Eat until you can't move, nap for about an hour then dig into one of 5 or 6 fresh baked pies !!!!
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    • 1516 posts
    December 25, 2010 12:45 PM PST
    The last few years I have started a Seafood tradition and this year my son joined in to help cook. Richard made yummy mashed potatoes and gravy and of course a spiral cut ham, with some chocolate pie to top it off.. yummmm oh did I mention sweet potatoes.. my new favorite!!
  • December 25, 2010 1:51 PM PST
    We've had the tradition of Ris-grot. Scandinavian meal consisting of rice simmered in milk and cream until the rice is almost completely cooked/dissolved. A thick porridge served hot with butter, sugar and cinnamon. One plate will put you in a food coma. Just the two of us this year, so we had Ris-grot when our youngest son visited at Thanksgiving. Hoppin' John made with black-eyed or crowder peas and ham hocks at New Years - a concession to my mom's Texas roots.