Holiday baking and other food prep

[BonitaApplebum]

I started the anadama bread this morning and because I'm having a bad sniffer day it's possible I used oyster sauce instead of molasses. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

I really need to label the jars in the refrigerator

Hahah that's going to be... interesting!!!

[picote]

I was planning to have everything but the turkey and stuffing made, but it didn't happen. Instead, I made nothing, so going to be a busy day!! I still need to dig out all of my recipe books.  I'm just crossing my fingers we don't lose power.

Bonita, do you have a good creamed spinach recipe?

[merigayle]

I worked 11 hours yesterday, so it is all today. Pumpkin pie just went in the oven

[BonitaApplebum]

I'm just waiting around. I did almost everything already. I left a few little chores for DH to do today and of course now my mother thinks he made the whole meal and I'm just a lazy mofo.

[BonitaApplebum]

Okay what's on everyone's menu?

Christmas Eve is our big meal. We are doing surf & turf - lobsters and steaks. For appetizers we are having chowder (RI style), stuffies, and shrimp cocktail.

Christmas Day we have bagels for breakfast with lox and whitefish.

We have loads of appetizers (everyone brings some, I'm making spanikopita, charcuterie, seasoned olives, and pâté). Then I'll serve soup (spicy carrot peanut), salad (spinach with navel oranges and red onions), and crusty bread for a light meal, followed by an assortment of desserts (mostly Christmas cookies) and coffee.

Our cocktail this year is Dark and Stormy (ginger beer, lime juice, rum) but we will also have eggnog.

[picote]

We did rack of lamb, asparagus and crazy potatoes for Xmas dinner. Last night was noshing on cheese and meats while opening presents. We usually do our lox and bagels on NY day.

[merigayle]

Baking-
Cookies: gingerbread (assorted shaped), butter cookies, choc chip, pizelles (anise and vanilla), Candied oranges dipped in chocolate, peppermint patties (homemade by DD), chocolate cherry cookies, meringues
Yule Log with meringue mushrooms
Dinner: Butternut squash roast(I will upload a pic in a minute), sundried tomato rissotto, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, large salad
Xmas morning- coffee cake.

[merigayle]

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[DocBuzzkill]

merigayle, that squash looks great!  What is it stuffed with?

I've been following a "Mediterraneanized" diet since early September (emphasis on veggies, fruits, beans and lentils, whole grains, fish, poultry, very little red meat, no sugar or refined flour), so this Xmas and New Year's are major departures for me! 

Xmas Eve:
Fish chowder for dinner, pecan and sweet potato pie for dessert

Xmas:
Exodus bagels, lox, scallion cream cheese for breakfast
Mini-cheese and chive popovers and Manchego-stuffed Medjool dates wrapped in Calabrese salami for snacks
Sirloin strip roast, mashed potatoes & gravy, steamed Brussels sprouts for dinner; steamed cranberry pudding with butter-cream sauce for dessert.  DH said he had forgotten what beef tasted like!


Boxing Day:
French toast made with challah for breakfast; grazing today, probably left over white bean and cabbage soup for dinner.

New Year's Eve
Rack of lamb, roast potatoes, probably broccoli rabé sautéed in olive oil with garlic; rest of the cranberry pudding and sauce for dessert

New Year's Day
Huevos rancheros and grits for brunch
Greek-style gigantes beans w/ feta cheese for dinner

[merigayle]

Lentils, onion, herbs, pistachios and prob other things I forgot

[rocketgirl]

My folks got lasagna and chicken alfredo from Costco.  Not as good as homemade, but still pretty good.  I hadn't had lasagna in a good long while, so it was a nice departure.

[caribougrrl]

we did a standing rib roast and yorkshire pudding, saffron-mashed potatoes, roasted kalettes, glazed carrot & parsnip, gravy... cranberry-lime tart (bon appetit), berry pavlova (Mary Berry's meringue)

the best part of the whole meal though was the appetizer course, which was a salad of pea shoots, mint leaves, and baked halloumi, drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of pomegranate seed

[diablita]

oh yum, bou.  That all sounds amazing, especially the salad.  I had to look up kalettes.

[onawhim]

we did a standing rib roast and yorkshire pudding, saffron-mashed potatoes, roasted kalettes, glazed carrot & parsnip, gravy... cranberry-lime tart (bon appetit), berry pavlova (Mary Berry's meringue)

the best part of the whole meal though was the appetizer course, which was a salad of pea shoots, mint leaves, and baked halloumi, drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of pomegranate seed

[caribougrrl]

bumping for 2023 holidays... what's new for everyone this year?

[witchypoo]

chili crisp turkey!

[caribougrrl]

I was visiting my mother recently and her local grocery has Ontario-grown saffron which is super inexpensive for saffron. So I bought a lot of it.

On the weekend I added A COUPLE OF TABLESPOONS of it to a batch of shortbread (1 lb of butter sized batch), which were amazing.

[BonitaApplebum]

I was visiting my mother recently and her local grocery has Ontario-grown saffron which is super inexpensive for saffron. So I bought a lot of it.

On the weekend I added A COUPLE OF TABLESPOONS of it to a batch of shortbread (1 lb of butter sized batch), which were amazing.

Omg that sounds so good!! And decadent!

[badger]

I made this cranberry tart a few weeks ago and it was amazing. I used almond flour for a simple crust and did not do the complicated hazelnut process. Very "pretty" and tasty too.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017817-cranberry-curd-tart

[DocBuzzkill]

That tart is beautiful, badger!

Using a recipe from the NYT's 2023 cookie week, I made gingerbread blondies.  Melting the white chocolate was a disaster, but fortunately, semi-sweet chocolate worked nicely, so I Jackson Pollocked the hell out of it.  Gooey, tasty, and easy to prepare.  I recommend watching the video in the article (no paywall).

Gingerbread Blondies