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What's everybody cooking for the holidays, 2007?

What's everybody cooking for the holidays, 2007?
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  • What's everybody cooking for the holidays, 2007?

    Post #1 - December 14th, 2006, 9:17 am
    Post #1 - December 14th, 2006, 9:17 am Post #1 - December 14th, 2006, 9:17 am
    I so much enjoyed reading everyone's posts last year on this topic, I thought I would start the thread again this year.

    Last year, I cooked Christmas day dinner and did a traditional beef rib roast meal.

    This year, my family has assigned me Christmas eve -- and I'm doing a Christmas morning brunch too, for a smaller gathering.

    For Christmas eve, I've decided to do a Scandanavian Julbord (I'm of Danish heritage & my partner is Swedish -- so it gives me an excuse to cover almost all of the Nordic menu.)

    Cold table:

    Gravlax with mustard sauce
    Three kinds of herring (w/ dill, in sour cream, w/ mustard sauce)
    Sylta (a home-cured pressed veal breast "sausage" flavored with cloves and allspice)
    Dilled shrimp
    Salmon & cod mousse with caviar sauce
    Liver pate
    A Cheese platter
    Gotenburg sausage (from Pauline market)
    Smoked eel canapes
    2 kinds of rye bread (Swedish limpa and dark danish rye)
    Flat breads and crackers
    Dilled cucumber salad
    Beet, apple and potato salad
    Mushroom salad with sour cream

    Hot table:

    Baked ham with ligonberry relish
    Potato sausage
    Meatballs
    Jansson's temptation (a potato casserole with Swedish anchovies)
    Rice pudding -- as a side dish
    Red cabbage
    Sugar-browned potatoes

    Dessert table:

    Julekage (a cardamom-scented Danish christmas bread with candied fruit)
    Krensakage (the Swedish almond cookie "tower")
    Rosettes
    Pepparkakor
    Spritz butter cookies
    Sugar cookies
    Krumkage (Norwegian rolled cookies)
    Julesterner (Danish pastry "stars" filled with prune or apricot jams)

    We'll have lots of cold acquavit & hot glugg.

    What is everyone else making?
  • Post #2 - December 14th, 2006, 9:33 am
    Post #2 - December 14th, 2006, 9:33 am Post #2 - December 14th, 2006, 9:33 am
    Chanukah, night three, will feature

    --Grandma's latkes, made by my hand (Grandma is a snow-bird and in Miami Beach).

    --My wife's excellent onion and paprika braised-brisket

    Best,
    Michael
  • Post #3 - December 14th, 2006, 6:23 pm
    Post #3 - December 14th, 2006, 6:23 pm Post #3 - December 14th, 2006, 6:23 pm
    We will have our usual Greco-American Christmas dinner (turkey, pork roast, spanakopita, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a homemade sausage called boumbari - the annual Christmas day suspense revolves around whether the casing on the boumbari will break while it is roasting -my mother's mood for the day depends on the outcome...).

    But this year, I am especially excited that my mom is teaching me how she makes her homemade phyllo dough. She and my aunt are famous among their Cleveland-based social circle of families from my village in Greece for their phyllo dough. It's unlike any of the packaged dough most people know. I will remember to take pictures of the day-long affair to hopefully post (if I can figure out how to post pictures). It generally involves a long wooden dowel, lots of butter and Crisco, and much swearing in Greek.
  • Post #4 - December 14th, 2006, 11:58 pm
    Post #4 - December 14th, 2006, 11:58 pm Post #4 - December 14th, 2006, 11:58 pm
    HI,

    I will be happy to help you with the posting of the pictures. I am really interested in your homemade phyllo dough production. The only other person I knew who made their own was 27 years ago in Washington, D.C. It was a challenge that caused them to stay up almost all night and yes, he said there was some bickering between him and his girlfriend. I had just thought about it recently and wondered about doing it myself.

    I will be quite delighted to be an armchair cook watching you go through the paces.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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  • Post #5 - December 15th, 2006, 8:20 am
    Post #5 - December 15th, 2006, 8:20 am Post #5 - December 15th, 2006, 8:20 am
    Our annual holiday party will have (much of this is pre-prepared by us and frozen):

    12 kinds of cookies and bars
    Kosher mini hot dogs in crescent roll dough
    Deviled eggs with smoked almonds, dijon and chives
    Vietnamese Chicken Salad (the recipe from the picnic -- MrsF loved it)
    Morrocon Seafood Phyllo Rolls (Tribune sunday magazine recipe)
    Burgundy Beef mini-pies (from a book called Finger Food)
    Carmelized Onion and Feta mini-quiches (same book)
    Fried Stuffed Olives (same book)
    Blue Cheese and Spinach calzones (from a book called First Impressions)
    Curried Cheesecake with chutney and fruit (same book)
    Chicken in Green Pipian (Bayless) in mini corn cups (Martha Stewart)
    Smoked salmon sushi Napoleons (Definitely a Martha Stewart)
    'Porcupine' balls (meatballs coated with rice that pops up when steamed - Complete Asian Cookbook)
    Yellow Curry Potato Egg Rolls (experimental recipe attempting to duplicate a restaurant dish)
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #6 - December 15th, 2006, 12:04 pm
    Post #6 - December 15th, 2006, 12:04 pm Post #6 - December 15th, 2006, 12:04 pm
    While our families don't go all out with the amazing dishes some of you posted, we do have a family favorite on hubby's side - homemade cream corn. It's so easy, so delicious, and so horribly bad for you! :lol: But hey, it's Christmas, and we only have it once or twice a year. :)

    Mom Roth's Cream Corn

    2-16-oz bags frozen sweet corn (or fresh off-the-cob)
    1 2/3 c whipping cream
    1 2/3 c milk
    1 1/2 tsp salt
    1/3 tsp white pepper
    3 tbsp sugar
    1/4 c flour
    3 1/3 tbsp melted butter

    Make a roux with the flour and butter. Add cream and milk, then seasonings. Add corn (frozen is fine) and stir constantly until thickened. Best if made 1 day prior.

    I'm having his family over to our house this year for the first time and I'm not sure what to make, but I'm leaning towards pork bbq made using my best friend's Crock Pot Sweet and Saucy Ribs recipe. I'd post it, but I'm not sure if it's hers or from a copyrighted source.
  • Post #7 - December 16th, 2006, 3:07 pm
    Post #7 - December 16th, 2006, 3:07 pm Post #7 - December 16th, 2006, 3:07 pm
    Thinking of doing a goose or lamb or ham.
    Any thoughts on local sources for any of the above? Or a good goose or leg of lamb recipe?
  • Post #8 - December 17th, 2006, 11:11 pm
    Post #8 - December 17th, 2006, 11:11 pm Post #8 - December 17th, 2006, 11:11 pm
    I am new to this forum and am interested in the forum rules regarding posting recipes. My understanding is that recipes cannot be copywritten unless there is a lot of text and the text is integral, as in telling a story. They are considered lists and instructions, and lists and instructions are not protected.

    My understanding may not be completely accurate, though it did come from an attorney, but regardless some forums have specific rules regarding it, so I was just curious. I've enjoyed the threads I've read so far and don't want to get kicked out just yet :lol:

    Edited: found the sticky about it.
    Last edited by ViewsAskew on December 17th, 2006, 11:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #9 - December 17th, 2006, 11:15 pm
    Post #9 - December 17th, 2006, 11:15 pm Post #9 - December 17th, 2006, 11:15 pm
    ViewsAskew wrote:I am new to this forum and am interested in the forum rules regarding posting recipes.

    Views,

    Thanks for asking, if you take a gander at the sticky post at the top of this board (Shopping and Cooking) titled Please read before you post a recipe your question will be answered.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #10 - December 17th, 2006, 11:19 pm
    Post #10 - December 17th, 2006, 11:19 pm Post #10 - December 17th, 2006, 11:19 pm
    Thanks, Gary - I just found that post and was coming back here to post that I found it. Thanks for being polite in referring me to the post instead of well, you know :shock:
  • Post #11 - December 18th, 2006, 6:21 am
    Post #11 - December 18th, 2006, 6:21 am Post #11 - December 18th, 2006, 6:21 am
    DougMose wrote:For Christmas eve, I've decided to do a Scandanavian Julbord (I'm of Danish heritage & my partner is Swedish -- so it gives me an excuse to cover almost all of the Nordic menu.)


    DM,

    Wow. That sounds like it will be amazing!

    Antonius
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #12 - December 18th, 2006, 8:24 pm
    Post #12 - December 18th, 2006, 8:24 pm Post #12 - December 18th, 2006, 8:24 pm
    I too am in awe of the things you're making. Hell, I'm just in awe that you know what you're making this far in advance. I'm thinking a rib roast. That's as far as I've gotten with dinner.

    Dinner may be far off in the future, but in the meantime, I have Christmas cookies to bake. I usually bake half a dozen kinds, but there are two which I always make first, which you can tell is true because I already posted about them two years ago, but hey, now I have pictures to go with them so I'll post the recipes again. They are, in reverse order of nostalgic memory:

    1. Mikie's Favorite Carrot-Orange Cookies

    Image

    The first thing I like about these is simply that they're different. The cookie has mashed carrot in it-- the 60s women's magazine from which the recipe no doubt came had you use a jar of baby food carrots, because, you know, boiling and mashing your own is so hard. While the frosting is powdered sugar mixed with orange juice and orange zest. They're bright and light and a nice contrast to all the other cookies once you've made 6 or 8 different kinds.

    These are known in my family as Mikie's Favorite because I have probably had them every single Christmas for four decades or so. From the baby food shortcut to the Fiestaware color, they are childhood in the 60s incarnate for me. I never made it to the moon, like Major Matt Mason, but I sure made these cookies.

    1 C shortening
    3/4 C sugar
    1/2 tsp salt
    2 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 C mashed cooked carrots
    2 C flour

    Cream shortening, sugar and salt. Add carrots, flour and BP sifted, and
    vanilla. Spoon tablespoon or less onto cookie sheets and bake 17 min. at
    400. Frost while still warm:

    1 C powdered sugar
    Grated zest of 1 orange
    Orange juice as needed

    * * *

    2. Pfeffernüsse

    You see Pfeffernüsse-- pepper nuts-- in bakeries sometimes and they're soft, sugar-dusted squares. Those are impostors. I'm sure there are as many recipes for pfeffernüsse as there are for Texas chili, but they fail the authenticity test if they're not hard as nuts-- the reason being, they came into existence as a snack you could pack your pockets with and munch on as you worked in the fields. If your pfeffernüsse can't withstand two hours in a sweaty workshirt pocket, they're not real pfeffernüsse. Real pfeffernüsse aren't terribly pretty-- in fact they have a certain resemblance to Milk-Bones-- but they're addictively wonderful.

    Image

    Pfeffernüsse recipes are thick on the ground wherever you find Mennonites, as in Kansas. Daniel A. Hirschler was my great grandfather, and I make them in honor of him (who died before I was born; but I got his books) and his wife Helen (who lived to 1989 and age 103). It's a little ironic that I honor them with something so rustic, since they're the ones who left farm labor and all their peasanty Mennonite relatives far behind for life in the big city of Emporia (he was a college president, she was, therefore, a frequent hostess); they seem the epitome of the prim and proper academic couple circa 1940, though also worldly enough that their possessions included LPs of Oscar Brand's bawdy folk songs and Tom Lehrer's parody tunes (someone made off with the samizdat copy of Twain's pornographic 1601 before we got to cleaning the old house out, though). Why, Great-Grandmother-- you were a hipster.

    Anyway, I always make two colors/flavors of pfeffernüsse, starting with the same basic recipe:

    1 C shortening
    3 C white sugar
    3 C brown sugar
    1/2 C molasses, or molasses and corn syrup for a lighter, easier-to-dye cookie
    2 eggs
    1 C water

    Blend sugar and shortening in mixer, then add eggs and other liquids and mix. Then do one of these:

    2a. German Style:

    1/2 tsp ginger
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1/2 tsp nutmeg
    1/2 tsp cloves
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp fine ground black pepper
    1/4 tsp anise oil
    1 tsp baking soda
    3 1/2-4 C flour
    Green food coloring

    Add above spices and mix till well blended. Dye green if you wish, though note that it's tough to hit that perfect spot where they're a richer green than a dog biscuit, but not so greenish-brown as to look like... er... Add flour until makes a stiff dough. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 week.

    2b. American Style:

    12 drops peppermint extract
    1 tsp baking powder
    3 1/2-4 C flour
    Red food coloring

    Add above ingredients (sifted) and mix till well blended. Dye pink if you wish. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 week.

    Roll by hand into ropes the thickness of your thumb, then cut into pillows about an inch long. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Let cool completely before you even think of eating, and they'll be better yet once they harden over a few days.

    As proof that you can find something about ANYBODY on the Web by now, a Google search for my great-grandfather's name turned up this article in which, bizarrely, you can not only see him and my great-grandmother... you can see the guy who played him in a school skit. In 1912.

    Just imagine trying to explain all of this online immortality to him.

    Image
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  • Post #13 - December 18th, 2006, 8:53 pm
    Post #13 - December 18th, 2006, 8:53 pm Post #13 - December 18th, 2006, 8:53 pm
    Hi,

    Was the reference to "little Vernelle" who seemed to accompany your Grandmother an uncle, your Father or an otherwise unknown person? I love these pieces of family lore passed down the ages.

    I bought dates over the weekend to make datenut cookies like my Oma used to make. It's a surprise because its been maybe 20 years since they last visited our table.

    Thank you for including us in your thoughts.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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  • Post #14 - December 18th, 2006, 9:02 pm
    Post #14 - December 18th, 2006, 9:02 pm Post #14 - December 18th, 2006, 9:02 pm
    Vernelle-- a girl's name, apparently-- was my mom's mom, yes.
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  • Post #15 - December 18th, 2006, 9:05 pm
    Post #15 - December 18th, 2006, 9:05 pm Post #15 - December 18th, 2006, 9:05 pm
    Mike G wrote:Vernelle-- a girl's name, apparently-- was my mom's mom, yes.


    Sorry about the gender mistake. I guess I should have known from the -elle ending. Again neat to find your family history played out like that.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #16 - December 18th, 2006, 9:50 pm
    Post #16 - December 18th, 2006, 9:50 pm Post #16 - December 18th, 2006, 9:50 pm
    We do a potluck dinner at my boyfriend's parent's house; I'm in charge of potatoes this year, so I think I'm going to try making white cheddar au gratin potatoes, a la Wildfire.

    Joel, those Moroccan Seafood Phyllo Rolls caught my eye, but I can't find the recipe on the Tribune website. Was that what they were called in the article, or could you tell me what date that was published?
  • Post #17 - December 18th, 2006, 11:02 pm
    Post #17 - December 18th, 2006, 11:02 pm Post #17 - December 18th, 2006, 11:02 pm
    october271986 wrote:Thinking of doing a goose or lamb or ham....or leg of lamb recipe?


    I usually do leg of lamb for the "family" Christmas a couple days after ours. I cut a bunch of garlic cloves in quarters, and chop some rosemary with coarse salt, and mix them all together with olive oil and some black pepper. Then I stab the lamb all over with a paring knife (great therapy,) shove marinated garlic in the holes, and then massage the remaining oil and rosemary on the outside. I roast it at 325F about 20 minutes per pound, and after it's cooked, make a jus with the drippings and red wine. Yum.

    Since I have the 'spouse for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (almost never happens) I'm planning on doing a seafood buffet Christmas Eve with salt-and-pepper calamari, a grilled shrimp salad and crab cakes with tobiko. Of course, two days spent in the kitchen may be a bit much...

    I'm still trying to figure out the sides for Christmas Day; Rib Roast, roasted potatoes, and yorkshire pudding. I need two preferably green sides on the relatively light side to balance the meal. (Cathy, I'm thinking about your pomegranate green beans!) I saw some pheasants at the Super H Mart and am thinking of those for the "family" Christmas this year; anybody ever tried them?
  • Post #18 - December 18th, 2006, 11:06 pm
    Post #18 - December 18th, 2006, 11:06 pm Post #18 - December 18th, 2006, 11:06 pm
    Mhays,

    This is the great switcheroo! I have been thinking about your watercress and pomegranate salad. I bought the pomegranate yesterday, though I haven't obtained yet the watercress. I am going to test drive it for lunch sometime this week.

    Funny how we all influence each other.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #19 - December 20th, 2006, 1:53 pm
    Post #19 - December 20th, 2006, 1:53 pm Post #19 - December 20th, 2006, 1:53 pm
    We're having a big dinner on the "eleventh night of Chanukah" ;) and we have an aged prime rib roast ordered from Zier's in Wilmette. Always easy, always a big hit. We'll probably be doing some sort of popovers/yorkshire pudding as an accompaniment, not sure about the rest of the menu yet.
  • Post #20 - December 20th, 2006, 2:12 pm
    Post #20 - December 20th, 2006, 2:12 pm Post #20 - December 20th, 2006, 2:12 pm
    I will be making a couple of lasagnas to bring along as vegetarian side dishes at the dinners we've been invited to both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
  • Post #21 - December 25th, 2006, 7:57 pm
    Post #21 - December 25th, 2006, 7:57 pm Post #21 - December 25th, 2006, 7:57 pm
    Mine turned out to be a heavily cream-based menu. I made:

    1) Cream cheese/smoked trout dip (eaten for lunch with leftovers from Zam Zam and Smoque)

    2) Rib roast on the WSM (below), with homemade horseradish cream cheese dipping sauce, and

    Image

    3) Yorkshire pudding (above), a last-minute addition inspired by a mention of it in the weekend Wall Street Journal. I have to say, I'm not sure what the big thrill was supposed to be-- sort of like eating five crepes at once. Did it need gravy or something?

    4) Mashed potatoes with mascarpone, drizzled with optional truffle oil

    5) Brussels sprouts with parmesan (same as at Thanksgiving). These are so easy and they rock.

    6) Carrots (lovely bumpy translucent ones from Green City) with mint

    7) Homemade midwestern-southern-style dinner rolls from It's All American Food by David Rosengarten

    8 ) Maple-black walnut tart:

    Image

    Merry Christmas!
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  • Post #22 - December 25th, 2006, 10:44 pm
    Post #22 - December 25th, 2006, 10:44 pm Post #22 - December 25th, 2006, 10:44 pm
    Family enjoyed a fennel salad, inspired by a salad adverstised (but not actually served) at Polo Cafe and Catering: equal parts romaine and fennel leaf, fist full of pickled onions and some sliced blood oranges in a lime vinaigrette and Parmesan. It was good with a Paulina Market ham.

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #23 - December 26th, 2006, 8:20 am
    Post #23 - December 26th, 2006, 8:20 am Post #23 - December 26th, 2006, 8:20 am
    We don't celebrate Christmas, and with one daughter out of the country and the other still languishing with the flu, I opted to make a simple meal and cook our Kirkland hickory smoked ham from Costco, with rolls and vegetables on the side. About three years ago we picked up a Kirkland ham after the holidays at the ridiculously low price of just under a dollar a pound -- and I found it excessively salty, even though that didn't stop us from eating every last bite of it.

    On Sunday morning while rummaging through Costco we found the hams again -- I was going to purchase a Nueske ham at my local grocery store, but I decided to give Costco another try. I'm glad we did. This year's ham had a sweet and smoky flavor. I'm thinking of grabbing another one before they are all gone so the world traveler daughter can have some when she returns next week.

    It was so good I felt compelled to make a ham sandwich and bring it to work with me today, even though we will be eating something ham-inspired for dinner tonight.

    Suzy
    " There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
    - Frank Zappa
  • Post #24 - December 26th, 2006, 2:07 pm
    Post #24 - December 26th, 2006, 2:07 pm Post #24 - December 26th, 2006, 2:07 pm
    LTH,

    Though I cooked a little on Friday I didn't do any actual holiday cooking. Saturday was LTH, Sunday a brother in-laws in Naperville for a very nice Italianesque Christmas Eve meal and Monday my wife's extended family at another brother in-laws house in Chesterton Indiana.

    Truth be told I was looking forward to the Sunday Christmas day festivities from a family fun standpoint, but not a culinary one, memories of precooked Sam's Club prime rib roast still fresh in mind, even though it was 4-years ago. This year was a pleasant surprise as their son in-law took over Meat Duties and cooked up three lovely beef tenderloins on two Weber Kettle grills.

    Bob P with dual Webers
    Image

    Bob did them three different ways, marinated in Wishbone Italian dressing, garlic/olive oil/salt/pepper, salt/pepper/bacon wrapped. When Bob said Wishbone my eye's glazed a bit and the foodie in me said no-no-no, but one taste and the eater in me said yes-yes-yes, the Wishbone Italian made for a tasty marinade, though the clear winner was the bacon wrapped, but everything tastes better with bacon, even beef tenderloin. :)

    Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin
    Image

    Sister in-law Rita made her famous Won Ton Salad, which I love and request of her whenever possible.
    Image

    Great party, lots fun, about a million little kids running around, presents piled to the ceiling and good food to boot.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    --
    Rita L's WON TON SALAD

    3 CHICKEN BREASTS (COOKED & DICED) I use 4 chicken halves with the bone in and put an onion in the water when cooking. Don’t over cook)

    4 CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS 1 TSP. ACCENT (I almost never use)
    2 TBLS. TOASTED SESAME SEEDS 1/2 TSP. PEPPER
    2 TBLS. ALMONDS 1/4 CUP SALAD OIL
    2 TBLS. SUGAR 1 TBLS. SESAME OIL (optional)
    1 TSP. SALT 3 TBLS VINEGAR(I use wine vinegar)

    Mix all ingredients together. I mix, refrigerate & let set overnight.
    Just before serving ADD:

    1 HEAD OF SHREDDED LETTUCE
    1/2 LB. FRIED WON TON (crumbled)
    OR
    2 ORDERS FRIED WON TON FROM CHINESE RESTAURANT

    Serve with Sweet & Sour Sauce, Soy Sauce and/or Hot Mustard

    It's very important to let mixture stand overnight.
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #25 - December 26th, 2006, 3:27 pm
    Post #25 - December 26th, 2006, 3:27 pm Post #25 - December 26th, 2006, 3:27 pm
    This year the Bride to be and I traveled the long 6 miles from our apartment to my parent's house. My mother had graciously visited the grocery stores and procured the ingriedients for the feast. Suddenly, I realized that she, and not my father, was planning to cook the elaborate meal that had been discussed. Quickly, I used my Jedi mind control to make her believe that her mother was in desperate need of another visit (since the 5 hours the night before wasn't enough). The moment the door shut behind her I raced into the kitchen. I was bound and determined to keep the family happy on Christmas. Sorry, I didn't open the camera in my pile of goodies until after dinner so no pics. :(

    I had made the same main course about 3 years ago for one of my parents New Years dinner parties, but the rest of the items were chosen by my mother. The bride to be made dessert.

    Salad:

    Hearts of Romaine tossed with parsley leaves served with proscuitto wrapped hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, and shaved romano cheese, lightly drizzled with a simple balsamic vinagrette.

    Main Course:

    Wild mushroom and lobster stuffed beef tenderloin with bearnaise sauce

    Sides:

    Salt encrusted baked potatoes
    breadcrumb and parmesan coated baked assorted veggies

    Dessert:

    White chocolate raspberry mousse with gran marnier raspberry sauce.


    edit: ok, so I have pictures of dessert so I'm trying this whole resizing and posting thing

    Image

    Well, Mother was relieved that she had no stress for the day other than acting as my dishwasher, and being hit by the occasional elbow as she tried to clean while I cooked. The rest of the family was relieved that dinner was fantastic, not just remotely edible. Bride to be was relieved that the only time I got stressed is when I screwed up, and requested she run to White Hen and procure a dozen eggs.

    Flip

    P.S. RE: Bearnaise sauce - I never realized how seldom a dish screams out for this wonderful eggy concoction. If I could keep some in my fridge it would be my goto topping for all sorts of items: eggs, baked potatoes, french fries, vegetables, toast, etc.[/img]
    Last edited by Flip on December 27th, 2006, 10:50 am, edited 3 times in total.
    "Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
    -Ben Franklin-
  • Post #26 - December 26th, 2006, 5:26 pm
    Post #26 - December 26th, 2006, 5:26 pm Post #26 - December 26th, 2006, 5:26 pm
    Having dragged my parents away from their traditional celebration in New York for the second year, I decided to prepare a meal that was within my mother's culinary traditions. Having been born Rudolph, quite apropos for the holiday season, that means German food.

    We started with 2 dozen (well really 2 baker's dozen) oysters from our good friends at Dirk's Fish served with cocktail sauce made with Thor's horseradish. We also had a wonderful forbidden treat, some foie gras mousse that I had leftover from last week's event in Hinsdale.

    Our first course was shrimp poached in court boullion served on a bed of sliced Belgian endive and watercress with a caraway vinaigrette.

    The main course was roast goose, wild mushroom compote, rye bread stuffing, carrot puree and spiced red cabbage.

    Finally, we finished up with a nine layer Dobostorte and fruitcake made with a small fortune in candied fruits from Fauchon. (There's a big chunk waiting for you, GWiv).

    Thor then laid out a cookie/treat assortment for Santa (Bourbon Toffee Truffles, White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Truffles, Bittersweet Chocolate-Chestnut Truffles, Brown Sugar Cookie Trees, Espresso Shortbread, Blood Orange Gelees, Cocoa Ginger Biscotti, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cookies & White Chocolate Peppermint Bark - his sled was riding a little lower after our house).

    The next morning, we started out with coffee and my traditional stollen. We then had a very interesting and enjoyable experience. Since our church had no Christmas day service, we went to the Norwegian Lutheran church in Logan Square for the first time: English service, Norwegian carols. We prayed not only for the President and Congress, but also for the King and his parliament.

    Brunch was eggs Benedict and bloody mary's.

    Dinner was leftover sides from the night before served with mustard seed coated pork loin and potatoes roasted in goose fat.
    MAG
    www.monogrammeevents.com

    "I've never met a pork product I didn't like."
  • Post #27 - December 26th, 2006, 7:28 pm
    Post #27 - December 26th, 2006, 7:28 pm Post #27 - December 26th, 2006, 7:28 pm
    The Christmas evening meal properly began with that day's breakfast: a surprise prepared by the Lovely Dining Companion and so good we decided to reprise it. Slices of egg bread french-toasted (or would that be frenched-toasted?) dipped in an otherworldly concoction of egg, heavy cream, orange juice and zest, Grand Marnier...I tremble to recall.... Served with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and toasted pecans. I chose the right moment to recall the extra little prickly pear syrup I'd made...but with maple syrup, it was mighty fine indeed. Were we to do it again, slices of challah might be paradise indeed.

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    Dinner: you start with something simple, say, a standing rib roast. Add Yorkshire pudding, ‘cause ya gotta. Then the Lovely Dining Companion added her two cents and Christmas dinner took on a whole new dimension.

    We’d only decided at the last minute what to have. Or, more precisely, we only agreed at the last minute. Little did I realize that someone had been saving up some recipes with a truly special meal in mind. And so, my contribution—the roast, the creamed onions, and the Yorkshire pudding (somehow a disaster, truth be told)—turned out to take a far back seat to the contributions from the Lovely Dining Companion.

    We began with her Southwestern pumpkin soup: pureed pumpkin with some chili powder, coriander, nutmeg, cumin, and brown sugar. And lots and lots of heavy cream. What’s not to like?

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    Followed by a dish she worked hard on for some time: appetizer-sized portions of what otherwise is an entrée: smashed (literally) new potatoes with sauteed shrimp, mushrooms, and peas. Oh, partly bound together with a little EVOO, as Ms. Ray would have it. Yum! Sounds like an odd combination—even looks like an odd combination. But boy was it good.

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    Both the soup and the appetizer were accompanied by a 2004 Argentine Sauvignon Blanc. The rib roast—for absolutely and completely inexplicable reasons this was the beautiful piece of meat that refused to cook properly (even after sitting for close to 30 minutes, some portions remained on the rare side of rare while other portions ended up on the well-done side of the moon. Still, the piece of meat was excellent and the flavor hard to beat (attesting, once again, to the simple but compelling power of salt and pepper). Creamed onions using homemade vegetable stock and, again, lots of heavy cream. We used pearl onions ‘cause we couldn’t find the baby onions we wanted, but the flavor was still unctuous (I think that’s right).

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    Accompanied by a wonderful discovery: an $8.99 bottle of Cline (California) Syrah, 2004. A real pleasure of a bottle.

    Dessert. We were lazy. So we bought an angel food cake. But we dressed it up. Oh boy, did we dress it up. We had the chocolate Kahlua ganache we won from the Ed’s Potsticker dinner raffle (God bless you, rosie, and your family for generations to come!) “Thinned” with a little (you got it!) heavy cream and then drizzled on the cake, heaven on a fork! Some more of that homemade prickly pear syrup. Oh, and don't forget the lowfat (!) Cherry Garcia...

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    A Christmas dinner for the annals (ours, anyway)!
    Gypsy Boy

    "I am not a glutton--I am an explorer of food." (Erma Bombeck)
  • Post #28 - December 29th, 2006, 10:55 am
    Post #28 - December 29th, 2006, 10:55 am Post #28 - December 29th, 2006, 10:55 am
    We wound up hosting not only Christmas Eve, but a post-Christmas dinner - and kept Christmas to ourselves.

    We began with a Christmas Eve buffet:
    Crab cakes and Calamari (during which I reaffirmed the lesson of lump crabmeat, not crabs, but they were delicious nonetheless - God Bless Super H Mart)
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    Shrimp, Jicama, Blood orange and Mango Salad adapted from Epicurious:
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    Various appetizers, including boiled quail eggs with tobiko or sesame salt garnish, phyllo cups with tzaziki, lox, and lumpfish caviar; a caprese, assorted cheeses, roasted exotic vegetables with mustard-lemon butter, and snow crab.
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    The crab cakes and squid became lunch for Christmas Day.

    Christmas dinner was rib roast with portobello garnish, swiss chard, green beans with shallots, watercress and pomegranate salad, and latkes with sour cream and lumpfish caviar garnish.
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    Lunch the next day was a redux of the shrimp salad and snow crab!

    Post-Christmas get together dinner was Ham with Ginger/Brandied Cherry glaze (thanks, chapulins for the excellent brandied cherries) C2's green beans and pomegranates, a redux of the roasted veggies served cold, butternut squash and roasted potatoes
    Image

    It all turned out very well, and all got eaten! Happy holidays, everyone!
  • Post #29 - January 2nd, 2007, 1:32 pm
    Post #29 - January 2nd, 2007, 1:32 pm Post #29 - January 2nd, 2007, 1:32 pm
    Thanks for posting everybody -- it all sounds great.

    Our Xmas eve party turned out great -- although I didn't get all of the cookies done that I wanted to. (I couldn't get the damn rosettes to come off the iron without shattering. I should have praticed in advance.)

    To my mind, the big hit of Christmas eve were the little cocktail sausages I picked up at Wickstrom's market in Andersonville -- "prinzkorv" -- absolutely delightful when lightly sauteed in butter, and then served warm on top a piece of buttered limpa.
  • Post #30 - January 2nd, 2007, 3:48 pm
    Post #30 - January 2nd, 2007, 3:48 pm Post #30 - January 2nd, 2007, 3:48 pm
    New Year's dinner was for the four of us:

    Appetizer: Mushroom caps stuffed with crumbled bleu cheese, bacon and bread crumbs (a little salty for me, but delicious)

    Romaine Salad with balsamic and EVOO, pecans, more bleu, and leftover crudite veggies from a previous evening

    First Course: Shrimp Dejonghe. Big black prawns from Costco covered with a batter of bread crumbs, sherry, lemon juice, garlic and garlic and baked. Dare I say it? Yum-O!

    Main Course: Lamb loin chops from Costco. Like thick little T-bones, nearly as tall as wide. Marinated in lemon, rosemary, thyme, garlic and olive oil, then seared on four sides and finished in the oven. I made 7 chops, only 5 of which were eaten.

    Dessert: Crepes made with Egg Nog in the batter, filled with Nutella, topped wth Edy's double-vanilla ice cream.

    Kept us full into the new year!
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang

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