Christmas Dinner Menu - 2010

  Well folks, the big man is due in just a few days and I’ve been digging through my recipes to make my shopping list for our Christmas Dinner. It has become a tradition to host dinner at our house on Christmas Day. We usually do our Christmas’ mornings at our own houses, and then converge on 331 Poocham around 4-ish in the afternoon. We start with appetizers and wine and exchange Christmas presents between the cousins.

I usually serve dinner around 6:30 or 7:00. Usually, its a small gang of about 14 people and we have just enough room in our small dining room for everyone. One nice thing about a small room… it’s not conducive to getting up and moving around, so we all tend to sit, drink wine and chat until late in the evening (at least late for this family, especially after an exhausting Christmas day).

Most years we play a game or two at the table while we eat dessert; trivia, some new board game, or our seasonal favorite….the list game. Its really not Christmas until we’ve shared our lists. (Rules and procedures found here)

Of all things Christmas, the dinner is my favorite. I love cooking a big meal, especially things that are not normal weekly fare. I love the smiles that light up on faces as dinner is served; my guests see the feast in front of them and taste favorite dishes they have been looking forward to all year and then their faces speak of the pleasure that words just can’t express.  I love the party at the table afterwards, when my tasks are done, and I can just sit and soak up all the love and togetherness.

This year, I’m sticking to most of our traditional standbys. In fact, if you peruse last years menu, you won’t note much of a difference, a couple deletions, a few additions, but basically the same. For a few years, I tried to mix it up each time, a whole new and exciting menu for each Christmas, but a couple years ago I decided that tradition was important, too. When I was growing up we always had a certain meal at Thanksgiving, at Easter, on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas day. You looked forward to that meal and all the delicious dishes you knew would be there.

So this is one of my gifts to my family. I may not win any awards from the food network or Top Chef, but I make this meal with love and get great pleasure out of having everybody over and sharing it with them. That’s what Christmas is really all about.

So, without further adieu, here is this years menu:

appetizers

smoked trout
cheese and cracker plate
crab cakes*
curry spread*
parmesan stuffed dates wrapped in bacon
wines

entre

coriander crusted standing rib roast
scalloped potatoes with goat cheese and herb de Provence
green bean casserole*
oven roasted garden carrots in maple syrup
green salad*
devilled eggs*
cranberry sauce with crystallized ginger
homemade baguettes*
wine
  

Desserts

mince meat pie
apple pie
pecan pie
pumpkin pie
coffee

AND….

more wine

Buen provecho!

* contributions by guests.