xmas dinner, what did you learn?

lil_me

That my farm shop butchers is the best
That DP likes ham done in cola!
That I am useless at cooking veg
That even when I try to reduce how much I cook there are 3 plates of meat left (for 4 of us) but it makes January/February dinners easier.....
That meat stays hot really well for over an hour when wrapped in foil so I don't need to overfill the oven any more to get things timed right
That my second hand kenwood slicer is a god send! (But a pest to clean)
My children love stuffing (they wouldn't even touch it before)
That sprouts are best eaten cold with a boxing day hangover

1ubthrifty

I Learnt that my new oven is fab! Also that if you wait till christmas eve and go to marks and sparks you can get reduced stuffing, carrot and parsnip mash, roasters and bits and bobs that make for a stress free dinner not to mention an extra tasty one! I shall be doing a last minute shop next year too.

Jasper27_2

I learnt that focussing on quality ingredients simply prepared was the way to go. Also everyone much preferred fillet steak to turkey and my husband could eat eaton mess until it comes out of his ears!

EssexHebridean

I learnt that leaving Mum to buy the stuffing is not a good plan! :rolleyes:

nesssie1702

I learnt that leaving the potatoes in the warm water for 5 minutes was not a good idea - had less than half the roasties I was planning on, but made some lovely mash with butter and cream through it!

sparrer

I learned that I don't like braised red cabbage with Bramley apples any more than I like cranberry jelly with turkey...much prefer my dinner on my dinner plate and my pudding in my pudding bowl! :rolleyes:

Caterina

Amazing how many people here have learnt that their kids are great cooks! I knew that the twins (19) can hold their own in the kitchen, having been trailing at my feet since babyhood while I cooked everything under the sun (always done scratch cooking) - but they really surpassed all our best expectations!

I also learnt that there is no need for stuffing if you have nut cutlets because they got bashed and resembled stuffing anyway (just as well the twins did not have the time to make it!).

I also learnt that there is no need for pudding when there is so much chocolate kicking about!

I also learnt that a half glass of wine renders me completely gaga (I don't drink alcohol normally) and it is best left alone!

I also learnt that when naturally thin people (the twins) cook, they do not mind using plenty of oil and that I shall have to live on celery leaves and brown rice for the next 6 months to make up for the richness of the lunch!

frugalswan

I learnt that sometimes a buffet works as well as the works. When catering for lots of different tastes, having a little bit of each works just as well as a sit down meal, particularly when there isn't a lot of space. There aren't the same issues with timing, and everyone can eat as much as they want without feeling as if they're leaving loads of their plate. For me, having everyone enjoying the meal they had was very important, and (even though there were a few tears on my hormonal part) it went well.

I do want to try a turkey though. Lots of ideas to put down for next year!

competitionscafe

luxor4t wrote: »

I also really appreciated my dish-washer!

I really missed my dishwasher.

JailhouseBabe

I discovered that I can make gravy and that it tastes loads better than Bisto! But... also learnt (for future reference) to check the plain flour for weevils before the shops close and dinner is ready to serve Luckily bread flour did the job.

Also learnt that I need to make a list when preparing parts of dinner in advance - the red cabbage/onion/apple prepared in slow cooker on xmas eve is still in the fridge!

All in all, a huge success. Hope everyone had as good a meal and day as we did xx