A Cheats Christmas

mirry

I have always found christmas stressfull so this year am looking for any tips for cheating and cutting corners.....

Do you think cooking the meal the day before hand and then reheating on the day would work ?

Using paper plates and cups to save the hassle of washing up ? (or is this bad for the enviroment)

what things can be frozen ?

would long life milk be easier to stock incase we run out ? does it taste nice ?

do any of you cheat and if so how ?

smsmasters

Do you think cooking the meal the day before hand and then reheating on the day would work ?

We always cook our food on the day. Turkey tastes so good when it's fresh out of the oven, nice and moist Sometimes, we do cook the food at night the day before and reheat.

Using paper plates and cups to save the hassle of washing up ? (or is this bad for the enviroment)

Plastic cups are usually non-biodegradable. It's easier using paper plates/cups, no more hassle of washing up.

what things can be frozen ?

You can freeze bread, meat, poultry, vegetables, etc...

would long life milk be easier to stock incase we run out ? does it taste nice ?

They usually add chemical preservatives to long life milk, so it may taste different. I prefer natural "milkiness" lol

I usually set my fridge to a lower temperature such as 2C so that food lasts longer. Just buy a big bottle of milk. Like 2 litres, or, if you have a cow, you can have milk anytime you want.

The only way I cheat at Christmas is buying presents 1 month before the occasion or buying a turkey already cooked from the supermarket.

Threadhead

mirry wrote:

Using paper plates and cups to save the hassle of washing up ? (or is this bad for the enviroment)

For me, Christmas dinner wouldnt be Christmas dinner if it was on a paper plate.:o

Best plan for not getting stressed about the food/cooking is always to have a nice big glass of wine. :beer:

Chocmonster7

Can't see any problem with cooking the meat part of the meal the day before or even a week before as long as you have the room to freeze/chill it. Vegetables can be prepared (peeled/chopped) and stored in a cool place too so they can then be cooked when needed.

Of course there is no law which says you have to go for the full roast turkey, etc. we tend to have a nice steak with cream & brandy sauce. Just takes a few minutes to cook and no hassle!

Personally I wouldn't use paper plates as setting the table for Christmas dinner is part of the festivities with my Mum & I designing a different theme each year.

I've never really understood why people get so het up about one day in the year, perhaps it might be time to re-assess what you really want to get out of the day rather than what you think people expect from you. You aren't superhuman after all.

Sarahjovi

I always prepare everything the day before, so its ready to cook. All the veg is peeled and cut, turkey ready in its oven tray. I even buy Aunt Bessies ready prepared sausages wrapped in bacon, stuffing balls and yorkshire puddings so its just a case of putting them in the oven. I usually take the turkey out of the oven half an hour before dinner, so that I can fit the other things in.

I always microwave the christmas pudding and make a bit of custard to go with it, but you can buy ready made custard and just microwave it to warm it up or just serve with cream!

My Christmas Dinner table is also laid out the night before. Even though it gets messed up a bit with the kids breakfast and toys being put together, its far easier to just tidy it up and to start from scratch.

I've found I have time to enjoy the kids opening their pressies and mine!

If it helps you could write a timetable. I.e Turkey in the oven at 9am. Roast potatoes part boil (Microwave) at 11.30am etc., etc.,

I usually have 6 adults and 2 children for Christmas Dinner and it always seems to come together nicely.

Sarah:D

mirry

lol , i have been laughing so much,( sorry i didnt mean paper plates for the actual christmas dinner.......I meant for snacking in the evening eating cold meats and crackers ect.

oh , my stomach is hurting where ive laughed so much, i can just imagine my husbands face if i served the christmas dinner on paper plates lol.

julybride

I'd always have a couple of pints of long life milk... just in case, its not great on cereal but in custard or drinks you would struggle to tell the difference.

hth

Miss_Cinnabon

mirry wrote:

lol , i have been laughing so much,( sorry i didnt mean paper plates for the actual christmas dinner.......I meant for snacking in the evening eating cold meats and crackers ect.

oh , my stomach is hurting where ive laughed so much, i can just imagine my husbands face if i served the christmas dinner on paper plates lol.

:rotfl: But it would save you doing the dishes though!:rotfl: as we dont have a dishwasher this for me is the worst part of xmas, mountains of dishes to do! LOL

We prepare all the food day before, last year we cooked the turkey the night before and this saved a lot of time, tasted just as good:D

Kyle

linda-ann

I have always cooked the turkey on xmas eve just as my mam did ,and a turkey sandwich for supper on xmas eve is nice ,but i prepare as much as i can for cooking the rest on xmas day !! veggies etc

But we do use proper crockery :rotfl: don't think they make big enough paper plates:D

Pooky

We always cook the turkey on christmas eve - just something my parents always did and I've followed suit....that way it's cooked, carved and stored in the fridge out of the way. All veggies are peeled and chopped and ready in the fridge too. I wrap my sausages in bacon before freezing them in the tray I'm going to cook them in (saves so much time) and they can be cooked from frozen. I never stuff my turkey, but make stuffing balls, they again can be made (normally the week before) and frozen, just wrap them in foil when reheating in the oven to stop them drying out.

The last thing I want to do on christmas day is spend hours in the kitchen, I want to be playing with the kids, we don't have a starter, we don't generally have a pudding (none of us are pudding people) and if we have guests they either have it our way or go without My mum knows to bring her own chirstmas pud if she wants one, there's always ice cream in the freezer and I can knock up a custard if required but the main aim is to just enjoy the day.

Obviously everyone does Christmas their own way - I've just learnt to avoid the bits that stress me most, i.e. the meat not being ready, forgetting something like the stuffing or sausages or veg and most of all.....I've stopped worrying about what anyone else thinks

ziggy2004

I am doing a really easy christmas dinner this year as I will have a 4 week old baby to look after my mum and sister will be doing all the work on the day as well.

I never do turkey for christmas but we will have a 5 course meal

starters
*
pate with chutney (both will be made in advance by me)
*
Cream of tomato soup with h/m bread (straight out of the freezer)

Main
Venison steak with grean beans, mashed potatoes and raspberrie/pear compote (mash and compote out of the freezer)

Desserts

cheese plate
*
Icecream

there will only be 5 adults a teenager a toddler and a baby so should be nice and easy

X Anne