Spill the beans... on cooking Xmas dinner for the first time

StarSquishy

As its just me and OH this Xmas for the first time, we are going to cook everything on the day. There won't be much as its just us. No prepping till Xmas day. Planning to get up, dressed and take it easy. No turkey for us, just a pre prep'd chicken crown and a joint of beef.
I'm just hoping I haven't forgotten anything food and drink wise!
Hope I have enough serving bowls too! OMG I don't think I have enough now. Right I'll be looking at serving bowls today.....

bolton214

i'm cooking for ten on christmas day, i would really appreciate some ideas for simple starters.

Wyndham

Another vote here for making lists! I've had more practice now, but the first time I did it, I bascially worked backwards from the time I wanted to serve up, and made a list of what I needed to do when. It worked well.

I also found it useful that my mum was there to ask her the odd question - but I managed to mostly keep her out of the kitchen so she didn't muck up the plan

deborahdraycott

I prepare all veg the day before - as mentioned in other posts. But you can also cook mashed potatoes, and reheat in microwave on the day as well as cooking roast potatoes. I did this last year, the roasties take less time to just reheat in the oven and tasted better because they were extra crispy.

sukysue

The foil trays to cook the meat and pots and parsnips on was a very good tip am going to go out searching for the cheapest anyone seen any el cheapo ones about please?TYIA AND MERRY XMAS HOPE OUR LUNCHES ARE FABEROONEY!

Triker

Good tip I'd read on here is to cook and slice your turkey before. Put it in foil trays or whatever container you have and cover in gravy. Cool and freeze.
Then on the day, probably best to defrost the day before, defrost and reheat in the oven. Make sure its piping hot, threefold helpfulness because its already sliced, already in gravy and will be juicy and not dried out as turkey can be sometimes when overcooked.

natlie

Hi
we go to our parents to visit on xmas morning and we have 3 kids so prep is everything

Xmas Eve Day: make mince pies for Santa
pour Baileys for me
clean kitchen if messy so no dishes to do

Xmas eve night:
prep: sprouts, carrots, swede, cauli, cabbage, place in steamer pan, steamer, saucepans etc in water - not salted
prep stuffing we do a bread based one not a meat one it contains, breadcrumbs from the freezer, onion, apple, sage, cranberry sauce a knob of butter and some oil in a dish in fridge

xmas morning
prep yorkie pud batter leave out - should be room temp I make mine in mug measurements mug of flour, mug of milk, mug of egg pinch of salt

we go to OH mums then come back put chicken in oven - we use a frozen joint from MrT as Im veggie so dont need much meat, we go to my parents then while chicken is cooking - oven turns itself off on timer if we are late.

When we get back I do the spuds and parsnips - I never do them in advance I dont like to soak them or let them go brown. I dont par boil my spuds just chop them and stick them in a tray with light olive oil same with parsnips we do roast and mashed - drizzle roast parsnips with maple syrup 5 mins before they come out of the oven, whilst they are on cook veg, yorkies and stuffing

we do peas last

we use the water from the veg in the steamer pan to make gravy we use bisto onion gravy granules - water from swede makes the BEST gravy - dont salt the water

put the steamer back on to do xmas pudding - takes 1hr to steam homemade pudding make brandy sauce milk, cornflour, cream and brandy

eat then nap

borokat

Simple starters - I would stick to something cold.

Smoked salmon & prawn cocktail (slice of smoked salmon, some ready cooked king prawns, dash of marie rose sauce and maybe a little salad)

Pate and bread (you could also add onion marmalade)

Melon (you could add either fresh berries, prawns, or parma ham to this depending on what people might like)

Antipasto - a combination of all of the above plus olives, sundried tomatoes, other cured meats, served on one big tray/platter and everyone helps themselves.

My mum normally gets a salmon mousse thing from M&S and we add some prawns and salad to it. So nice!

onesixfive

A full turkey will be way too big for 7.

• Either get just a crown or better still a three bird ready-to-roast, with no waste. Start with that.

Pop plates & serving dishes onto spare hob to keep warm (you'll only be using 2 hobs) - no point serving hot food onto cold plates.

• Once meat is almost ready & decanted to base of oven to keep warm, (Aunt Bessies - keep it easy) Roast Spuds & Parsnips into large roasting tin into hot oven .
• When all rest is about half hour to go - pre-prepared new spuds (dont bother peeling, just wash) into bottom of an old-fashioned hob steamer, straight into boiling water, sprouts, carrots etc in top layers of steamer (all on one hob).
• 5 mins to go - Make Gravy using 2nd hob.

Slice meat & cover on serving plate, put Roasters & Parsnips into one large serving dish, Put Boiled spuds in another, veg in another, and even in the smallest ovens (using the base) there should be room for 3 serving dishes to stay warm until after starters are eaten - the meat will stay warm if covered with foil. The gravy will re-heat when ready to serve.

• RELAX & have a simple pre-prepared cold served starter (say melon.prawn.etc)
• thereafter, all warm food, and warm plates, can be trasferred from oven to table (by others!) whilst you simply re-heat the gravy.
• Puddings (if required) can be left until later in the day - or utilise the microwave to heat the Xmas pud, whilst you heat (ready prepared) custard M & S/Tesco - MMMmmm!
• Alternatively, offer a cheese/biscuit board - pre-prepared.

Clearing up / Washing up - Leave it to others!!!
Dont worry - there will be sweets & crisp galore - nobody will go hungry!

nikkiuk

Like everyone else has said, prep as much as you can the day before but also, don't give a time......at Christmas there are always loads of nibbly bits around so people shouldn't get hungry and if nobody is expecting their lunch at 3pm you won't get stressed if you run a bit late. Or maybe tell them it will be served at 3.30 but aim for a 3pm sit down!