What are your festive menus?

MushyPeas

Mmm, Christmas food

I always like toasted teacakes for brekkies on Christmas morning! My mum is cooking the usual turkey, I can't wait.

I've just been told about the BBC's Food website's new Christmas section where you can do loads of stuff such as choose menus by your favourite cooks, choose number of people you'll be cooking for and rather posh canapes selection! Aw, I wish I had a family to cook for

Hope it's ok to post the link, if not I will remove it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/christmas/

helcat26

Dear Mushy Peas
My darling you could cook for mine! the novelty wears off somewhat after 15 years. Problem is you would travel to yorkshire.
May I suggest you surprise and delight your mother by taking someting round.
Don't mess with the dinner that would be insulting but if you took homemade mince pies ( bought pastry, mincemeat- use star cutter on top sprinkle with caster sugar) or homemade truffles you could could pave the way for your future culinary masterpieces.
I would advise anyone eating at their mum's to do the same. It shows the poor dear she will not be cooking into her nineties!
regards,
Helen

Smiley_Mum

I haven't decided on what we are having yet, boys keep changing their minds. Will post later though. Lots of ideas on here.

Kim,

I use this recipe for pancake making. I put it alongside bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup. Don't be put off by the cottage cheese if you want to try it, it's very good. I've tried a lot of different recipes/toppings for pancakes and we always go back to this one.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/americanpancakes_14508.shtml

Great thread, thanks for all the ideas. :-)

Smiley_Mum

kitchpoo wrote: »

Only just spotted this post!!

Goose fat is BRILLIANT for roasting potatoes. I've got mine ages ago in Tescos, stock up. I think Nigella Lawson started a run on it after she said how good it was for roasties.

comping_cat

Xmas eve we always treat ourselves to a takeaway (used to be KFC, but now they are older, the childrens fav is an indian meal)

Xmas day, basically, its the only day of the year that i let the children eat anything they like!!! If they want to eat chocolate all day, they can. - they always get a satsuma and a banana in their stockings, in hope that they will eat something healthy!!
However, i still do a proper xmas dinner - breakfast is whatever we fancy, this year i will be getting some cousants (sp) in, as DS has taken a fancy to them, and after a cup of tea (a must for me every morning) i open the bucks fizz.
Lunch is roast goose with all the trimmings. I serve it all in individual bowls so the children can help themselves (the only rule is only take what you will eat) even if they dont want much, we always sit down together, with crackers. I have champagne (my biggest treat!) and its the only time of the year i buy the children coca cola, which they drink from wine glasses!! If anyone wants any pud, we have chocolate log, or xmas cake.
Xmas day dinner (if anyone wants any) will be cheese and biscuits, maybe some cold goose. Its also the only time of the year that i buy party food, which i can just bung in the oven - this tends to last us for xmas dinner, boxing day dinner and New Years Day dinner. I also always make a trifle, dont know why, but i supose my mum always did, so i do too.

Boxing day lunch is always bubble and squeak, made using the left overs from xmas day and any cold meat/stuffing thats left over too. The children do have to eat this, its only xmas day they get to choose!!!
Dinner, like i said earlier, is the party food and any other left overs.

jackomdj

I was thinking about spag bol & garlic bread on Xmas eve.

Xmas Breakfast - Brioche or croissant

Lunch
starter - home made pea soup
main - turkey, roast spud, roast parsnip, peas, carrott, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, stuffing, onions
pud - Xmas pud, cornish (brought from Cornwall by my parents) clotted cream
after - cheese & bikkies, coffee, choc mint
during - nice bottle red wine (don't like the fizzy stuff)

tea - turkey sandwiches, crisps, sausage rolls (home made), mince pies (home made)

boxing day, 27th & 28th....

lunch - leftovers...

dinner - turkey stew, OH will have roast potato & everyone else will have them & dumplings too.

the dog will have all the pickings from the turkey once it is stripped for the stew.

Also lots of chocolate & other bits, nuts, cheese straws (very retro but I love them!)

New years eve - we are staying in, parents will have gone by then & will probably have steak.

1st Jan - use up final leftovers

2nd Jan - back on my diet!!!!!!

Nicky

lynnescomp

We will have take out on Christmas eve probably just chow mein from the local Chinese and some Peking duck.

Christmas morning We will have Crispy bacon with scrambled eggs and Mickey mouse shaped waffles with maple syrup.

Dinner we don’t have to about 2.30ish and not sure how many I catering for; so have order the Turkey stuffed with a Chicken and Duck from Marks and Spencer’s and also a piece of Beef and some Gammon.
With that we will have stir fried baby sprouts with lardons and chestnuts, I will have weightwatcher roasties and the others will have aunt Bessie’s (yes I know its cheating but its Christmas.)and I will be peeling sprouts.
The girls want sweetcorn and green beans. With as many different pickles as you can think of. Also cranberry sauce and stock made Gravy .
Then we will have homemade Christmas Pudding and Mince pies with the thickest cream I can Find( that’s why I need the weight watcher roasties lol)

Turkey sandwiches for tea with pickles of your choice.

Boxing day more of the same but and extra turkey is cooked if more people descends. and as there will be more people there on boxing day night I will raid Iceland of their party selection in the coming weeks to make up a buffet.

MushyPeas

helcat26 wrote: »

Dear Mushy Peas
My darling you could cook for mine! the novelty wears off somewhat after 15 years. Problem is you would travel to yorkshire.
May I suggest you surprise and delight your mother by taking someting round.
Don't mess with the dinner that would be insulting but if you took homemade mince pies ( bought pastry, mincemeat- use star cutter on top sprinkle with caster sugar) or homemade truffles you could could pave the way for your future culinary masterpieces.
I would advise anyone eating at their mum's to do the same. It shows the poor dear she will not be cooking into her nineties!
regards,
Helen

Thanks helcat/helen...what a nice idea My mum always makes all the lunch, pudding, cake etc. so maybe some mincepies or truffles...yum that sounds like a good idea. What a lovely suggestion :T

And of course...if you were closer, I would have come round to help!

bluenose1

I think this will be my Menu

Christmas Day Breakfast. - A full fry up about 8 am after kids have opened presents. Fills us up until Lunch.

Christmas Lunch. 2pm (Am cooking for 9 for the first time so rather nervous.)
Roast turkey, roast potatoes, mash, sprouts, cauli, carrot and turnip, peas, bacon wrapped chipolatas and stuffing. Plus lots of home made bread sauce.
Dessert - home made trifle and lemon meringue pie.
Thinking of cooking 2 turkeys about 6lb each as we all fight over the legs.

Christmas Evening - Turkey sandwiches with salt and stuffing. Yum.

Boxind Day - buffet with Turkey etc etc

bluenose1

haylibo wrote: »

Sandy2 You turn your oven down? In the quest for greater crispiness I have been turning mine up.....now you've got me thinking. I did the semolina trick a while back but it made mine a bit too crunchy. Maybe I overdid it, I tend to use a lumphammer to knock in a tack:-)

Funny you should say that. I did a roast dinner the other day and by mistake cooked them on 180 instead of 220. Thought oh no they will all think they are soggy. My husband commented that they are the best roast potatoes I have ever made.!!!!!!!!!!!!!