A 'traveling' Xmas dinner?!

Alfietinker

All great suggestions, thanks! :snow_grin

Now I feel a little stupid thinking I would have to re-heat the entire turkey! Actually, cooking at home I think would be so much better as I know my own oven. She has an ancient gas one and it'd be awful if I mis-timed everything! :eek:

In fact, if I carved it up at home, I would only need to take what I know they'll eat (which isn't very much), and the rest can stay safely in my fridge. On the me being stupid note though, when you say to cover in gravy, do you mean as soon as it's cooled the night before, or just before I re-heat? Or doesn't it make much difference?

If I were to cook turkey Xmas eve, I could make the gravy and everything! I could then take gravy over in a jug and heat the rest up there......

I'm afraid I won't use Aunt Bessies though, there's something about them I just don't like. In fact, I just bought some goose fat at lunch time to do them with. I like my roasties my way.

The reason I'm cooking and not MIL, is (and I mean this in the nicest possible way), she doesn't 'do' cooking, and so last year everything was frozen/tinned/reformed and basically just heated through. She just doesn't enjoy cooking, whereas I do. Xmas was going to be at ours but sadly FIL has become very ill and won't be able to make the journey, so to save MIL fussing I've volunteered to step in (which hubby is relieved about! :rotfl: )

I think I'll forget about stuffing the bird though, and just do stuffing separately. I'll stick a lemon and bits inside to give a bit of flavour instead. I can then make the balls in advance and take them over in the tin all ready to go, along with the sausage thingies.

I can make red cabbage the day before, I always think this tastes nicer the next day anyway.

Thanks so much for all your help! I admit I was getting a little bit panicky earlier.

Kethry: Spending the day in a car does not sound good!! It would be so much easier if all sides of the family got on and everyone could rotate each year instead.

Skint_Catt: You remind me of my dad's side - they'll be 12 of us boxing day and I just know enough food to feed at least 24! Much more fun IMO :rotfl:

Alfietinker

ClaireLR wrote: »

How about making the dinners fully at your on Xmas eve, chilling in the fridge on a plate wrapped in foil, transporting to MIL in the morning ready to nuke/whack in the oven and make some fresh gravy???

Much easier than half doing things/transporting chopped veggies/cooked turkey etc. We do this, that way we get to all go to the pub on the dinnertime and come back to a dinner that takes 20 mins to heat in the oven!

That way as well you get to use the once cooked turkey, rehated on the dinner once is ok, and whatevers left will have only been cooked once so will be fine again to reheat/use for sarnies.

You see, there's just something about re-heated roasties that I just don't like. I enjoy the cooking and love everything fresh. I can't help it, and I love the smell in the kitchen. (plus it'll give me something to do so I'm not slumped in front of the telly with inlaws).

Skint_Catt

Talking of travelling this is the first year I can't just sit down at Mum & Dads on Xmas Eve and stay there until New Year Xmas Eve my OH has a gig (he's a drummer) and he won't be back til midnight, so to save disturbing Mum and Dad I'll be at their's helping to prepare but will have to go home to get up in the morning with OH (20 mins away) then drive back to parents, then Boxing Day morning off to OH's sisters and her family in Hampshire, then back to work (:eek:) on 27th and 28th which Ive never done before (new company get every penny out of you). Just glad I'm not cooking!

Alfietinker

Oh no, I could never work over Xmas! We're lucky that both our companies shut down for a week. I'll be thinking of you

jess444_2

Hi,
I always cook turkey the day before. In work we have prepared veg delivered - they seem to be in vacumn sealed plastic bags. I am sure I have heard that you can buy a gadget to vacumn seal bags at home, although can't remember where - sorry. may be worth getting one, especially if this could turn out to be a regular Christmas ordeal.

kethry

Alfietinker wrote: »

Kethry: Spending the day in a car does not sound good!! It would be so much easier if all sides of the family got on and everyone could rotate each year instead.

oh don't get me wrong, i don't do that *now*!!! then it was just a case of.. well if we're travelling to see one half of the family we may as well travel to see the other half. Maternal grandparents were too old to travel that far, and dad's family all lived in one place - we were the ones that moved so far away, so we couldn't really expect everyone to drag down to see us.

these days i keep myself firmly at home for christmas, if i can. We did spend one christmas at my parents (disaster - i had the flu for a week), and one christmas at his parents (which was way cool, in the netherlands, but i didn't like the travelling that much) but in recent years i stay firmly at home. its much better that way!

keth
xx

jess444_2

Oh well, maybe not. They seem a bit expensive.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/kitchenideas/populardemand!11421

belfastgirl23

You're very good. I'm afraid if I was cooking they'd be eating at a time to suit me even if it did break with tradition a bit. But then I always think the cook gets first say on these things since they're doing the work....

windowshopper100

Pop the gravy on just before you reheat. Or you could reheat the turkey without the gravy but do it in the microwave with a splash of water. Then make sure the gravy is piping hot to serve.

The point is you don't want to dry the turkey meat (which, with turkey, is quite easy) out during reheating and doing it with a liquid - whether a splash of water or gravy - will stop that. If you want to heat up the meat in the oven wrap it in foil - again with a bit of water. The steam will heat it up quicker so it has less time to dry out - plus steam is wet heat anyway.... oooh, that's enough now! I'm sure you get the picture.
Neither will I be having Bessies on Xmas day :eek: , no offence meant to those that are. She's a lovely woman;) , I've had them before and they're great. Just illustrating the principle.

All the best
WS

windowshopper100

Edit button knackered - has the site been glitchy this afternoon or is it me?

Just read Alfies bit about goose fat - we are having a goose this year so my spuds will be cooking in its by-product while the bird is resting. Yum.