Festive Food 2024

[dk168]

What are you having this year please? Please share your festive food plans.

Last year, I decided to have just one roast on Christmas Day for the leftover to be turned into different dishes to be eaten over the next few days, so as to avoid loading the freezers with leftovers.

Last year was roast belly pork, so this year will be a roast duck.

On Christmas Day, it will be roast duck with all the trimmings, including roast parsnips and potatoes, and braised red cabbage (I am making a big pot for a charity lunch and shall keep a small portion for myself), pigs in blankets (for the pets, honest), stir-fried vegetables, with a spicy tangy sauce.

On Boxing Day, I shall make duck pancake by crisping up some of the leftover duck meat and skin (if there is any left) and the sauce, just need to shred up some spring onions and cucumbers.

There should be sufficient leftovers for a noodle soup for 27th, and whatever that is left will be made into a fried rice with salted fish. I expect to have some fried rice for the freezer.

I had originally planned to make oriental turnip cake as a starter for both days, however, I don't have time to test the recipe anymore. Instead, I shall have a small blooming onion with a homemade sauce of some sort, such as Thousand Island or Ranch.

Dessert will be fried cubes of milk or custard drizzles with honey.

The challenges this year are the blooming onions and the fried milk/custard as I have never made them at home before. However, I would like to believe I am a competent cook and they do not look that complicated, and relatively cheap to bin if they do not go according to plan!

There will be the usual nibbles such as homemade Gravlex to start the day, and a couple of my favourite cheese if there is any room left.

Just one long meal with multiple courses on both days, starting with a Buck's Fizz when the pets drag me out of bed to feed them!

If the weather is nice, I may walk into town with the dog on Christmas Day for a quick drink at the pub while the duck is roasting in the oven.

Making roasted nuts and seeds the last weekend of November, about 12kg of nuts and seeds, that will be the only edible gift I am making, unless I can find the time and energy to make others.

December is a busy month for the two charities where I volunteer, and shall look forward to some quieter times with just the pets for company on the 2 big days.

DK

 

[Dreamer_D]

I am vegetarian so while my husband always cooks a roast of some sort (chicken, turkey, ham, beef) my plate is always filled with other things. This was my plate from Canadian Thanksgiving last month and it’s very much our holiday fare. I think we will do something similar for Christmas.

Clockwise from top: my fancy macaroni made with Gruyère cheese and cheddar, balsamic glazed roasted Brussels sprouts, over roasted tofu with soy glaze, roasted carrots with cranberry sauce, roasted baby potatoes, green salad from our garden.

 

[seaurchin]

Oh dear. I am very out-classed here but maybe I'll make someone else feel better haha. I'll probably just do the typical Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas, scaled down and cheated on a bit: turkey breasts; (real) mashed potatoes; stuffing from a box; gravy from the store; (frozen) green beans (w vegetable broth and sauteed onion, garlic and sliced almonds); storebought dinner rolls; canned (whole) cranberry sauce; a salad with many ingredients; and fruit salad. I often pick one thing out of the bunch to make more elaborate. For ex, Hasselhoff potatoes or a homemade dessert.

Drinks: sodas and a mid-priced red wine. Dessert: (storebought frozen) pies and ice cream, coffee. Assorted snacks set out before and after dinner will be something like mixed nuts and chips, that won't need refrigeration or extra attention.

I enjoyed creative cooking a lot more when my kids were small and I was stuck in the house but it was more seeing what I could do with inexpensive ingredients than anything very elevated. Nowadays, I don't like putting in the effort for something that's gone so quickly, with myself exhausted at my gathering. Especially since my family has never seemed to notice the difference. Also, er, it might not turn out very well.

For daily meals, my husband and I tend to eat quick and easy and low on the food chain now. For ex: a typical meal here will one short prep/cook session for the day and something like seasoned beans over micro'd whole potatoes, toppings like fresh tomato and onion. With a green salad or lightly cooked vegetables.

I really admire the talent in others, though. To me, reading an excellent cook's descriptions of their meal plans draws me in as much as a good novel.

 

[dk168]

I am vegetarian so while my husband always cooks a roast of some sort (chicken, turkey, ham, beef) my plate is always filled with other things. This was my plate from Canadian Thanksgiving last month and it’s very much our holiday fare. I think we will do something similar for Christmas.

Clockwise from top: my fancy macaroni made with Gruyère cheese and cheddar, balsamic glazed roasted Brussels sprouts, over roasted tofu with soy glaze, roasted carrots with cranberry sauce, roasted baby potatoes, green salad from our garden.

LUSH!!!

DK

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Same as last year...I don't see any reason to change what works. I am tired of doing all the big things that i don't like to eat anymore. And what I like to eat my family doesn't.

CE: take out beef filet/w/trimmings from a fav steakhouse near by.
CD: take out from fav Italian place. A variety of food.....that I'll get on the 24th as they are closed on the 25th.
BD: likely chunky tortiere. I'll make this from scratch, pastry and all. Will use the pastry for butter tarts as well. Make homemade cabbage rolls (savoy cabbage + basmati rice)

My DS works the 27th. I'll send leftovers with him.

I'll get some nibbles to have with champagne both days. And panettone to make for breakfast/french toast with maple syrup. My DS likes liqueurs, so there will be Amaretto, Kailua, and Irish creme for coffee and tea. I'm good with champagne.

cheers--Sharon

 

[canuk-gal]

What are you having this year please? Please share your festive food plans.

Last year, I decided to have just one roast on Christmas Day for the leftover to be turned into different dishes to be eaten over the next few days, so as to avoid loading the freezers with leftovers.

Last year was roast belly pork, so this year will be a roast duck.

On Christmas Day, it will be roast duck with all the trimmings, including roast parsnips and potatoes, and braised red cabbage (I am making a big pot for a charity lunch and shall keep a small portion for myself), pigs in blankets (for the pets, honest), stir-fried vegetables, with a spicy tangy sauce.

On Boxing Day, I shall make duck pancake by crisping up some of the leftover duck meat and skin (if there is any left) and the sauce, just need to shred up some spring onions and cucumbers.

There should be sufficient leftovers for a noodle soup for 27th, and whatever that is left will be made into a fried rice with salted fish. I expect to have some fried rice for the freezer.

I had originally planned to make oriental turnip cake as a starter for both days, however, I don't have time to test the recipe anymore. Instead, I shall have a small blooming onion with a homemade sauce of some sort, such as Thousand Island or Ranch.

Dessert will be fried cubes of milk or custard drizzles with honey.

The challenges this year are the blooming onions and the fried milk/custard as I have never made them at home before. However, I would like to believe I am a competent cook and they do not look that complicated, and relatively cheap to bin if they do not go according to plan!

There will be the usual nibbles such as homemade Gravlex to start the day, and a couple of my favourite cheese if there is any room left.

Just one long meal with multiple courses on both days, starting with a Buck's Fizz when the pets drag me out of bed to feed them!

If the weather is nice, I may walk into town with the dog on Christmas Day for a quick drink at the pub while the duck is roasting in the oven.

Making roasted nuts and seeds the last weekend of November, about 12kg of nuts and seeds, that will be the only edible gift I am making, unless I can find the time and energy to make others.

December is a busy month for the two charities where I volunteer, and shall look forward to some quieter times with just the pets for company on the 2 big days.

DK

I love duck. I cook it and order it when out. Good choice, yum.

 

[dk168]

@seaurchin I don't cook everyday and prefer to cook in bulk, portion into tubs then freeze until required, as it is cheaper and less labour-intensive that way.

For example, I would buy a big slap of beef, cut into strips then marinade in different flavours before portioning into tubs for the freezer.

Another example, making meatballs in bulk, and tomato sauce, and other sauces etc...

Being on my own, even the smallest piece of beef that I can find in my usual supermarket is more than one meal for me for a stir-fry!

DK

 

[dk168]

After the not-so-nice October and November, I decided to throw cautions to the wind and bought a bottle of Advocaat so that I can have Snowballs.

I avoided Snowballs and other cocktails at home in an attempt to lower my sugar intake during the festive month. However, it just did not feel the same without Snowballs.

I can make it with reduced sugar now by mixing soda water and 7-up syrup according to taste, as I find normal pops in cans too sweet for my liking nowadays.

Can't drink pops with artificial sweetners - tried and don't like the after-taste.

There will be snacks too, no need to buy more as there is always snacks in the house!

For the New Year weekend, I shall be camping at an adult-only camping next to a pub that is part of a family-run company that makes yummy ciders and perries using fruits from their own orchards

It is one of my favourite campsites. I was there last New Year weekend, and went back again in August 2024 for their cider and perry festival. They put on special events as well as free snacky food on NYE and the evening was very enjoyable. Hence I am returning this year. Very friendly bunch and I get to know them now that I have stayed there a few times!

DK

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

let me check back in December

 

[monarch64]

We just don’t do big family get-togethers anymore. Last year I took my daughter to a local restaurant that does a prix fixe menu and it was fabulous, but DD barely ate and this year my mother wants to be with us and I know she won’t eat half of what’s on the menu, so I didn’t bother making reservations. My alternative idea is to spend a few hours together playing board games and doing some holiday baking in my kitchen instead. I will set out some little things my mother and daughter like—shrimp, cheese/crackers, fruits, etc., but no big feast for us. If it was just me? I’d lounge around in satin and feathers eating caviar and drinking champagne… someday!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i am going to attempt to do some fridge pickeling of veg
persoanlly i dont like any kind of pickle and i hate vinigur but Gary loves that sort of thing
i dont want to go down the whole botteling route ( i think Amerians call this canning but its done in bottles )

but veg that last a few weeks in the fridge sound easier
i must have seen Jamie Oliver do it one year
i suually moana nd b*tch all the way through those English xmas cooking shows and they seem to use the most expensive ingrediants and also its not winter here at xmas and we have a ton of summer fruit going on

so im thinking Californian onion slices, carrot and raddish
i have some pickleling spice left over from when i made pickled pork in the slow cooker-maybe i should make some more for New Year to eat cold in/with a salad

anyway i just discovered they sell dicon raddish at our supermarket, ive never had it but it looks a lot more economcal than a punnet of small regular red skinned raddishs
i thought this would be nice to serve over the festive period
i want to make onion pan bread for xmas breakfast with home made smoked salmon dip and i thought the onion would be good to go with that

let me check back in December

ok its December tomorrow but i got to work today and the EFTPOS system all over nz had spat the dummy due to all the black friday sales - we get the sales but we miss out on thanksgiving
so my workmates had strung up the xmas decorations, lights and put up our wee xmas tree, everything had survived last year's fire and the bakery had kept it all safe for us, it didnt even smell smoky

 

[dk168]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please share photos of your thanksgiving spread, thanks in advance!

DK

 

[dk168]

13kg of nuts and seeds being roasted today, to be mixed with a spice mix before being vacuum-packed tomorrow.

4kg Peanuts
2kg each of Cashews, Hazelnuts and Pumpkin seeds
1kg each of Pecan, Almond, and Brazil

Spice mix is made of:
Sugar, Salt, Chinese 5-spice Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Granules, Toasted Sesame Oil and ground Black Pepper.

The house smells very nice while the nuts and seeds are being roasted at 170degC for about 20min, depending on the type (Peanuts and Brazils take a little bit longer).

This is the only edible gift I am making this year as I don't have a lot of time or energy to spare, after helping out with the service charities where I volunteer - they are VERY busy this time of the year!

DK

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

13kg of nuts and seeds being roasted today, to be mixed with a spice mix before being vacuum-packed tomorrow.

4kg Peanuts
2kg each of Cashews, Hazelnuts and Pumpkin seeds
1kg each of Pecan, Almond, and Brazil

Spice mix is made of:
Sugar, Salt, Chinese 5-spice Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Granules, Toasted Sesame Oil and ground Black Pepper.

The house smells very nice while the nuts and seeds are being roasted at 170degC for about 20min, depending on the type (Peanuts and Brazils take a little bit longer).

This is the only edible gift I am making this year as I don't have a lot of time or energy to spare, after helping out with the service charities where I volunteer - they are VERY busy this time of the year!

DK

i need smell-o-vision
but then i would need taste-o-vision

 

[Arcadian]

I haven't cooked for the holidays since 2006 (we went to Italian restaurant this year), but, I do make vanilla that I send to friends/family. I have rotating batches, this one is batch 2022. Batch 2023 will be done next August, but I won't bottle until just before thanksgiving. These are 4oz bottles, I get a baker's dozen from each batch.

The beans I got this year are really quite a bit smokey with more caramel notes, very oily, not as sweet as previous year. Some years the beans are more floral, other more sweet. I haven't gotten smokey beans like this for a good 6-7 years.

Also after making and even just decanting into smaller bottles the smell stays on my hands for nearly 4 days, thats through washing and everything. The dogs love it...lol

 

[Austina]

I’ll be cruising in the Atlantic somewhere, and stuffing my face on whatever’s on offer

 

[autumngems]

I will most likely do a prime rib for Christmas dinner with scalloped potatoes, various vegetables and homemade rolls. I love to bake so there will be many desserts.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i got my lamb roast for xmas and some pork to pickle for New Year, safe in the freezer for a few weeks
just have to find some jars for the pickles (going to pickle sliced red onion, carrot and dicon radish)
also have pomagranite !


have my eye on these for my two GF workmates as i feel sorry for them working in a bakery where they cant eat anything

they are basically xmas fruit mince pies for people who dont like xmas fruit mince !
ironically i cant find not GF ones

is it bad i brought cranberry sauce ? i usually make it with the juice of an orange and dried cranberries - its so quick to make and better than ocean spray

these guys make all our fruit fillings and sauces for work, they are a premium brand and im hoping this is the cranberry sauce we use at work that comes in like a big wine box bladder -maybe i should have just brought some off the boss ?

 

[kenny]

@Arcadian I had never heard of making your own vanilla extract.
Great idea! It can be so expensive.
I love making stuff at home, from scratch.

I've looked up a few recipes, and now I'm intrigued.
Care to share your process/recipe? ... that is unless it's proprietary because you sell it.

I'm curious where you source your beans, which country of origin they are grown in, "brewing" time, how long it keeps, need refrigeration?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

so i guess my little Pandoro is going to be xmas morning breakfast dessert !
its only a tiny one, but enough to go with some kind of boozy coffee

 

[Matata]

For Christmas dinner roasted prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin; crispy smashed roasted potatoes; shredded brussel sprouts & carrots sauteed with shallots and finished with aged Balsamic vinegar. Salad & desserts are being provided by dinner guests. I know there's one pecan pie coming but don't know what else will show up.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

for lunch i want to do turkey stuffed onions wrapped in bacon with salad and some sort of christmasy indulgent pudding (pudding is what we call all dessert after a meal -not just like an English pudding)
i am doing lamb and new potatoes for dinner (new potatoes are a big xmas thing where im from) propably with minted peas =got to leave room for pudding (probably pavalova) so will leave more salad for boxing day
it is summer but the aircon can do battle with the oven as the lamb slow roasts on xmas day

i am having trouble finding turkey mince, i may have to go to a different supermarket, we dont really have butchers anymore, if worse comes to worse it will ave to be chicken mince, i will do it in soft cheese and cranberry sauce, i need to find really big onions, i saw it on you tube, one uses an apple corer or a melon baller - we did have a melon baller but i have not seen it for a very long time, i might have to buy an apple corer

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

speaking of xmas and pudding check out the size of this one !
how on earth did they cook it ?
in the old days they used to boil it in the copper but who has one of those these days ?


my mum would make quite a few xmas pudding, i would come home from school and find them hanging above the laundry tub and over the bath
mum and dad always had trouble lighting the thing at the table come xmas dinner
i used to make one in a fruit can that we learnt to make at intermediate school
the uncooked mixture is divine
last year i brought Gary a two pack of Aunt Betty's single serve - i thought he might like it fried - but no, i still have them, i might make them into truffles

Gary's mum was English, she used to fry slices in butter for breakfast on boxing
day
i just have pavalova with seasonal fruit
Gary likes triffle, but yuck, i hate sponge cake at the best of times but wet sponge is yuck, he wont get one because its hard to make a small one, i sometimes buy one serve if i see it in the deli section
at work we sell unfilled sponge cake so people can make triffle for xmas

 

[pearlsngems]

For Thanksgiving I made roast leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary, served with mint jelly, and vegetables (can't recall which).

For Christmas Eve I always make 2 seafood dishes:

1. Calamari salad. I buy raw, frozen squid tubes and tentacles. It's easiest to slice the tubes into rings before it is fully defrosted, as they are slippery when defrosted. Lately I've used kitchen shears to cut them into rings instead of slicing.
I then simmer the squid briefly until tender (about 10 minutes for tube rings and 15 for tentacles-- test for doneness by tasting one), then drain and toss squid with olive oil, garlic, water chestnuts, slices of California style olives and celery. My family loves this. It's a variation of what my mother used to make with cuttlefish. You can add cooked elbow noodles to make this a pasta salad if you wish.

2. Baccala. This is fillets of dried, heavily salted cod, which need to be soaked in water in the fridge for several days (changing the water several times a day) to remove excess salt. When ready, I simmer it for about 10 minutes, trim off any tough dry/brown bits that I don't like, then cool and drain it for about 15 minutes. I then shred it in the food processor and then gradually add EVOO, heavy cream and chopped garlic until it is very light and fluffy (you need a LOT of EVOO and cream). This is amazing on its own or spread on bread or crackers.

For Christmas day I buy a Smithfield sliced ham, which is already cooked. Easy!

I always serve vegetables but they vary from year to year.

 

[dk168]

I will most likely do a prime rib for Christmas dinner with scalloped potatoes, various vegetables and homemade rolls. I love to bake so there will be many desserts.

I love prime rib, however, they are a bit too big for just one person, with lots of leftover as I would need to get a 2-rib joint.

Much as I love cold rare roast beef, I don't fancy eating them for days afterwards!

DK

 

[dk168]

@Daisys and Diamonds make your own turkey mince with turkey breasts?

DK

 

[dk168]

Instead of a small blooming onion, I may do other fried starters such as aubergine chips drizzled with molasses as they are one of my favourite tapas dish; or fried pickles (sliced across thinly and not chunky along the length) with a homemade Raunch/Thousand Island sauce.

DK

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

@Daisys and Diamonds make your own turkey mince with turkey breasts?

DK

all i can find is huge $80 birds or those reformed stuffed roasts
i might just end up buying a small one so we can eat it cold between xmas and new year
i will cook the cats a frozen chicken for xmas and probably again at new year , Fluffy is a bit fussy when it comes to Dine

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

thought i would a bag of crumbed scallops for a salad xmas week - turned out i ordered prawns , Gary doesnt like prawns so im having them for tea right now, Gary is having some xmas ham, i brought a couple of boneless pieces, its really good, honey baked

 

[Arcadian]

@Arcadian I had never heard of making your own vanilla extract.
Great idea! It can be so expensive.
I love making stuff at home, from scratch.

I've looked up a few recipes, and now I'm intrigued.
Care to share your process/recipe? ... that is unless it's proprietary because you sell it.

I'm curious where you source your beans, which country of origin they are grown in, "brewing" time, how long it keeps, need refrigeration?

I have to say I'm too lazy to sell anything...lol This place is very reliable https://fitncleanvanilla.com/ And I've purchased from them before I went the wholesale route.

These days I rely on my local food broker who I found on facebook. The group can get wholesale prices when they purchase enough so you're buying smaller "lots" until the slots are full. And it means you're buying lots of different things. One of my neighbors infuses oils and I learned about this through her which is nice!

Grade B beans are best for extracting, but sometimes I have to get Grade A if thats all thats available. Grade A is best when using fresh or when you're making vanilla sugar or using the bean fresh.

The basic recipe is 10 beans to 1 cup of alcohol. split your beans, stick in a bottle pour your alcohol until it covers, cap tightly, then put in the back of your cabinet for a year, shaking when you remember to. This nets you double fold vanilla. Adding more beans or doubling them is how you get your stronger vanilla. if you want plain jane vanilla, 5 beans to 1 cup of alcohol.

But I'm now very spoiled and so is everyone else apparently...lol

Cheap Vodka or everclear gives the best tasting vanilla extract without anything added. I prefer to use basic vodka, because everclear is expensive here. I've done rum (last batch) and it adds its own charecter which some may not always like.

I personally chop my beans in a food processor because I want to really extract as much as I can. When I strain, I only strain enough to remove the outer bean, leaving the caviar in the mix.

For the most part 6 months minimum this method. I like to go 2 years because I feel it infuses to the point where I smell very little to no alcohol at all and its very very dark and highly aged.