Christmas Dinner

Food for thought!! I am not good at delegating (apart from spud peeling) but had already mentally lined up 1 sis-in law(the arty one!) to do the table, nephew to be in charge of drinks and hoped that maybe the other chaps would take the boys to our local playground in the village to keep them out of my hair as no matter how urgent the culinary task "Gwanny!" and upstretched arms will always come first!! I thought Basil might do excellent clear-up duty too - unlike Grace who would save us the bother of getting the plates dirty and just help herself from the worktops!! (Does anyone remember my catastrophe with the haunch of venison?) Acat-owning friend came back from midnight mass one year to find the tail end of the cat protruding from the tail end of the turkey which she thought she had put out of reach

I don't know whether GM is like me Elegran but everyone 'helping' me would harass me to death! The only people allowed in my kitchen without permission are people bearing

gracesmum If you have foodies in the family, ypu are just being nice to them if you let them contribute to the Christmas dinner.

The rest of the family - can you trust DD2 and BF to make bread sauce and wrap chipolatas in bacon and grill them? One Sis-in-Law can set the table and make sure the plates and serving dishes are all in readiness and the other can keep the kitchen surfaces clear of dirty preparation untensils. 24 yr old nephew can be in charge of keeping glasses filled. DD1 will have her work cut out keeping the DGS out of mischief.

Basil the grand-dog can be on clear-up duty eating anything that falls on the floor (If brother or sis-in-law drop any food they say "drat" and the dog comes running from the other end of the house to tidy it up. If they say drat for any other reason she still comes running)

I make bread sauce by using quarter onions and cloves boiled in milk and then left to cool overnight. Strain out onion and cloves, add bread, no crusts, salt and pepper. Heat through until it thickens. Freezes well so make a large batch.

I would get hung, drawn and quartered if there was no bread sauce and have to make it for the rest of the family too. It might have started life as something to spin the meal out further but, at least in our family, it is the reason one has turkey or chicken.

Maybe the people who don't like it, haven't eaten a good one. Mine has finely chopped onions, lots of butter, salt and pepper and lots of grated nutmeg. [ducks behind the other sofa]

DS2 and wife will be here the weekend before, DGS1 and family will be here over New Year. Christmas, therefore, needs to be quiet and simple. We are thinking of volunteering for the Big Get Together organised locally for those alone at Christmas by way of a complete change.
Bread sauce, altho delicious, reminds me of the bread poultices my lovely Mum used to put on splinters!

My ds loves to cook C dinner, so I go to them or stay home alone with something simple!

I have never made bread sauce (yuk indeed), surely it was made as something to make the meal go farther?
Why would you need it these days?

(I'm behind the sofa now, waiting....)

We now do a sort of circuit over Christmas, starting here in Devon with DD and family, then to Hampshire to DS1 and family, ending up in Cheltenham with DS2 and family - his older daughter, DGD2, has a birthday on 28th December, so we are there in time for that.

Each D-i-L has her mum nearby, so they get to do Christmas lunch together, which is fine, and we grans get on very well. Theseus gets totally spoiled, and loves it!

So, I no longer cook for Christmas, which is wonderful indeed. I have made Christmas cakes, will make Yule log cakes, and will take plenty of booze.

I like that story, tiggy

Thanks so much Notso and baubles for the info. The Royle Family - how could I have forgotten !! Pretty easily it seems !

Our family used to disperse at Christmas and all come to me ( I had inherited the large table!) at New Year. My brother brought his latest girlfriend and as was traditional those who helped make the meal sat back while the others washed up. Girlfriend was a bit taken aback at been shown a teatowel but as she obviously had designs on my brother my sister and I thought she should be treated as family ! Later we took drink orders, meaning tea or coffee as it was only 3pm. Girlfriend asked for a large vodka and orange which was not forthcoming.
We never saw her again and I'm not sure why !!
Next girlfriend was much more suitable and offered to wash up, They have now been happily married for 25 years

I have never cooked Christmas Day Dinner. I am lucky to have a family where all the men fancy themselves as Gordon Ramsey and they are pretty good at it. I have to supervise the shopping and clear up the aftermath. Small price to pay!

Is it me!!!! I cooked a C dinner yesterday with bread sauce and brandy butter for the Xmas pudding. Had my DD and family. I fancied turkey for lunch when I was shopping and then got carried away and asked DD if she would like to come. She bought Xmas crackers and wine so very enjoyable without the stress. Perhaps that's the answer have Xmas lunch another day.

For many years mum and I would cook alternate years. Then when dad passed away and I did it every year. When DD got married 7yrs ago I looked forward to being catered for again. I'm still waiting!!

There will only be 3 of us for Christmas lunch but I will still do turkey and all the trimmings. I never stress over it. As has been said it's just a large Sunday roast.

Bread sauce, yuck!!

I, too, have done Christmas dinner for more years than I care to remember and cope with it by doing as much as possible (bar the cooking) before hand. I intend to make gallons of bread sauce this week for us and for two DDs. I'll also make some GF just for me!

The best Christmas dinner I ever made, according to my foodie son-in-law, was the year I made my way down a bottle of champagne at the same time - wish I could remember

This year, however, there will be just three (maybe five) of us so I've bought it all from M&S.

It's not my nemesis. I just refuse to be bullied by it. I provide a nice meal. No rules except that it is good food well cooked. I can't even remember what we had last year except that it wasn't turkey, which isn't very traditional anyway when you look at really old traditions.

Having cooked Christmas lunch for varying numbers of people for many years, I am glad to say that I shan't be doing any cooking on Christmas Day – but I shall make some stuff in advance, such as quiches, chicken satay and some salads. We shall have cold turkey and ham for lunch and a barbecue in the evening. The latter is the preserve of my son-in-law but the chicken satay is my contribution. No one wants Christmas pud – although I do make a fabulous one even if I say so myself – when the temperature in the high twenties. [smug emoticon]

For years I've done the whole thing with all the trimmings as most of us have on here. But this year for various reasons there will only be two of us. So Turkey is out.
I'd like to do something really nice but it must be easy, so we can both just relax. Any ideas? Just don't want the Xmas pud mince pies sprouts stuff again. Been there, done that. Alternative Christmas dinner, anyone?

I don't like to brag, but WTH: it's a long time since I had to cook Christmas dinner. At one time, I had elderly aunt and uncle to stay, but after she had a stroke it was not advisable for them to travel, so I went to them and my uncle was a superb cook. Then when he died, I started to go to my sons, alternating between the two. Both are good cooks. All I have to do is to share in the preparation of the veggie dish with DS2 then sit back with DiLs and enjoy the hospitality. It's a hard life...

What do you do with two pints of bread sauce left lonely in the microwave?

Nowt wrong with hot pork pie, baked beans and chips wi brown sauce says I.

Why not? M&S do some good ones - and actually, we like Tesco's Finest...

But instead of turkey Ana........................?

Ana

They wouldn't get any choice here - life's too short to make your own quiche at Christmas!

I like your take on delegating Elegran - have you got jobs for DD 2 +BF , 2x Sis-in law and a 24 year old nephew? I notice you have left DH out - obviously you know him well. I see DD1 is also excused as mummy to the 2 DGSs does that let her off? Oh and there is Basil the grand-dog? (Grace has to go to kennels because 1) she is a liability if there is food within reach and for a greyhound that means anything under a 6 ft shelf and 2) she is nervous of small children so the 2 little boys could freak her out - and vice versa - and it is even crueller to shut her away from everything for the 2 days they are here)

Now - could I get away with bought quiche? No? Thought not.