Christmas Dinner Stuck on Limited Options

[Anonymous]

Put out a few heads of lettuce and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

I have some people with various dietary restrictions. I'm doing my version of surf and turf, roast leg of lamb and salmon. There will be various sides.

I find that having two entrees that my family will eat is fine. I'll find a way to use the leftovers. Leftover leg of lamb or roast can be turned into stew for one of the next few nights. Left over salmon will get eaten. Salmon is fine for breakfast, lunch or dinner (even not smoked, salmon is great with bagels and cream cheese).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have guests coming for Christmas and have given us the following parameters on what WE are to serve (!). They will be staying with us so they won't be able to go home and eat if they don't like the meal. I am at my wits end... I have some ideas for sides but not the main meal. I am an ok cook and can follow a recipe.
- No ham, turkey, roast
- Main meal cannot have pasta/gluten
- Must have a few gluten free and nut free options

Later you said it's BIL and SIL. Kids of theirs? You have enough to do with making the standards so head directly to vegan and gluten free. If you go to the effort of making crab dip it excludes gluten. Crab cakes have gluten-bread or cracker crumbs. And making the crab is very labor intensive.

You could get salmon and season it and roast it. However there should be pieces for everyone. The restrictions for you are rude and arbitrary since you obviously knew them for years so would not have posted this year. Too expensive for these annoying people plus requires more care than the fake meatloaf options. Can be made in advance and reheated.

... a pack of plant based fake beef- mix in 1 egg, onion, salt, pepper, garlic etc. Stick sliced tomatato on top. They get a meatloaf. Don't feel like the effort? Get annies fake meat loaf tv dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make a leg of lamb. It's within their parameters and fairly easy to make.

How do you make a leg of lamb that doesn't involve roasting it?

To be fair, OP here, I know I said "roast" but that's what they call a standing rib roast, etc. So roasting a lamb or veggies is ok lol.

I think they're trying to get us to grill steaks without just saying it. They "look down" on a traditional holiday meal for some reason. SIL has many dietary restrictions not due to health reasons... its more like preferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have guests coming for Christmas and have given us the following parameters on what WE are to serve (!). They will be staying with us so they won't be able to go home and eat if they don't like the meal. I am at my wits end... I have some ideas for sides but not the main meal. I am an ok cook and can follow a recipe.
- No ham, turkey, roast
- Main meal cannot have pasta/gluten
- Must have a few gluten free and nut free options

Later you said it's BIL and SIL. Kids of theirs? You have enough to do with making the standards so head directly to vegan and gluten free. If you go to the effort of making crab dip it excludes gluten. Crab cakes have gluten-bread or cracker crumbs. And making the crab is very labor intensive.

You could get salmon and season it and roast it. However there should be pieces for everyone. The restrictions for you are rude and arbitrary since you obviously knew them for years so would not have posted this year. Too expensive for these annoying people plus requires more care than the fake meatloaf options. Can be made in advance and reheated.

... a pack of plant based fake beef- mix in 1 egg, onion, salt, pepper, garlic etc. Stick sliced tomatato on top. They get a meatloaf. Don't feel like the effort? Get annies fake meat loaf tv dinner.

Lol, thanks for the laugh! They have no kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make a leg of lamb. It's within their parameters and fairly easy to make.

How do you make a leg of lamb that doesn't involve roasting it?

To be fair, OP here, I know I said "roast" but that's what they call a standing rib roast, etc. So roasting a lamb or veggies is ok lol.

I think they're trying to get us to grill steaks without just saying it. They "look down" on a traditional holiday meal for some reason. SIL has many dietary restrictions not due to health reasons... its more like preferences.

Then this is even more odd. They eat beef. Make your standing rib roast and just make sure that at least part of it is cooked to medium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make a leg of lamb. It's within their parameters and fairly easy to make.

How do you make a leg of lamb that doesn't involve roasting it?

To be fair, OP here, I know I said "roast" but that's what they call a standing rib roast, etc. So roasting a lamb or veggies is ok lol.

I think they're trying to get us to grill steaks without just saying it. They "look down" on a traditional holiday meal for some reason. SIL has many dietary restrictions not due to health reasons... its more like preferences.

Then I absolutely wouldn't make steaks!

You could braise some lamb shoulders, roast some potatoes, and have some green veggies. A big salmon fillet would be good, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have some people with various dietary restrictions. I'm doing my version of surf and turf, roast leg of lamb and salmon. There will be various sides.

I find that having two entrees that my family will eat is fine. I'll find a way to use the leftovers. Leftover leg of lamb or roast can be turned into stew for one of the next few nights. Left over salmon will get eaten. Salmon is fine for breakfast, lunch or dinner (even not smoked, salmon is great with bagels and cream cheese).

This is great that it works for your family. But for anyone with any pickiness in theirs, these are two proteins that are not mainstream. Lots of people don’t eat lamb and for some seafood eaters, salmon is a strong tasting fish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have some people with various dietary restrictions. I'm doing my version of surf and turf, roast leg of lamb and salmon. There will be various sides.

I find that having two entrees that my family will eat is fine. I'll find a way to use the leftovers. Leftover leg of lamb or roast can be turned into stew for one of the next few nights. Left over salmon will get eaten. Salmon is fine for breakfast, lunch or dinner (even not smoked, salmon is great with bagels and cream cheese).

This is great that it works for your family. But for anyone with any pickiness in theirs, these are two proteins that are not mainstream. Lots of people don’t eat lamb and for some seafood eaters, salmon is a strong tasting fish.

But the picky eaters in question are high falutin’ fussy britches, not autistic tightly wound people (like me, sorry for being picky, I hate it too) or childish palates.

OP if they really want steak, make your life easy and make steak. Hell, pan fry and broil them if you want to be a good host but don’t want to stand outside. Then you could also have a ham or a turkey. Or if you like beef, do a brisket! Or make it a whole Tex Mex meal! Seriously I would get a real kick out of you serving high end tacos. Great cabbage slaw, cheesy rice and a nice cilantro lime rice (or cauli rice!) for a nice gluten and nut free option. Corn tortillas for no gluten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have some people with various dietary restrictions. I'm doing my version of surf and turf, roast leg of lamb and salmon. There will be various sides.

I find that having two entrees that my family will eat is fine. I'll find a way to use the leftovers. Leftover leg of lamb or roast can be turned into stew for one of the next few nights. Left over salmon will get eaten. Salmon is fine for breakfast, lunch or dinner (even not smoked, salmon is great with bagels and cream cheese).

This is great that it works for your family. But for anyone with any pickiness in theirs, these are two proteins that are not mainstream. Lots of people don’t eat lamb and for some seafood eaters, salmon is a strong tasting fish.

I am cooking around the restrictions for my guests. I obviously wasn't clear. I was suggesting that OP make two entrees, one that meets their needs and one that meets hers.

For OP, I would do whatever she wants and get a rotisserie chicken for BIL and SIL or something else that BIL/SIL will eat. She doesn't have to make the rest of the guests eat from BIL/SIL's restricted choices. As long as she has an option for them, she can make what she wants for everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Folks- this is not hard. Roast two chickens, potatoes, polenta, or rice. Add a vegetable and/or salad. No need to bother with baking anything gluten free. You want Christmas cookies? Bake them and then buy them a pack of gf cookies.

Yes, they sound like picky eaters, but gluten free is incredibly common these days and there are plenty of meat options available.

[Anonymous]

Why are you accommodating this nonsense, OP?

[Anonymous]

OP, I have to say, it's almost like your SIL and BIL excluded almost anything humanly possible on purpose just to screw with you. But again, you make the meal you want, and toss few lamb chops for them in crock pot or on grill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have some people with various dietary restrictions. I'm doing my version of surf and turf, roast leg of lamb and salmon. There will be various sides.

I find that having two entrees that my family will eat is fine. I'll find a way to use the leftovers. Leftover leg of lamb or roast can be turned into stew for one of the next few nights. Left over salmon will get eaten. Salmon is fine for breakfast, lunch or dinner (even not smoked, salmon is great with bagels and cream cheese).

This is great that it works for your family. But for anyone with any pickiness in theirs, these are two proteins that are not mainstream. Lots of people don’t eat lamb and for some seafood eaters, salmon is a strong tasting fish.

If you are an adult who thinks it's fine to rule out major categories of protein, you don't get to be picky about the alternatives. These are grownups with preferences, not children with allergies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks- this is not hard. Roast two chickens, potatoes, polenta, or rice. Add a vegetable and/or salad.

DP. Roast chicken in my house is a go-to midweek dinner. I would accommodate OP's picky in-laws with chicken, but treat the rest of the family to a festive meal.