How to host Christmas dinner when you can't cook???
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Anonymous
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I need help. I'm a terrible cook. Super bad. And I have to host Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner.
We will have 16 people (including 6 kids). We typically go to mass on Christmas Eve and then have a light buffet style supper. And we have a more formal sit down dinner on Christmas Day. I can probably ask a couple folks (siblings) to bring something. I don't even know where to begin. What should I consider purchasing (already prepared---is that even possible?)? What can I do ahead? For my entire adult life, I've only been in charge of desserts and booze, so that's my wheelhouse. No clue how to pull this off. Thoughts? |
Anonymous
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Can you make chili and cornbread for Xmas eve. Xmas dinner get a turkey made from whole foods. But what you want and put siblings in charge of the rest.
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Anonymous
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Order a honey baked ham or turkey for Christmas Day (I'd go with the ham, because you likely won't be able to pick it up on Christmas Day, and hams are easier to reheat). Order sides. For Christmas Eve, maybe salads and a large pot of pasta. (Something like baked ziti really isn't hard - lasagna can be tricky or order a tray from a local Italian restaurant)
What do you eat on a daily basis now? Get some cooking lessons and get a basic cookbook and start trying some recipes. Follow them to a t - just do what it says. Don't pick something complicated. When you get your confidence, branch out. |
Anonymous
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Buy* not but
Buy the easy things like dessert, gravy rolls, booze. Have siblings bring mash potatoes, green bean casserole, yams, stuffing.... |
Anonymous
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Thanks, pp!
How early should I order and pick up a honey baked ham? Christmas Eve day? The 23rd? |
Anonymous
Call them in early Dec to get an idea and get an order in. They can run out. |
Anonymous
The hams last a while. That's the nature of ham. But they are big and need to be refrigerated so make sure you've got space. Honey baked used to do reservations but don't anymore. Call to confirm that though. |
Anonymous
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Go out to a great restaurant then go see A Christmas Carol or the Nutcracker.
Get a box dinner and Go see Pageant of Peace. Got to Chinese food and stroll the monuments. Get it catered from Wagshalls and see the lights at the Mormon Temple. Cook the turkey together, have some conversation and finish with a cookie exchange or pie bought from Firehook Get a pizza and ice cream and have a movie night at home. |
Anonymous
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^^
box dinner from Giant or Safeway, that is |
Anonymous
| You can buy the whole dinner from Balduccis or Whole Foods and then if you want supplement with really easy to make stuff. If you're in dc Wagshals also does a dinner. So easy. Just reheat everything |
Anonymous
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Yep, honey baked ham is the way to go. Lasagna is good for the night before because you can make it in advance and reheat. With 16 people, you can do 2 or 3 of them -- one meat, one spinach, and if you're really up for it a third with spicy sausage. It's not hard to learn and you have plenty of time to hunt recipes and practice. (Or you can buy them to go--try Vace, the Italian Store, or your favorite Italian restaurant.) If lasagna's too intimidating, baked ziti is also a good way to go.
For each meal, add a spinach salad. Sure you can do a basic tossed one but spinach is just as easy and seems a little fancier. Use the triple-washed baby spinach you can buy in a tub (I wash it again and spin it dry), then add something red (just one thing -- sliced strawberries, or dried cranberries), goat cheese, one thing that's crunchy (walnuts, or sunflower seeds, or pepitas (pumpkin seeds)), and a balsamic vinaigrette, which you can buy in a bottle. If you want to get fancy with the nuts, you can toast them first, which you do by putting them in a dry nonstick skillet over low-to-medium heat for just a few minutes, tossing them to keep them from burning. When they've just started to turn brown and give off a little nutty aroma, they're done. It's a nice flavor for salads. People will like the red-and-green look of the spinach and strawberries (or cranberries). For the Christmas Eve meal, add garlic bread and you're done. For the Christmas Day meal, add scalloped potatoes (I think you can buy these as a side at Honey Baked), dinner rolls, and some green beans. Here's an easy way to do green beans: Wash them and break off the ends. Get a big bowl of ice water ready, some pre-sliced almonds, half a lemon, and salt. Either steam or boil the green beans just until they get really bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Taste one--when it's lost the "raw" flavor, but still has a bit of crunch, it's done. Immediately put them in the ice water and let them cool. That keeps the crunch and stops them from getting soggy. Drain them and set aside. You can do the steps up to this part in advance. Right before you're going to serve them, pre-heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high (not all the way high). Swirl some olive oil in the pan, then stir-fry the green beans enough to get hot and coated in oil. Then add the sliced almonds, and squeeze the lemon all over. (Fancy cooks will use cheesecloth or their fingers to keep the seeds from falling in, but I don't worry about it -- no one ever died of a lemon seed, or even complained about it.) Salt, remove from heat, and into the serving bowl--serve hot. |
Anonymous
| We buy the entire thing rim Balduccis. Do Lasanga for Christmas Eve. |
Anonymous
| Cater from a restaurant, or make it a Pot luck. People don't really care where the food comes from as long as it's good |
Anonymous
Do not do pot luck! |
Anonymous
We love potlucks! |