Critique my menu: Christmas for 8 adults, 2 kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do all your guest eat ham? I don't buy my friends know that too.

Who doesn’t eat ham? Honeybaked ham is CRACK

I don’t.
Have another protein.

That's what the mushrooms are for. If you're still asking for something else, then you're just too picky. Be a gracious guest, not an ass.

[Anonymous]

I’d do a hot beverage. Apple cider with optional bourbon, or mulled wine. Unless you are in a warm climate a summer wines make more sense. Agree with others about dropping Pinot Grigio.

Mushrooms don’t really go with ham IMO (assuming it’s a honey baked, but really any ham). Maybe add something citrus, like an orange salad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do all your guest eat ham? I don't buy my friends know that too.

Who doesn’t eat ham? Honeybaked ham is CRACK

I don’t.
Have another protein.

Same

Get the Honey Baked smoked turkey. I had the ham for Thanksgiving and it was just meh. Most people in line were buying the turkey and ham. Or just the turkey.

[Anonymous]

I don’t celebrate Christmas but your menu sounds delicious and perfect to me just as it is (adding a salad without cheese or roasted green vegetable to balance the creamy other sides).

I never understand people who are like “I don’t like ham so you should serve chicken” if the host knows the guests eat ham. Or “grown ups only want seltzer” when talking about festive holiday meals. Truly, if you want seltzer, chicken, plain vegetables that is fine, but your preference for bland food should not dictate holiday menus for other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you French? I'm French and like Boursin fine, but baked in panko and drizzled with hot honey sounds... a little try hard. Some mountain rind cheeses were designed from the get-go to be eaten warm in winter, but not Boursin, which is a modern invention of fromage frais (fresh cheese) and meant to be eaten cold.

FFS she likes it different from you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have my sommelier certification and I would not serve Pinot Grigio with this meal unless your crowd specifically loves it. For a ham, you want a nice rose, specifically a Tavel (not Provence style) or Gewurtztraminer.

+1 Mateus would be perfect with this menu!

[Anonymous]

I think the menu would benefit a lot from adding some acidic elements--something "brighter" to balance things out.

Lemony roasted beets
Butternut squash with lime and rosemary
balsamic glazed carrots
Shaved brussels sprout salad

Pickles?
mustard sauce or another sauce as an option for ham?

With ham I'd do biscuits instead of yeast rolls, but I live in the south.

[Anonymous]

I would add a salad--arugula w/ lemon vinaigrette or a fennel and orange one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do all your guest eat ham? I don't buy my friends know that too.

Who doesn’t eat ham? Honeybaked ham is CRACK

I don’t.
Have another protein.

I assume the OP knows if her guests, likely family or close friends, will eat ham

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a lot of different wines and beers for a medium group. You could drop one of the reds. You could also drop the burgundy mushrooms. That's more of a beef thing. Not ham.
It's all very heavy. Are those potatoes a family favorite? A salad is just another course to fill up on.
Do a plain vegetable or lighter potatoes.

+1 to all of this

Also, you might consider another non-alcoholic beverage that would be more festive than water and soda. I’d suggest apple cider, but hot cocoa and eggnog are other options.

Maybe mocktails made from cranberry juice and ginger beer? Cocoa and eggnog seem more like dessert drinks, not something people would sip on with appetizers.

I don’t know many adults who want a sugary drink. Maybe just do frozen cranberries in the sparkling water if they don’t like the other drinks.

Wine is sugar...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a lot of different wines and beers for a medium group. You could drop one of the reds. You could also drop the burgundy mushrooms. That's more of a beef thing. Not ham.
It's all very heavy. Are those potatoes a family favorite? A salad is just another course to fill up on.
Do a plain vegetable or lighter potatoes.

+1 to all of this

Also, you might consider another non-alcoholic beverage that would be more festive than water and soda. I’d suggest apple cider, but hot cocoa and eggnog are other options.

Maybe mocktails made from cranberry juice and ginger beer? Cocoa and eggnog seem more like dessert drinks, not something people would sip on with appetizers.

I don’t know many adults who want a sugary drink. Maybe just do frozen cranberries in the sparkling water if they don’t like the other drinks.

Wine is sugar...

Wine has a negligible amount of sugar compared to soda, cider, cocoa etc. Wine do you think it's sugar? How odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do all your guest eat ham? I don't buy my friends know that too.

Who doesn’t eat ham? Honeybaked ham is CRACK

I don’t.
Have another protein.

That's what the mushrooms are for. If you're still asking for something else, then you're just too picky. Be a gracious guest, not an ass.

Except mushrooms aren’t a protein. And can sometimes be gross if the texture is off. I say that as a mushroom lover.

[Anonymous]

Love the wine recommendations on here. I would Burgas to the list as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do all your guest eat ham? I don't buy my friends know that too.

Who doesn’t eat ham? Honeybaked ham is CRACK

I don’t.
Have another protein.

That's what the mushrooms are for. If you're still asking for something else, then you're just too picky. Be a gracious guest, not an ass.

Except mushrooms aren’t a protein. And can sometimes be gross if the texture is off. I say that as a mushroom lover.

Look, if ham is gross, mushrooms are gross, then it's you. You're the problem. You're a guest and and your job is to eat the food provided while being gracious.

[Anonymous]

How old are the kids? All of mine wouldn't eat any of that