I ended up making compressed rice, beef rendang, and gado gado salad. All good!

I think that sounds yummy AND fun! I live with a moderately fancy cook and he doesn’t make his own tortillas. So to me homemade tortillas would be fancy

I've done tacos before for Christmas eve and it was a hit!

This year we are having tamales (Guatemalan kind), arroz con gandules, mashed potatoes, green salad with pomegranate, and beef tenderloin.

Here’s my menu for a similar crowd:

Roasted salmon with pesto
Butternut squash lasagna
Roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips
Garlicky kale
Caesar salad
Bread
Apple pie
Ice cream (homemade—eggnog and brown sugar cinnamon)
Assorted Christmas cookies and candies

I think that sounds great!

Anonymous wrote:Fancy shmancy. Just make food that tastes good!

+1
Make the fancy in the presentation. Flowers, tablecloth, the good china, real silverware. Tablescape that emmer effer. Is it Irving Penn at Vogue who I remember doing photos of fried chicken on nice dishes?

Fancy shmancy. Just make food that tastes good!

I am cooking the main meal for 12 people on Christmas Eve. We have two vegetarians, one of whom eats fish.

Any ideas? I was thinking of homemade tortillas with cabbage slaw, carnitas and some kind of fish, but worried that isnt fancy enough. Maybe poached salmon?