# Christmas Dinner



## Grumpy Gator (Dec 24, 2017)

Santa can have all the milk and cookies he wants. The Brute and I are having Roast Beast and he better keep his hands off of it. 
How 'bout the rest of you? Any family favorites or regional must-haves in your part of the world?


***Merry Christmas***Happy Holidays***G***


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## 34_40 (Dec 24, 2017)

I've got the family coming to celebrate today as a matter of fact.  We've got both a ham and turkey on the menu.  All the usual vegeys plus some sweet potato and carrot with turnip..  And of course Cranberries! LOL..

I'll be off my feet from 12;30 to midnight!


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## Billh50 (Dec 24, 2017)

We usually have either ham or turkey with mashed potato and gravy, green beans, candied yams, cranberry sauce.


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## Firestopper (Dec 24, 2017)

Going to our  neighbors for prime rib. I'm making horse radish.

Feliz Navidad everyone!


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## savarin (Dec 24, 2017)

we have friends for dinner and are having potato and watercress soup
Roast duck with raspberries
Roast stuffed belly of pork with Madeira sauce
all the usual vegies
mince pies, candied orange xmas pudding and lashings of brandy sauce.
Then later it will be stilton, crackers and port.
Then 6 weeks diet to get back my sylph like figure

Have an awesome Christmas everyone.


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## Bill Gruby (Dec 24, 2017)

If it wasn't for my super high cholesterol I'd have what Gator has but it's Turkey with some extras. No red meat for me.

"Bill"


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## jpfabricator (Dec 24, 2017)

Deer tips and rice. Just like beef tips, but we use venison backstrap. Then some sweet potato pie. Jake Parker


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## Terrywerm (Dec 24, 2017)

Some years back when my mother was still with us and holding the reins on holiday dinners, she decided that Thanksgiving would be the usual turkey and dressing, Easter would be ham, and Christmas would be a pot luck dinner, leaving more time for everyone, including her, to enjoy Christmas rather than being stuck in the kitchen. Everyone brings something different, but Mom always provided a few 'standards' - Chinese salad and a cherry salad that she always made - and we still make sure those dishes are present on the table every year.


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## Asm109 (Dec 24, 2017)

I am in charge of all the protein production for Christmas dinner. Doing a Standing rib roast AND a fillet of salmon.  Both cooked on the Weber Kettle.
mmmmmmmm


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## kvt (Dec 24, 2017)

This year,  kin folks purchased a ticket and few Mom down,   but she is limited on what she can eat so we will go shopping in a few and see what we find.   I'm thinking hand cut chops from pork loin, stuffed and baked.


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## chips&more (Dec 24, 2017)

Peppered filet mignon, lobster and homemade pasta pesto…mangia!


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## Bob Korves (Dec 24, 2017)

We are going to my sister's house for dinner and I am bringing the bread.  Simple, yes?  I am making Meyer lemon and rosemary bread, half white hard wheat berries fresh ground from my grain mill and about 30% white bread flour.  The white flour is mixed half and half to make a starter, started from 50 grams carefully saved in the refrigerator, and tripled until 500 grams total.  Takes ~12 hours to be bubbly, expanded and ready.  50 grams is returned to the fridge.  Then the fresh ground flour (~1000g) and grated Meyer lemon rind and chopped rosemary (only 20 grams each) is added along with additional water, salt and the freshly ground whole wheat and mixed by hand.  The dough is stretched and folded into 9 layers,  put in a 80 degree space to ferment, and repeated 5 times at 45 minute intervals.  Then shaped into oval, free form loaves and placed on the bottom of a large sheet pan dusted with coarse ground wheat to rise, several hours.  When ready, oven at 520F, the loaves are slightly wet, slashed, sprinkled with salt and transferred to a hot baking stone into the oven.  Boiling water is added to a hot baking pan below the baking stone and the oven closed and turned down to 430F.  Lots of dangerously hot steam.  The water is removed after 20 minutes and the bread continues to bake for about 50 minutes total, until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf.  Cool on a rack until room temperature, slice, enjoy!  Two day part time job...
Disclaimer:  My first career was as a chef in fancy private clubs, starting from dishwasher, for about 10 years.  Awful job to do, hot and heavy and stressful, worked odd hours and every weekend and holiday, poor pay.  Wonderful to have had that experience, the boy knows how to cook!

The most important ingredient in making great bread is time, lots of it, for the flavors to develop...


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## Ulma Doctor (Dec 24, 2017)

I'm on KP duty this year, the menu
BBQ Beef Tenderloin
Crab Legs
Green Bean Casserole 
Garlic Mashed Potatoes 
Jello Salad
Pugliese Garlic Bread
Egg Nog
Stella Artois 

Merry Christmas to all!


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## Grumpy Gator (Dec 24, 2017)

_  Charles.
 If we were closer I would bring my roast beast to your place.
That Duck and Pork belly alone makes you an honorary Southerner. The only thing missing is the collards and cornbread. 
***Merry Christmas Brother***G*** _


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## mikey (Dec 24, 2017)

We have a pot luck for Christmas each year. This year, I'm making a bone-in Ribeye Roast coated with garlic and a crust of raw sugar/rock salt/coarse ground pepper, smoked and slow-cooked in a rotisserie. I'll also do a Ham with a Cherry glaze from my Mom's recipe stash.

BUT what I'm missing is *Bob Korve's bread!*

My sincere wishes for a safe and happy Holiday Season to you all!


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## jocat54 (Dec 24, 2017)

We have rib eye steak and shrimp when all the kids and grandkids are here--but this year we will have "prime rib" with shrimp. We normally have our Christmas dinner with family the weekend before Christmas but this year will be the weekend after so everyone can make it. That's 5 kids (with spouses), 19 grandkids (and spouses) and 4 great grandkids. It's a house full and sometimes have to slip off to the shop for some quite time


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## markba633csi (Dec 24, 2017)

Wow Bob K's recipe reads like a science experiment but I'm sure it's divine
Happy Holidays (and Festivus)
Mark


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## David S (Dec 24, 2017)

Well first I must confess....I LOVE turkey.  At any other time we don't mind frozen turkeys, but for Christmas my wife insists on fresh.  We just picked it up this morning... 21 succulent pounds.

To go with it we have butter nut squash just quartered and baked.  I like the skin..once the wax is all gone of course.  Turnip is a must and last year steamed cabbage was a hit, so repeating that this year, and of course mashed potatoes.

We used to do Christmas pudding with hard sauce, but eventually everyone was too full to eat it, and we really didn't need it, so we stopped that.

Now I am noticing that more people are including seafood with their Christmas dinner.  We do love Lobster as well, so we may consider adding that in the future.

Merry Christmas to all my colleagues here.

David


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## Downwindtracker2 (Dec 24, 2017)

My grandmother on my mother's side was a great cook, as was my mother. One of the boasts among my cousins and I is how well our wives can make granny's dressing. Since my granny immigrated from US, I will get American cuisine at it's finest . Roast turkey with sage and onion dressing, candied sweet potatoes, apple salad, home made cranberry sauce, and those other things like mashed potatoes that I have no room on my plate for. There are three pies, apple ,lemon meringue and pumpkin. My wife made trifle this year, too.

Merry Christmas


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## kd4gij (Dec 24, 2017)

I am smoking a prime rib and throw some lobster tails on the smoker when the roast gets about done.


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## jim18655 (Dec 24, 2017)

We have a mostly traditional Eastern European / Russian Christmas Eve Dinner.
Pea soup, sauerkraut and kidney bean soup, stewed prunes, pirogies ( home made potato, sauerkraut,  prune, cottage cheese) homemade bread dipped in honey. My mother's parents always had the whole family there until they passed - I miss seeing all my cousins, Aunts, Uncles for the dinner. Then my mother continued the tradition for my brother, sisters, and grandchildren. Now, for the last eight years, I cook all day for my wife and our two kids. Wouldn't miss it or give it up for anything. Christmas Eve means more to me than Christmas day.
Tomorrow it will be roasted ham.


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## savarin (Dec 24, 2017)

I just love that sourdough Bob, wish you were next door.
I've cooked so much turkey for christmas when I was in the trade that I cant stand the stuff now.
Most Aussies have fresh prawns and salads for christmas day with bbq's for the rest of the days.
Merry Christmas to everyone, only a few more hours for you guys.


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## westerner (Dec 24, 2017)

My darling bride has talents beyond my comprehension.  But Bob's bread seems beyond THAT!
We will enjoy her seafood lasagna, with elk backstrap appetizers. I dont know how any of that is prepared.  I bring it, she cooks it. The only part of our lives I would consider Neanderthal! (Please don't ask HER!)
Merry Christmas to you all!


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## Grumpy Gator (Dec 25, 2017)

_Guarding the goodies.


Almost done.


***Merry Christmas Y'all****From my family to yours***G**_


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## kd4gij (Dec 26, 2017)

And today Smoked prime rib sandwich. From the left overs.


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## Groundhog (Dec 26, 2017)

Had Christmas dinner at my sister's. We managed about 2 1/2 hours before we once again realized why we only see each other about once a year! (not really - I had a nice time - as long as she was at the other end of the table!!!.)


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## Silverbullet (Dec 26, 2017)

Bob Korves said:


> We are going to my sister's house for dinner and I am bringing the bread.  Simple, yes?  I am making Meyer lemon and rosemary bread, half white hard wheat berries fresh ground from my grain mill and about 30% white bread flour.  The white flour is mixed half and half to make a starter, started from 50 grams carefully saved in the refrigerator, and tripled until 500 grams total.  Takes ~12 hours to be bubbly, expanded and ready.  50 grams is returned to the fridge.  Then the fresh ground flour (~1000g) and grated Meyer lemon rind and chopped rosemary (only 20 grams each) is added along with additional water, salt and the freshly ground whole wheat and mixed by hand.  The dough is stretched and folded into 9 layers,  put in a 80 degree space to ferment, and repeated 5 times at 45 minute intervals.  Then shaped into oval, free form loaves and placed on the bottom of a large sheet pan dusted with coarse ground wheat to rise, several hours.  When ready, oven at 520F, the loaves are slightly wet, slashed, sprinkled with salt and transferred to a hot baking stone into the oven.  Boiling water is added to a hot baking pan below the baking stone and the oven closed and turned down to 430F.  Lots of dangerously hot steam.  The water is removed after 20 minutes and the bread continues to bake for about 50 minutes total, until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf.  Cool on a rack until room temperature, slice, enjoy!  Two day part time job...
> Disclaimer:  My first career was as a chef in fancy private clubs, starting from dishwasher, for about 10 years.  Awful job to do, hot and heavy and stressful, worked odd hours and every weekend and holiday, poor pay.  Wonderful to have had that experience, the boy knows how to cook!
> 
> The most important ingredient in making great bread is time, lots of it, for the flavors to develop...


I got a breadmaker years ago and I made many kinds myself . I love that machine , the smell permeating the house was like being in my grandma's kitchen over fifty years ago . I loved the bread fresh and warm . I don't understand my wife it's so easy to do , even cleanup. But she refuses to make it even with the bread machine. It made the best raisin cinnamon bread , I use to plump the raisins even in rum or a mix with vanilla in it. Yum been about fifteen years ago or close.


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## Silverbullet (Dec 26, 2017)

Ok the rack of ribs is prime cuts . That's my birthday dinner or was till the wife bought cheap chunk , ruined my love of it.


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## Grumpy Gator (Dec 26, 2017)

_OK now that we all have had dinner how about some creative tips on leftovers.
**G**_


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## kd4gij (Dec 26, 2017)

grumpygator said:


> _OK now that we all have had dinner how about some creative tips on leftovers.
> **G**_


Check post 25


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## savarin (Dec 26, 2017)

What are leftovers?


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## FOMOGO (Dec 26, 2017)

Went down to Denver to meet our new granddaughter, and have Christmas with the kids, Made an 11lb prime rib roast, with mashed potatoes & gravy, and green bean casserole. Kept it pretty simple as the kids were kind of worn out with the newborn. Had left over prime rib, with eggs over easy, and potato pancakes for breakfast before heading back home this morning. Cheers, Mike


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## Grumpy Gator (Dec 26, 2017)

That's a good start. But I mean the whole dinner.
This morning I made fried 'taters and onions with shrimp and scrambled eggs all in one pan. For lunch I made a grilled swiss cheese and prime rib sandwich. 
Still thinking about supper.
 **G**


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## Groundhog (Dec 26, 2017)

Gator, it's a good thing you live all of the way over there or I'd be camped out on your doorstep in hopes you would feed me. I had a bagel, dry, this morning.


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