Originally Posted by
NJ Quilter
We do an open house Christmas party each year. Never a clue as to how many people will be here. Isn't that a treat? Anyhow, I usually do a spiral sliced ham 10-12 lbs; baked ziti - usually a no-meat sauce in this as there's a possibility of a vegetarian and a vegan showing up; hot crab dip; turkey breast; tons of veggies/dips; sweet potatoes; bread/rolls; corn casserole; cookies; cakes; shrimp cocktail; chips/dips; garden salad; anything else that strikes my fancy along the way. The baking I usually do a week or so out. The veggie slicing and dicing no earlier than the day before, usually that morning. Ziti I can make up ahead and freeze if need be but I usually don't. Most of the cooking is just popping it in the oven so the only challenging part is coordinating temps and timing. I usually try to come up with a new dish of some sort each year so it's not too repetitious for any of us!
You are a lady after my own heart. I also have herring, turkey, beef and ham and little dollar buns, potato salad, cheeses, sausage/thuringer. Then, too, it is cold enough outside that I can put everything in my walk-in refrigerator (it's called that in the winter, the front porch in the summer. I also have cookies, fudge, pies, I love the cheesy-potato casserole. Then the house is open from about 10:00 AM until about 7:00 PM for anyone of the family or the neighbors or friends to stop over, fill their plate and have a glass of wine (or whatever). Ever notice how during this time a house takes on a smell of its own? I love the smell of turkey and all the trimmings, the Fraser Fir Christmas tree, the egg nog, all the spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. I love from November 1 until January 2. Then no more snow, no more icy weather, no more shoveling. They are saying Minnesota is going to have another mild winter. We didn't have snow for Christmas last year - I would like a nice snowfall on Christmas Eve and that's all!!!!!!! Then what isn't eaten is kept for New Years Day when I lock up the house, nobody comes in. We eat up the leftovers and watch football. That's my holiday-time and I'm not changing one little thing! I love leftovers!!!!! That's why I always buy extra for Christmas.
I don't like Hallowe'en! I love to pass out the candy to the kids (or money, whatever) and see how they have grown, but I intensely despise (my mother always said "You never hate - but, you can intensely despise." I have used that all my life. Anyhow, I intensely despise, witches hanging from the trunk of a tree, ghosts, all that stuff. I don't buy any hallowe'en fabric at all one bit. I have one ceramic pumpkin that I made. It has a light in it and it goes in the window from 6-8PM on Hallowe'en. That's it! But I do go all out for Christmas. I love Christmas. Edie