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Bobbielinks 10-18-2012 07:04 AM

Need a menu for Christmas dinner
 
For almost twenty years I had cooked Christmas dinner for my extended family, now about 40 people. I have served the same dishes all this time (baked ham, coleslaw, cheese/brocollie casserole, homemade hot rolls, hashbrown/cheese casserole, pumpkin pie and chocolate cake) I stay away from the turkey/dressing/cranberries meal because by the time Christmas day is here most of my family are burned out with the turkey holiday meals. I could really use some menu suggestions for a "new to my family" meal. What do you serve for a large family gathering?

TanyaL 10-18-2012 07:39 AM

When my whole family comes home I always at least 2 meats, one a 10-14 lb roast which now days I have to order from the butcher a couple of weeks early. The other is usually something easy that the men fix - barbequed ribs- it keeps them all together and talking and keeps them outside out of the way. About 20-30 lbs of ribs.

A cold slaw made a couple days earlier, and a fruit salad made the night before. Mashed potatoes and canned yams both made the day before. The mashed potatoes are put back into baked potato shells to be heated in the oven and the yams are in a casserole dishs, one with marshmellows and one without. Fresh rolls. Gravy .Green peas with tiny onions, green beans, black-eyed peas, baked beans, then desserts. Usually family members bring cakes and pies.

It's a very plain, basic menu, but I don't do well with a complicated one with that many people. And, since we retired and downsized I can no longer put up enough tables to have a sit-down dinner for 40, so it is a buffet and people eat where they can. It was much nicer when I could have tables for everyone.

jeank 10-18-2012 07:47 AM

I felt that way one year and did pork loins. I got 2 quite large loins and put them in a cooking bag. Everyone raved over it and it was so easy.

delma_paulk 10-18-2012 08:03 AM

I'm probably not much help as my family always wants the "ol time favorites. Which is: Turkey/chicken dressing, sweet potatoe casserole, broccoli casserole, Brunswick Stew ( if I have any in freezer) jello salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread and heat and serve rolls.

Happy Holidays,

delma

DogHouseMom 10-18-2012 08:15 AM

A standing rib roast looks lovely on the Christmas table!! You can make Yorkshire puddings (1 large one, or several individual - I have better luck with individual puddings) with it as a nice side dish, and one of my favorite vegetables ... Parsnips!!

suebee 10-18-2012 08:20 AM

Mexican food is always great....or Italian :)

NJ Quilter 10-18-2012 08:57 AM

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!

Neesie 10-18-2012 09:29 AM

We don't always have a sit-down formal holiday dinner, as my son lives three hours away and my daughter also has in-law holiday obligations, as well as needing to have her own immediate family time. I refuse to stress either one, with a written-in-stone dinner time, so try to keep things more flexible.

There's usually either a beef roast (sometimes w/carrots & potatoes) or chicken breasts, in the slow-cooker. In addition to that, I may have some deli meats (turkey, ham), in the fridge. In the past, we've also had baked fish. I try to have potato salad and fruit salad, in the fridge. Once people are here, I'll bake some yams (my bunch can't stand the marshmallow recipe, so I bake them with cinnamon, a bit of sugar, a dash of lemon juice, a touch of vanilla, and pecans, if I have them). Then I fix (all or some) green beans and/or peas, corn on the cob, broccoli w/cheese. We almost always have a request for Stove Top Cornbread dressing, so that's always in the pantry, just in case (very quick, to fix). Sometimes we have beets (pickled or not).
Bread is usually French bread type rolls (in case someone wants a sandwich) and Brown & Serve rolls.
Desserts vary. I usually make almond biscotti, around the holidays, so there's almost always some of that. There's usually a pie of some sort (home-made or store-bought), maybe a cake or cupcakes, usually assorted cookies, and ice cream.
My daughter & SIL usually bring wine.

Back when the kids were small (and we lived closer to our families), we had the huge family holiday dinners. I'd bake a humongous turkey, with all the trimmings. Guests would bring casseroles or whatever. The most popular dish was almost always the homemade potato salad (made with 10 lbs. potatoes and at least a dozen eggs).

This year, I may make finjuna (the Italian grandpappy of pizza). Haven't had that, in a while.

quilter1 10-18-2012 01:54 PM

Last year, we had a grandbaby waiting to be born, so no plans for a big turkey dinner. I made lasagne and put it in the freezer. A cheesecake in the freezer too. Whenever we could have dinner, all I had to do was salads and garlic bread. Turns out, Brandon was born one hour into December 26! Poor Mom was in labor most of Christmas- but look at our present! We had the dinner on New Years Day.

kensington 10-18-2012 02:14 PM

We have Prime Rib, Cheesy Potatoes, Fresh green beans and rolls for Christmas day. I stick to a basic menu so I can afford the more expensive meat. We always have a Chocolate pie, and a fruit pie for dessert. But, my daughter makes those. I don't have 40 people though, we have 15-20.


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