<p>Christmas Eve dinner this year is going to be soups and salad (see other thread).</p>
<p>We spend Christmas day at friends. Same meal every year. They make a standing rib roast, and puff pastry appetizer with asparagus and hollandaise sauce. I’ll being Potatoes Romanoff (a recipe from one of the old vegetarian epicure books…rich but delicious), roasted root vegetables. Someone else will bring some green vegetable side dish. Dessert is a dessert buffet, but always begins with Baked Alaska made by the dinner hosts.</p>
<p>We prefer a big Christmas Eve dinner, and then Christmas Day is a nice brunch, but then the rest of the day consists of finger foods and heavy appetizers, which is great when you have sort of an Open House thing going on (people coming and going). </p>
<p>I think Prime Rib is easiest for Christmas Eve (and any leftovers can be mini sandwiches the next day with good yeast rolls. ). Side dishes are typical: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, pretzel jello, yeast rolls. We never do a green salad for T’giving or Christmas. A variety of Christmas cookies and goodies for dessert</p>
<p>Christmas Day foods tend to be: meatballs & other things that can stay warm in a crock-pot, chick wings, leftover prime rib mini sandwiches, taquitos & quac, cheeses, cut fruit, fresh cut-up veggies and dip…and Christmas cookies and goodies for dessert.</p>
<p>Back to holiday meals…wow, I seem to be too busy Christmas Eve to be making some of these yummy meals you all talk about!!! Seems we are still prepping, going to church, etc.!!! And I’m with MOWC, our Christmas Day quality appetizer spread is just the right pace and presentation for our family - it’s a laid back, fun event!!!</p>
<p>Elegant food can be very simple…like prime rib. We go between that and beef tenderloin for Christmas dinner. Im on the fence for Christmas eve. Last year I did a boneless turkey breast , brined and a ham…ham is only liked by a couple of us. My husband is Swedish and their traditional Christmas eve would be a smorgasbord …mostly filled with foods NONE of us like. I usually throw the ham in to appease him</p>
<p>lje62, honeybaked ham has prepackaged slices of their spiral ham for sale. I get 2-3 of pounds of those just for a bit of variety since my mom and grandmom are no longer here to use the bone for soup.</p>
<p>Got nothing but food to ease into the main issue at my house. Recipes welcome - all discussion and diversions via food would be appreciated. Any ethnicity, any fun holiday food, any new recipe to welcome the foodie into the family…</p>