Overwhelmed? Try Christmas Dinner Potluck!

[meow]

It seems we just put away the Desert Rose china from Thanksgiving and folded the autumn tablecloth--and it's time to get out the Christmas china and red tablecloth. Cook for days, eat for twenty minutes, clean for days.  Lather, Rinse, Repeat.  UGH.

In the interest of saving time and energy around the holidays, here's what we do:

Because the number of guests can vary widely, we don't do sit-down dinners for either holiday. We serve buffet-style. But we don't do a big turkey/ham /potatoes etc at Christmas. We do finger foods--or at least, non-messy items-- and everyone brings one or two specialties. Someone brings deviled eggs, because we all like them no matter what time of year. Someone else does veggies and dip. I do chile con queso and  cookies. My MIL gets fried chicken from Church's. SIL does a pan of enchiladas, and we cut up nice cheeses and deli meats for small sandwiches. Everything is presented on the good china, but we use heavy, nice, disposable plates.

This way we get to visit and open presents without the stress of preparing and timing a huge amount of food ---and then facing a big mess in both the living room and kitchen. Serving dishes get washed quickly, everything else goes in the trash.

[Carolina]

The only way to serve a group of over 8 people is with a buffet.

Whether pot luck, or prepared by one person, it works best.  I have a buffet, but people sit down at a table to eat, rather than balancing things on their laps.

In addition, I never do complicated dishes, and I buy everything I possibly can.  Usually a relative will offer to do the pies (YES!), and others will come forth with appetizers.

I have a drinks table with a pitcher of water and the ice bucket, set up in advance.  I put cocktail napkins in strategic places as well.

1.  Then I DO roast a turkey, and buy a spiral cut ham.  I do NOT baste the turkey, I just roast it, period. (my husband makes his family apple/raisin sweet stuffing).

HERE IS THE SECRET TO GRAVY.  This is my grandmother's secret and she was born in 1882!  CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP.  Yep, that's right.  If you have someone who hates mushrooms, run it through the blender so they disappear. 

To 'hide the secret' open the cans, and put the soup (blended or not) into a large container.  I usually open 5-6 cans for a 20 lb turkey. (get rid of the cans!)

SECRET #2 to GRAVY:  GRAVY MASTER. That's right, the small brown bottle with the orange label. I order it by the gross from Amazon.com.  Stir about a tablespoon into the mushroom soup in the large container.  If it doesn't look dark enough, add some more.

After the turkey has roasted, and 'rested' for about 20 minutes, take it from the roasting pan.

Then stir the soup/gravy master mix into the drippings.  This is your gravy.  If it seems too thick add some cream (go for the good stuff).

That's it.  Everyone raves, no one knows you didn't slave.  And trust me you did NOT SLAVE over it.

2.  I pour frozen peas into a big serving bowl, add butter and nuke (note I add no water).  Most people like peas, I've found!

3.  I buy the very best dinner rolls I can find, the brown and serve kind.  I have butter on the tables, with salt and pepper.

4.  I mix whole cranberries (Ocean Spray) with drained canned mandarin oranges, add a bit of ginger (the kind you get in a jar, like fresh but no work) and some orange zest (yes, you zest an orange, easy to so, just scrape it over a grater).  Sprinkle on some chopped pecans and serve in a crystal bowl. (again, get rid of the cans)

5.  I do make mashed potatoes.   Get whole potatoes, score them around the middle, but leave the skins on.  Boil them until you can push a knife through them.  Run under cold water and rub off the skins when they are cool enough to touch.   Mash with lots of butter and cream (the real deal).  Put in two serving bowls and nuke until hot through before serving.

6.  I baked sweet potatoes by wrapping them in plastic wrap, nuking them until soft, unwrapping them and putting them around the baked ham slices.

Slice the turkey, slice the ham, set out the cranberry sauce, the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the peas, (the stuffing)the rolls and butter.  People have already had drinks and shrimp cocktail and nuts (my idea of appetizers).  Oh I always have olives and sweet gherkins on the buffet table too.

EAT

Serve pies with the best vanilla ice-cream (you know, very expensive) and whipped cream.  This year the sister-in-law who made the pies ALSO brought home made brownies, which were a much bigger hit with the children

Coffee.

NOTE:  Be sure to run and empty the dishwasher before you start serving.

Let everyone else clean up and run the dishwasher.  It took three times at Thanksgiving...we had 16 people and gazillion dishes.

Put your feet up.

PS:

I decorated and set up the tables where everyone was eating, and the buffet table The DAY BEFORE the meal.  I had lots of candles (they are so festive) and bought Thanksgiving themed confetti at a party shop.  It had tiny foil autumn leaves and little turkeys and colored sprinkle stuff.  I sprinkled this down the center of the tables, and on the serving table. (I had confetti everywhere for ages).

I also bought Thanksgiving 'crackers' those things that you pull apart with a bang, and have fortunes, toys, a paper hat and other things inside.  Children LOVE them, and I had one at each place setting.

I also put name cards at the place settings, so that I put people together who got on well.  But my grandchildren moved them all around to THEIR satisfaction which was even more fun!

I love entertaining.....but do it seldom now, so I go all out when it's my turn.  I, personally, don't like pot lucks unless they are highly coordinated like Meow's.   I always feel like somehow I've mixed too many things and enjoyed none of them.

Remember the gravy.

Hugs,  ElaineD

[meow]

  I mix whole cranberries (Ocean Spray) with drained canned mandarin oranges, add a bit of ginger (the kind you get in a jar, like fresh but no work) and some orange zest (yes, you zest an orange, easy to so, just scrape it over a grater).  Sprinkle on some chopped pecans and serve in a crystal bowl. (again, get rid of the cans)

I do this exact same thing. Even the bowl!

[Carebear]

This year I have no energy so I am using a caterer for the main dish and sides, then I will make mashed potatoes (just like Elaine's) with store bought gluten free gravy (everyone raves about this stuff and it always gets goggled up).

I will toss in a salad, and buy a veggie tray.  Then serve a fruit tray, awesome ice cream, and store bought sweets for dessert.

I also have the Christmas crackers ready to pull.

There are only eight of us, but I still do buffet style.

Then we play board games and watch Christmas classics.

[Carolina]

This is the absolute way to do it all.

No fuss, no muss.

People want to help!  Let them clean up.

You can rest and relax.

Hugs, Elaine D

[aussie mum]

What great tips....

It would be lovely to experience a white christmas once in my life.

In the meantime, Christmas is usually a pretty hot day, so it's Roasted or BBQ'd meat of somesort, with Salads, Prawns etc at our house.
We still have the traditional steamed Christmas Pudding, but also have Pavlovas with fresh cream and summer fruits.....yum

[meow]

Aussie Mum, you have to leave Oz and go back to the land of right-side-up!

What are Pavlovas?