Your ideal Christmas dinner!

thelastnightingale
thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Like many people, the current pandemic means I am facing the likelihood of my first Christmas alone.

I'm not unhappy about that - I'm actually quite excited about the prospect of not eating turkey and sprouts, and stuffing myself with chocolate. I'll video call family, it's all fine.

However... I am now starting to ponder what my ideal Christmas dinner would be. This is the first time I've had control over it, and I've decided I'm not having a traditional dinner because you know what? I hate roast dinners. I'm not a big meat eater. I've been vegetarian for months, and I may stay vegetarian forever.

I can't decide if I actually want to overindulge (which is the Christmas tradition) or I just want to eat some nice foods (nice to me!) that fit within my allowance. It's a bit of a shock to the system having this much freedom.

So... even if you're having Christmas dinner with family this year, what would be your ideal Christmas dinner? It could be traditional, or it could be your favourite food. It could be one meal, or it could be an 8-course banquet. Let's hear it.

Replies

  • elizabethcorringham
    elizabethcorringham Posts: 2 Member
    I have just cooked a tin of roasted butternut squash, courgette, large mushroom, veggie sausages, all cooked in garlic spray oil, with brocolli, a bit of cranberry sauce and that would do me for a Christmas dinner, delish
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    I'm with you that the traditional holiday dinners are oft overrated. I'm a big fan of breakfast foods and breakfast-for-dinner so I'll go with a big breakfast spread; eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, and something savory like french toast, waffles, or pancakes.
  • navychickpensfan
    navychickpensfan Posts: 25 Member
    Pasta (with olive oil and garlic) , garlic bread with cheese and salad would be my perfect Christmas dinner.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    We never do turkey for Christmas as we've just had it for Thanksgiving. We usually do a prime rib roast. Christmas isn't even close to the feast that Thanksgiving is for my family...typically just a prime rib roast, some kind of veg, and garlic mashed potatoes or Yorkshire pudding.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    My Mom's Christmas Eve dinner.

    Spaghetti in tuna sauce, zuppa di pesce (seafood stew with monkfish, shrimp, mussels, squid, crab, and lobster) served with fresh bread, sautéed rapini, roasted red peppers, arugula and romaine salad, fennel salad. Of course lots of wine
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,965 Member
    If I were on my own for Christmas I would have a whole boiled lobster with some lemon and garlic butter. Side of oven fries and a rucola salad. Festive, not too calorific if you go easy with the lemon butter.
  • asthesoapturns
    asthesoapturns Posts: 313 Member
    If I was on my own I'd make a nice seafood pasta. I won't be on my own since my parents are my bubble and I have to see them to help them around the house due to their issues. So if my sister doesn't feel safe having her family and our parents in the same bubble Mom, Dad and I will probably do a crown roast or a salmon. Which is also fine.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    It's usually just me and my husband for the holidays since we usually visit our parents at other times of year. I always like to have mashed potatoes, cornbread, cranberry sauce (homemade!), and some kind of pie. I'll often do mini muffin tin pies so that I won't be tempted to have several slices. I'll mix up the main courses -- I've done everything from stuffed portobello mushrooms to lentil sloppy joes to Field Roast holiday roasts. It usually comes down to a balance of how traditional I'm feeling combined with how much time I want to spend in the kitchen.
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,067 Member
    this year, it'll just be my husband and me - usually we at least have my son and his GF. i'll make mashed potatoes and gravy, make a quorn vegetarian roast with a butter glaze (this roast is great with the gravy, btw), make cranberry sauce for my husband, and i'll make a pumpkin pie with a whole spelt crust for us and another for my son and his GF. the vegetable has yet to be determined.

    being as we're both vegetarians and i'm allergic to wheat, and all the food i mention is delish, that works for us.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Christmas Eve is a dinner my husband, daughter and I look forward to all year. It will be no different this year. Hot d oeuvres, and a Christmas cookie tray. We’ve already talked about it, and we’ve decided no gifts this year. Instead, a donation to the Salvation Army.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,512 Member
    My family is Polish and our big celebration is Christmas Eve. We have pierogi, mushroom soup, pickled herring, potato salad, and a few other dishes. Drinks are Prosecco, wine, and chocolate martinis. It's my favorite night of the year and I wouldn't change a thing. <3
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    So Christmas will be normal for me. The family I usually spend it with is a part of my bubble so we will continue that.

    I WILL be celebrating Yule for the first time though and will have a friend coming over to celebrate with me. No menu is planned as of yet, but I really want to do something special. She is restricting dairy. I am allergic to soy and have other restrictions due to a medical condition. So we do a lot of "is this okay?" when we plan meals.

    Thinking of a rib roast or some other nice beef roast, corn casserole, potatoes of some sort, and another veggie. Maybe some fresh bread. She will make dessert.
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    I am loving all of these ideas! I haven't eaten pierogi in ages, but they are delicious. The idea of a whole lobster is wonderfully indulgent - you know, it had never crossed my mind as a Christmas 'meat' alternative. I also like the simplicity of pasta all'aglio e olio.

    What is coming across loud and clear is that you are all planning meals that you will really enjoy, which has convinced me I'm not going to do anything traditional, given I don't like the traditional Christmas dinner. I've spent the last 5 months trying to repair my relationship with food and savour each calorie, so it makes zero sense to me to blow a day's allowance (and more) on calories that don't even make me happy.

    Still pondering over what sounds the yummiest, but I think I'm going to prep it all in advance so I don't have to spend any of the day cooking.
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    If you can find it vegetarian haggis with the trimmings makes a delicious roast dinner.

    This year we will hopefully be in Paris over Christmas, so it will depend on what the kitchen equipment status is at the air bnb, and what we can find when we arrive 2 days before.
    Let's be honest, it's Paris, if I can get fresh bread and cheese and fancy crisps I'll be happy!
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    A huge plate of christmas cookies, lol. I am not a fan of any of the main dishes. I like roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli, but what I really look forward to is the cookies :) .
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    @littlegreenparrot1 Ooh, French bread and cheese - I'm hungry already. :)

    @Noreenmarie1234 Ha, yes, I am tempted to skip the main course and go straight to dessert!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,965 Member
    But realistically if not on my own I would roast a whole game bird with some roast potatoes and roast veg. For 2 people grouse or partridge, for 2-3 a duck, for 4-6 a goose. I don't like turkey.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    If I have my way I'll be grilling a New York Sirloin, making cauliflower mashies with sour cream, heavy cream, a touch of garlic, and obscene amounts of butter, cap off with a decidedly unhealthy amount of 12-year old scotch, and a few Fat Bombs for dessert.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,187 Member
    Guys, is only September so why are you thinking in Christmas already!!!
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
    My family does not have a big Christmas dinner tradition. When I was little and my grandparents were still alive, they had about 25-30 people at Christmas and everyone gave presents to everyone else, so of course opening presents one at a time took all day. (In order, youngest to oldest, one present at a time. Door prize for whoever has the last present.) So the food was a buffet. Hot soup, cold cuts and sandwich makings, cookies and various appetizer type munchies. If it wasn't your turn and no one was about to open a gift of yours, you could wander in and nosh a bit, as much or as little as you wanted.

    After they passed away, my mother started having her family Christmas on Christmas Eve, as my biosister is a nurse and often worked Christmas morning/day while single. For that we usually had hot roast beef sandwiches Italian style, with chips and various cookies/fudge/candies, and that's been the go-to for that.

    Within my nuclear family, it has varied. My favorite year was the year we did fondue. We might do that again this year if I can get good chairs for the three of us (3 bad backs), and do a broth fondue instead of an oil fondue, because of the calories and grease.

  • vcwalden1
    vcwalden1 Posts: 2 Member
    I usually have Christmas dinner the first week of December - I visit my son and his family at Thanksgiving and we have an informal dinner before I come home. We very rarely have turkey for either meal. So this year I'll be staying home. I love roasted turkey breast so I think that is what I'll make. Probably will make roasted vegetables and pumpkin pudding to go with it. Gotta make cranberry orange sauce. This will give me lunches/dinners for the rest of the week.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,861 Member
    We do our bigger meal Christmas eve: real bone in ham, no glaze, real mashed potatoes, carrot and rutabaga mash, a green bean dish, stuffed mushrooms and if I am feeling it, sagey stuffing with turkey gravy just for the stuffing and potatoes, dinner rolls. Pickled Beets, mustard, and couple kinds of pickles on the table. Usually a nice sauvignon blanc for the husband and I.

    Christmas day I do a full veggie tray with dip, a meat, cheese and cracker tray, some fruit and of course leftovers. We stay home for Christmas so this works for us.
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    Guys, is only September so why are you thinking in Christmas already!!!

    I'm only thinking about the food. I'm always thinking about food. If I didn't love food so much, I wouldn't be on MFP! ;)

    Don't worry, I won't think about anything else until December. Presents will be last-minute, shipped in a panic via Amazon Prime.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
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  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    I definitely wouldn't do a bird or a roast if I were on my own. Maybe a ham, which freezes well and works great in soups and casseroles, or fried with eggs and waffles for a weekend breakfast. If I could find a stand-alone turkey liver or two, I'd make our traditional holiday liver "pate" (it's not firm or congealed); not sure if I would bother if I had to buy a pound of chicken livers -- even I can't eat that much pate, although it's great left-over spread on toast or a turkey sandwich.

    Definitely would have mashed potatoes. Then probably a couple simple veggie sides, like roasted brussels sprouts and carrots.

    If I didn't do a ham, I'd have sausage stuffing (maybe look for a vegan sausage, since I wouldn't have to cater to other people -- no, obvs I'm not vegan since I would consider a ham, but I eat a lot of vegetarian and vegan meals) and/or broccoli-corn-cheese casserole for a more substantial main dish.
    thelastnightingale wrote: »
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    Guys, is only September so why are you thinking in Christmas already!!!

    I'm only thinking about the food. I'm always thinking about food. If I didn't love food so much, I wouldn't be on MFP! ;)

    Don't worry, I won't think about anything else until December. Presents will be last-minute, shipped in a panic via Amazon Prime.

    Actually, this year, if I do Thanksgiving alone (U.S. Thanksgiving, end of November) (no travelling or hosting, minimal energy and time outlay), I'm thinking I might just maybe possibly do all the gift-shopping online that weekend and be done. It could happen, right? I'm not just dreaming impossible dreams, am I?
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
    edited September 2020
    Christmas alone would really suck. It's the one holiday that's completely about family, for me...

    Anyway, I'd probably roast a turkey breast, fry a few sausages and make braised sour cabbage on the side. I've already cooked all those, successfully, so I wouldn't risk being stuck with a ruined first attempt at a dish.

    +1 on Christmas eve being the real party, Christmas day is more like "leftovers and clean-up day".
  • kdbulger
    kdbulger Posts: 396 Member
    Two different answers depending on the circumstances:

    If I am having Christmas Dinner with my greater family, then I'm all in for a traditional turkey dinner. Roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potato, string beans, cranberry. Gingerbread with whipped cream for dessert.

    If alone, an opulent charcuterie would be my preference. Lots of cheeses/cheese spreads, prosciutto, jellies, crackers, nuts, grapes, veggies/dip, etc.

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