The Simple Christmas Guide – Christmas Dinner Part 2

I love food and I love Christmas!

The magic of a home-cooked Christmas Dinner (in my opinion) isn’t elaborate food on a plate… it’s the company that it is eaten in. My main priority at Christmas is to spend time with my family, and not to create a culinary masterpiece.

This year I will be hosting Christmas Dinner, and will be cooking for 10 adults and 4 children.  This is how I will be doing it!

Simple Christmas Dinner

On arrival

• Slow-cooked Mulled Wine
• Home-made Mince Pies

Main Course

• Roast Turkey/Nut Cutlet
• Roast Potato
• Mashed Potato
• Pigs in Blankets (Sausage and Bacon Rolls)
• Individual Yorkshire Puddings
• Roasted Carrots with Rosemary and Oil
• Roasted Honey Glazed Parsnips
• Brussel Sprouts
• Red Cabbage and Apple
• Selection of Steamed Vegetables
• Home-made Chestnut Stuffing
• Home-made Cranberry Sauce
• Home-made Bread Sauce
• Slow-cooked Gravy
• Vegetarian Gravy

To Follow

• Christmas Pudding and Brandy Sauce
• Panettone Bread and Pudding with Bailey’s Cream

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Step 1 – Delegate and forget!

• If you are hosting Christmas Dinner the first thing to do is identify who can be called upon to provide a dish or two.  If you are a guest then make it a priority to offer to bring something – it is always incredibly appreciated.
• Once the contributors are identified – confirm what they are bringing, make a note and then forget about it!
• This year my Big Sis will be contributing, Chestnut Stuffing, Bread Sauce, Cranberry Sauce, Red Cabbage and Apple – so pretty much all of the side dishes and all home-made (way to go Sis).  She has also offered to make a Panettone Bread and Butter Pud, which tastes amazing! I know I am very lucky to have this level of assistance.  The Nut Cutlet and Vegetarian Gravy is being kindly contributed by the one vegetarian family member. So that’s all crossed off the list!

Step 2 – Make a list of everything else to be purchased

• Roast Turkey – I ordered a Turkey Crown from the local butchers 1st December to be collected Christmas Eve.  This year I have just ordered a crown, and this is mainly to reduce waste.  All year I buy full chickens and use the carcass to make stock.  I know from experience I will not have the time, energy or inclination to do this with a turkey carcass.  My good intentions soon dwindle as Christmas Day progresses, and I am sure my guests would rather I play Pictionary!
• Roast Potatoes – Noted on my list to purchase a bag of spuds on Christmas Eve (Maris Piper). Goose fat already purchased.
• Mash Potatoes – Will have been prepped and frozen in advance
• Pigs in Blankets – Chipolata sausages and bacon ordered from Butchers to be collected with Turkey on Christmas Eve morning.
• Individual Yorkshire Puddings – I have already bought frozen. I normally make my own, but have instead decided to reduce prep time Christmas Day but buying batter already frozen in foil cases.
• Roasted Carrots – Made a note to purchase carrots on Christmas Eve – I have oil and rosemary in store-cupboard.
• Roasted Honey Glazed Parsnips – I was going to make these from scratch as I normally do.  However cooking time for parsnips is shorter than carrots when roasted from fresh, so I have decided to take a shortcut and have bought frozen in advance.  This also eliminates the possibility of not being able to get parsnips on Christmas Eve, which did happen two years ago.
• Brussel Sprouts – I have taken one of the guests wishes into consideration and purchased pre-prepared frozen – they love them.
• Gravy – Nothing to buy for that and will make Christmas morning with Turkey juices and a little help from a few gravy granules which I have in the cupboard.

Step 3 – Make a plan!

• Home-made Mince Pies – Are to be baked Wednesday and stored. My Daughter and I are making them together. The mincemeat is out of a jar and has been donated by my Big Sis.
• Mulled Wine – I have taken a recipe from my favourite Slow Cookbook “Ultimate Slow Cooker” by Sara Lewis. I have all the ingredients to hand and will load up Brenda my Veggie/Pudding slow cooker early Christmas morning.
• Roast Turkey – Pop in oven first thing – transfer to Big Ben extra-large slow cooker 45 minutes before serving
• Roast Potatoes – These will have been softening in Big Ben since first thing.  They will be removed 45 minutes before serving, coated in Goose Fat (olive oil for the vegetarian option) and popped in traditional oven.
• Mashed Potato – This is mainly for the children, and will have been prepped and frozen on Wednesday and then thawed and reheated Christmas Day.
• Pigs in Blankets – Prepped Christmas Eve – popped in oven next to Roasties 20mins before serving along with Yorkshire Puds.
• Parsnips and Carrots – I’ll coat my par boiled and stored overnight in fridge carrots in oil and rosemary and then put all in oven at same time as Pigs/Yorkies/Parsnips
• Brussel Sprouts and Steamed Vegetables – All placed in double tier electric steamer 20 mins before serving. The vegetables will have been prepped the day before and kept in cold water overnight in the fridge.
• Gravy – made up from Turkey juices and gravy granules, bought to the boil on the hob and fat skimmed from surface.  Then transferred to Lil’ Bill my standard slow cooker to keep warm.
• The side dishes (apart from Cranberry sauce) will be kept warm in my oven.  I have a Range  Oven – so I have a smaller oven suitable for keeping things warm and heating plates. The Nut Cutlet will have already cooked in the small oven earlier and will be keeping warm.
• Christmas Pudding – I am borrowing my Mom’s slow cooker and cooking the ready-made shop bought puds in those.  Making Christmas puds is on my to-do list every year and as of yet I have never got round to doing it.  This may be because I don’t particularly like Christmas pudding (it’s a cooked nut thing I think – not keen), and am much more excited about the Panettone Bread and Butter Pud!

Pretty simple in my book!

n.b – It hasn’t gone unnoticed by me that 4 slow cookers is not the norm in an average household.  It is a lot, but I do have 3 myself, and have considered extending the family to a baby one (whose name I have already decided upon – Bobbi).  Slow cooker’s aren’t required to cook a Christmas Dinner, it’s just for me it works very well, I find that slow cooking allows more contingency and let’s me get on with other things rather than watching a hob.  They are amazing for mulled wine and gravy, which can be an effort to keep at the right temperature.

How’s your Christmas Dinner planning going?

Don’t forget to check out Robert from Finding Frugality’s guest post – Christmas Dinner Part 1 for inspiration!