Eeek, I have to entertain this Christmas..?

Question

This Christmas I have to feed my inlaws and I'm begining to freak out about it! They will be with us all day - yikes!! How will I cope? What do I cook and when? It's all about timing isn't it? I'm useless in the kitchen and could easily burn beans on toast so I'm desperate for advise as I have to get this right!

Answer 1

Number one don't panic, number two if you prepare most of the food the night before and put it in the fridge, all you have to do is concentrate on the cooking. After you have said hallo, you can go to the kitchen and leave hubby to pore them a nice drink and entertain them untill you have dinner on the go.
If you are scarred you will forget something make a list.
TO BE DONE THE NIGHT BEFORE.
1) Remove Turkey from freezer.
2) Put wine in fridge.
3) Make up the stuffing.
4) Peel potatoes. (TIP= Put potatoes in a large bowl cover with water and place a slice of bread on the top, Stop's the top potatoes going brown.)
5) If having freash veg you can peel, slice & cover with water and leave in the saucepan over night.
6) Get your xmas pud out and place on a plate put a few small holes in the top and pore on a little brandy to soak in over night, and cover with a bowl ready to zap in the microwave after dinner.
7) Whip up your double cream and put in a bowl in the fridge for the next day.
8) Lay and decorate your table the night before as well.
Then to add a good touch when you take the pud into the dinning area, warm about a tablespoon of brandy pore over pud and set it alight. And take it straight in while the brandy is burning off.
Another TIP, when you make up your stuffing if you are like me and can't stand soggy stuffing when you have made up your mixture add some sausage meat, and chopped chestnuts to the mix. Then grease a spunge tin with butter and put your stuffing mixture in, put a few more nobs of butter on the top and 45 mins before the dinner is cooked place in the centre of the oven.
Just to make sure you are ok and relaxed, allow yourself one glass of wine while you are cooking. Good Luck!! happy xmas Sheila

Answer 2

Surely you have a meat market around you somewhere?

I would recommend calling ahead and having a turkey smoked, and a ham. People generally like variety by Christmas due to all of the turkey they've eaten since Thanksgiving.

Prepare mashed potatoes. I wouldn't get all freaky with the mashed potatoes. They're easy to make all you do is boil (peeled) potatoes until tender with a fork - then mash with your mix master ( instead of milk add a bit of carnation evaporated milk) adds super flavor to the potatoes. Be sure to salt and pepper sparingly and add butter.......real butter!

Green beans - buy the frozen whole green beans. Put 2 large bags into your roaster or corning ware dish and add onion (diced finely) some cream of mushroom soup, a bit of carnation evap milk to the soup mix, salt, pepper and roast the green beans in the oven. ohhh about 350* for an hour or so.

You can do the same with carrots only leave them pretty well whole and peel. Roast with a bit of brown sugar on them and butter in your oven same temp same amt of time. oh and put some water in the bottom of your dish.

Pillsbury cresent rolls are nice if you don't know how to bake. Those would go in last around the time that you mash the potatoes as the potatoes should be prepared after your beans and carrots are almost finished roasting.

Open a can of cranberry sauce.....not jellied! The one with the cranberries...Oceanspray.

For your desserts buy them ready made at the market. A nice red velvet cake for dessert and a pie or 2. Pecan or Pumpkin is nice.

Hope this helps. Merry Christmas!

Answer 3

Start collecting magazines. Seriously. At this time of year they always start telling you how to prepare the perfect Christmas and a lot of them will include the exact timings of when to start cooking, how long everything takes, recipes, etc, etc. Try She, Eve, Good Housekeeping or even weekend magazines in the Express, Mail or similar. They are surprisingly helpful.

The most important thing is not to panic - it really isn't going to be that bad, I promise. Do all your preparation on Christmas Eve - make the stuffing, prepare the sprouts, peel the potatoes and so on. And don't forget to avail yourself of Marks & Spencers - they can make your life so much easier - just hide the packaging before the in-laws turn up! If the in-laws are staying for tea, you'll need ham, salads, pork pie, christmas cake, mince pies, cheeses or whatever takes your fancy and takes no preparation.

As for keeping everyone entertained, I'd highly recommend board games. They have seen me through many an uncomfortable Christmas and mean that you don't have to make small talk. Try Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly - they can keep you busy for hours!

Best of luck - and don't forget plenty of booze to oil the wheels!

Answer 4

I'm assuming you have no dietary restrictions to deal with.

Have ham. All you have to do is heat it through. If you want to make it look more impressive, you can score it in a diamond pattern and put a clove in each diamond.

Mashed potatoes are very easy. Use smallish size russet "baking" potatoes---they're hard to screw up, come out fluffy every time. Cook the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain, dump in the mixer (or a bowl if you have a hand mixer), mash them a little by hand, add a LITTLE milk, and whip them. Salt to taste.

Buy gravy for the potatoes from Trader Joes---it comes in little foil lined, shelf stable cartons. Nobody has to know.

(Another great option is the Jenny-O frozen turkey breast, which comes with a gravy packet. You literally cut open the bag, but the turkey breast inside its roasting bag in a pan, and cook it til the thermometer pops up. Perfect every time. It even comes with gravy that you "make" yourself, idiot proof.)

If you mess up the real potatoes or don't have the nerve to try them, use instant but disguise them by stirring in sour cream and cheddar cheese, then snipping chives on top of them.

Use frozen veggies---you make them at the last minute so timing isn't tricky.

Open a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and mix it with a can of mandarin orange slices, drained, that you've cut in half and a handful of coarsely chopped walnuts. Looks like you slaved all day.

Trader Joes has fabulous desserts you can present as your own.

Buy nice bakery rolls or the frozen roll dough and follow directions. Pillsbury crescent rolls are a forgiving staple that you can shape differently, etc.

You can do this, the key is KISS---Keep It Simple Stupid (no offense).

Set the table the day before, make sure you have all the pots, pans, serving bowls, bread basket, etc. ready to go to help prevent timing issues and last minute panics.

Set a beautiful table and know that these people LOVE you and they will love the effort you've made for them.

Answer 5

Order out, unless you *really* need to prove sth and have time to devote to learning, reherasing. etc.

Check good restaurants in the vicinity that may do a good Christmas dinner. And split responsibilities, have your husband (her son) choose the style or sth.

If you are already freaking out to try to impress them , you will be more stressed that evening, i and you may fall into a vicious circle of stress generating more blunders and making everyone feel uncomfortable. I feel so bad when I am a guest and something happens that upsets the host in some way, I just want to leave. I hate it when the host is looking at every gesture, frown , etc to see if i am pleased or want anything..

You can try to give your personal touch in the desert, which is easier, and people will be probably a little drunk and sleepy anyway. Or in the starters.
But I would not play with the main dish...

It is better to "invest" in being lively, smiling, relaxed...

Answer 6

what you should do is have a practice run.

if you wanna do a xmas dinner, you should serve at about 2.00pm.

you need to cook a turkey, baste it with butter and have it ready an hour before everything else so you have time to carve.

cook your vegatables so that they are ready just to serve at 2.00 and make stuffing, (could be made the night before) mini sausages wrapped in bacon, a nice xmas pud and mince pies.

Make sure you use a timer, potatoes usually take about 30 mins to cook and most other veg 20 mins, so if you prepare everything the night before and leave it in water in the pans you just have to set the pans off in time.

.... have a nice mulled wine heated up with fresh clemantines to serve in a punch bowl with a ladel when they first arrive and make sure you set a nice table with some xmas hankies and nice crystal glasses.

play some nice xmas carol music whilst eating, and after dinner a good DVD quiz goes down great and everybody has fun.

remember to have your house nice and warm, a fire going and some nice scented christmas candle burning (its these little touches that impress)

have a lovely day

helen

email me if you need more detail for the cooking. i can help you

Answer 7

buy a turkey crown its much easier than a full turkey cook it slowly for a couple of hours in water cover with foil the night before so the oven will bee free for the roasties you can buy ready prepared veg that can be cooked in the microwave try carror turnip and parsnip mashed together with butter and salt and pepper peel your potatoes the night before and par boil them for about 10 mins next day and pre heat the oven put oven dish in with oil to heat up place pots in and leave for about 2hours keep checking them to give them a different flavour but swartz rosmary and garlic sachet makes the potatoes taste lovely make mash potato and add ready made stuffing this is lovely i do this every year and everyone loves it buy an easy dessert that can defrost whilst you are cooking and dont panic if this is all too much do a nice buffet and get the drinks flowing good luck

Answer 8

It is about timing - but dont worry. Just be organised and write stuff down!

Start now with a shopping list. Split it into food you can get now (non perishables) stuff you can get the week before and stuff you need the day before.

Now. Think of an easy starter that you can prep hours in advance...
Decide what to eat for main course. What meat? What veggies?
Decide on dessert? Xmas pud or something else?

OK. Ideas for Starter?
Well, this year we are having a seafood platter. Prawns, oysters, lobster etc. We live by the sea and there are loads of good fishmongers to buy from the day before Xmas. We both also love seafood. Here is another idea:
Pate (buy some decent stuff from supermarket, mash in a bowl and add fresh thyme, black pepper, dash of cream, the rind of an orange and some brandy) now call it home made. Put on plates in the morning, garnish with orange slices and serve with watercress and good crusty bread and butter. Dont do toast, you will either have it soggy if made in advance or burnt as you will have too much else to do!
Or if all else fails, good old prawn cocktail. You can make in advance and serve sprinkled with cayenne at the last minute. Buy good prawns and make your own sauce (with a touch of brandy!)

For main course, work out how long turkey needs and work backwards. However long it needs to cook, add 1 hour. If its 4 hours cooking, plus an extra hour and you want to eat at 3pm, you need to have it in the oven by 10am. This means at 8 you need to get it out the fridge and by 9 you need to be getting it ready. Oven on, and turkey covered in butter, bacon and foil.

Put giblets with an onion and bay leaf into cold water in saucepan , bring to boil and simmer. Par boil your potatoes during the afternoon. Make sure they are nice and dry and not boiled too much - you dont want them soft!

Prep veggies the day before and leave in pans of cold water overnight.

Get the table laid the day before too.

At 2pm when the turkey is cooked (use a recipe from the net there are loads) take it out of oven, leave covered in foil to keep warm. Take the pan that you cooked it in, remove most of the fat, add some flour and cook then add the giblet stock (strained) and some wine. This is your gravy - put into a microwavable dish and leave.

Now turn up the heat on the oven, put in a roasting pan with oil at the top and when its at the right temperature, put pots into it. Drain the veggies of the cold water, put the kettle on to boil.

Now walk away and eat your starters. You can relax safe in the knowledge that nearly everything is done!

After starters are finished, go back to kitchen, pour boiling water over veggies and allow them to cook, heat gravy in microwave. Remove pots from oven and its all cooked!

Dessert is easy after that lot! Buy a good tawny port or dessert wine to drink with it (suggest xmas pudding with cream)

Do an impressive cheese board witn plenty of cheeses and serve with biscuits and butter, dried apricots, fresh figs and passion fruit.

Good Luck!

Answer 9

Keep the menu simple. A spiral sliced ham is easy, comes with directions and delicious ! add biscuits, potatoes and a vegetable and you are set. Ask your inlaws to bring dessert. if you want to serve wine reisling would be a great choice . Reisling is like a sweeter pinot grigio. If you must do appetizers cheese and crackers with grapes and veggie tray with dip are easy.

Answer 10

I would keep the food as simple as i can
Start with a meat and cheese plate and a veggie plate you can also have a relish plate available if needed.

As for the dinner i would go with ham as its pretty simple to make.
Make some roasted red potatoes and a simple scalloped corn to go with it.
Have some rolls or biscuits there also and for desert i would provide them with a cookie plate