Christmas Eve Menu...?

Question

what are the great dinner menu for a family (hubby, wife and son 2yo) on christmas eve? nothing too costly, not too festive, just simple menus, first time celebrating xmas with hubby in our new house since he was deployed last year!...thanks

Of course i thank God for giving me back my hubby safe and sound, however its not a bad idea to celebrate it with food to gather around my family now that were complete!

Answer 1

Xmas day has so much food, a light dinner is just the ticket for Xmas eve. We always have a bit of seafood.

I like to do some Shrimp sauted in garlic & lemon and risotto and salad as the sides. Dress the edge of the plate or platter with mandarin segments and halved strawberries.

Ali's Garlic Risotto

9 garlic cloves
2 tbs. butter or marg.
6 tbs. lemon juice concentrate
1 can mushrooms
1 can crab meat
or
1 cooked chicken breast diced
1/2 pkg. of lt. cream cheese
3 cups cooked basmatti rice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a sauce or fry pan, melt 1 tbsp. butter/marg, add 3 tbs. lemon juice concentrate and press in 3 garlic cloves. Saute on medium to medium low heat for a minute or so, the garlic will turn a lovely shade of blue. Add the mushrooms and saute on a medium heat until golden brown all over. Remove from pan and set aside. Melt the remaining tbs. of butter/marg. into the pan (no need to clean it), add the remaining lemon juice and press in 6 cloves of garlic. Saute for a minute or so on medium low. Cube the cream cheese and melt in the pan over a medium heat, blending thoroughly with the garlic. Add the crab or chicken, salt and pepper and blend with the cheese. Add the rice and blend thoroughly with the cheese and crab or chicken. Add the mushrooms, blend together and serve.

To dress the dish and add some colour you can ring the risotto with cherry tomatoes, steamed broccoli fleurettes, red, yellow, green peppers, or any other favourite colourful vegetable.
You could also add a tsp of finely diced chives or finely grated raw carrot to the risotto, for colour and detail.
This dish is lovely with a classic Caesar or green side salad and garlic bread. Takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

Answer 2

Christmas Eve should definitely be a smaller type dinner compared to a huge Christmas Day dinner. What we usually do is have something like roasted chicken and a few sides or last year we did delicious beef sandwiches on fresh french bread with mozzarella cheese and hot peppers. It was great.

Answer 3

First of all, thank your hubby for his service! :) My brother is a Marine that just got home, so I understand the need to have a great holiday to celebrate.

I make a simple chicken parmesan recipe that is pretty healthy too - boneless skinless chicken breasts covered in tomato sauce with your choice of spices - then melt provolone over the meat just enough to melt along with some parmesan and then sprinkle with a little parsley for color - (red & green!). It is good by itself or with pasta, veggies, salad, whatever.

Otherwise, I would suggest whatever his favorite meal is - even if it is something really simple or from a restaurant - you can add your own touches along with fun appetizers. Have a wonderful time! :)

Answer 4

=== Party Pinwheels Ingredients: 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix 2 green onions, minced 4 (12 inch) flour tortillas 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup diced celery 1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese Directions: 1. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and green onions. Spread this mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle red pepper, celery, black olives, and cheese (if you'd like) over the cream cheese mixture. Roll up the tortillas, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. 2. Chill 2 hours or overnight. Cut off ends of the rolls, and slice the chilled rolls into 1 inch slices. ======================================... Hot Crab Dip Ingredients: 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup salsa 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 1 pound imitation crabmeat, flaked 1 cup chopped green onions 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles Directions: 1. In a small bowl, combine milk and salsa. Coat a slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the milk and salsa mixture into the slow cooker. Stir in cream cheese, crab, onions, and chilies. 2. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. ======================================...

Answer 5

What about a turkey breast? They're not that big and it's a traditional holiday meal.

My mom makes lasagna for Christmas dinner. She prepares it a day or two before so she's not cooking all day. She pops it in the oven an hour or two before we want to eat and she's pretty much done! It's so easy b/c you can do all of the work before hand. You can even make it days/weeks before hand and freeze it!

Answer 6

What about something small, like a variety of appies and finger foods instead of a larger meal? We often do things like mushroom caps, bread and dip, spinnach phylo rolls, egg-nog, etc. It's relaxed and fun, but still filling.

If you want an actual meal, chicken and salad is quite light and easy to do.

Answer 7

We have our Christmas Eve tradition, you should start now with yours. Here is ours, blending all the different parts of our family.

Rueben sandwiches

marble rye
spicy brown mustard
corned beef (shaved)
saurkraut
swiss cheese

combine sandiwches wrap in foil place in over until hot

we make ro'tel cheese dip

have lots of fruit and veggies laid out

peanut brittle

hot apple cider


I know it is mismatched but it is what we do and is fun!

Answer 8

Have a mini traditional meal. Pick your faverite sides from a bigger meal. You can also find tiny turkeys or ham steak cuts now, depending what you like. Then there are still some leftovers, but not enough to feed an army!

Answer 9

a simple beef roast with potatoes and veggies is easy and not costly at all. dress it up a bit with a nice dessert. or, just have munchie night with all appetizers but have it on christmas dishes. you have to have a little festiveness

Answer 10

I always do Lasagna, Green Beans and Fench Bread....it is easy to heat up, and when we go to Candllight services, I can put in in the oven on Low, and it is ready when we get home.