What to serve for Xmas Eve?

spockforprez

Having my parents and H's parents over for Christmas Eve. I know I am baking an apple pie, but other than that I haven't the foggiest what to serve. Last year we did hors d'oeuvres (meatballs, dips, etc.) but we're doing that at my mom's the night of the 23rd so don't want a repeat. 

Any suggestions based on the following criteria?

• MIL hates green veggies
• I will be out of town the 22nd and 23rd, coming back the AM of the 24th
• Crockpot would be awesome
• Or maybe make ahead and bake at suppertime? 
• Something that doesn't totally clash with apple pie for dessert

I was thinking, idk, like stuffed shells or something else rich and tasty but not too complicated. Honestly I haven't cooked in months so I feel like I'm a newbie again! 

ILoveBeachMusic

Everything goes with apple pie! I like your idea of stuffed shells or any baked pasta. I do a baked rigatoni that is basically everything stirred together so you don't even have to stuff the pasta or layer like with lasagna.

climbingsingle

We're hosting Xmas Day, which always ends up being a potluck. My dad was dead set on bringing his beer can chicken. So I decided to make pulled pork to go along with it (super easy crock pot recipe. just a pork shoulder or butt and root beer), and corn souffle. 

ei34

I have a couple of simple seafood recipes if you'd want to go that route. I'm right along with you on the stuffed shells though...those and/or penne alla vodka are Christmas Eve staples.  
An easy but festive app is throwing together whatever you usually put on your antipasto platter, and arranging rosemary around it = great seasonal scent and looks like a Christmas wreath. We call it "Santapasto"  

charlotte989875

You could do a Mac and cheese bar. Crockpot plain Mac and cheese then have mix-ins like bacon, chives, chicken, mushrooms, shrimp, jalepenos, tomatos, basil, etc and people can make their own. Warm, easy, and who doesn't love Mac and cheese. 

cowgirl8238

I am all for the pasta dishes...super easy to make and can be done in advance or the day of.  My ILs have pizza on Christmas Eve (its been a family tradition of theirs since my DH was a child). 

KeptInStitches

Hot dogs by candlelight. 

It's a family tradition.

STARMOON44

We usually have ham, penne with vodka sauce and shrimp, salad, cheesy potatoes, salad, and rolls. 

spockforprez

OMG, I love the mac & cheese bar idea! If I do that, I need a meat. I was wanting to do a ham, not sure how much work is involved with those. You buy them smoked and then just glaze & bake, right? Hmm. Maybe if I do crockpot mac & cheese I can save the oven for a ham. 

Thank you for all the ideas! I didn't know pasta was a common Christmas Eve thing - good to know!

spockforprez

climbingwife said:

We're hosting Xmas Day, which always ends up being a potluck. My dad was dead set on bringing his beer can chicken. So I decided to make pulled pork to go along with it (super easy crock pot recipe. just a pork shoulder or butt and root beer), and corn souffle. 

Corn soufflé sounds good! Is that similar to corn pudding? It's made with creamed corn, eggs, and milk. 

Ro041

Tamales!  If you have a good tamale place near you, you can order a few dozen and have chips and salsa/queso to go with them.  Spanish rice is also really easy to make.  Tamales are the tradition in our house on Xmas Eve.

climbingsingle

spockforprez said:

climbingwife said:

We're hosting Xmas Day, which always ends up being a potluck. My dad was dead set on bringing his beer can chicken. So I decided to make pulled pork to go along with it (super easy crock pot recipe. just a pork shoulder or butt and root beer), and corn souffle. 

Corn soufflé sounds good! Is that similar to corn pudding? It's made with creamed corn, eggs, and milk. 

IT's a little thicker than pudding. This is the recipe I use 

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2015/11/corn-souffle.html

lovesclimbing

spockforprez said:

OMG, I love the mac & cheese bar idea! If I do that, I need a meat. I was wanting to do a ham, not sure how much work is involved with those. You buy them smoked and then just glaze & bake, right? Hmm. Maybe if I do crockpot mac & cheese I can save the oven for a ham. 

Thank you for all the ideas! I didn't know pasta was a common Christmas Eve thing - good to know!

The hams my mom always bought don't need glazing. 

There are a lot of meats that could go in Mac and cheese. If you don't want to make a big meat thing, you could always do cubed chicken, ham or sausage to get mixed in the Mac and cheese. 

MissKittyDanger

spockforprez said:

OMG, I love the mac & cheese bar idea! If I do that, I need a meat. I was wanting to do a ham, not sure how much work is involved with those. You buy them smoked and then just glaze & bake, right? Hmm. Maybe if I do crockpot mac & cheese I can save the oven for a ham. 

Thank you for all the ideas! I didn't know pasta was a common Christmas Eve thing - good to know!

what about macaroni, tomatoe and hamburger? If you want the same idea. {Also good - rice, tomatoe and hamburger}

peachy13

if you are doing mac and cheese you could also do a pulled pork in the crockpot and do pulled pork sandwiches -- little BBQ theme. Maybe get some baked beans and coleslaw too.

spockforprez

peachy13 said:

if you are doing mac and cheese you could also do a pulled pork in the crockpot and do pulled pork sandwiches -- little BBQ theme. Maybe get some baked beans and coleslaw too.

That sounds perfect! We are getting back to the house around 11-12.... we could maybe do supper as late as 7. Is that enough time for pulled pork? 

ETA I just bought a big pork loin at Costco and put it in the freezer, so this is really perfect! I'll put it in the fridge to thaw when we leave on the 22nd, and it'll be all ready to put in the crockpot on the 24th.

charlotte989875

spockforprez said:

peachy13 said:

if you are doing mac and cheese you could also do a pulled pork in the crockpot and do pulled pork sandwiches -- little BBQ theme. Maybe get some baked beans and coleslaw too.

That sounds perfect! We are getting back to the house around 11-12.... we could maybe do supper as late as 7. Is that enough time for pulled pork? 

Yup that should totally be enough time. 

SP29

Pulled pork is a good idea!

Any casserole would work well too. You could make it ahead of time, freeze it, then re-heat the day of.

drunkenwitch

If you want to crockpot, a pot roast is always good.

Roast
Carrots
Potatoes 
Onion 
I don't peel the potatoes or carrots, just wash them really well, the peels add a lot of flavor.  Rainbow carrots and potatoes are amazing for this.

To make things tasty I add:
Tamari (1/4 cup)
Molasses  (2 tbps)
4 to 6 garlic cloves (depending on size)
Beer half bottle  (the darker the better), drink tbe rest
And for herbs, if you can get them fresh all the better but dried is also good:
Rosemary 
Basil
Sage
Thyme
(No need for salt if you use Tamari)

Mix the wet ingredients in the crock pot.
Rub the roast with salt then seer all sides in a pan with some olive oil (roughly 2 minutes per side on medium high heat)
Put the roast in
Put the potatoes, garlic, herbs and onions around it. 
Add water until the roast is 3/4 covered.
Put carrots on top. I usually cut off the ends and cut them in half long ways.

I've done this on the stove top, in the stove and in a crockpot. 

Eta: take a cup or so of juice,  then mix a cup of milk with a few tbs of flour. Whisk that in a pan on high heat until thick and you have gravy that would make Julia Child kiss you.

Ro041

Between this thread and the potluck nacho bar thread, FI and I are eating tamales on Xmas Eve and nachos and Xmas day....

short+sassy

MissKittyDanger said:

spockforprez said:

OMG, I love the mac & cheese bar idea! If I do that, I need a meat. I was wanting to do a ham, not sure how much work is involved with those. You buy them smoked and then just glaze & bake, right? Hmm. Maybe if I do crockpot mac & cheese I can save the oven for a ham. 

Thank you for all the ideas! I didn't know pasta was a common Christmas Eve thing - good to know!

what about macaroni, tomatoe and hamburger? If you want the same idea. {Also good - rice, tomatoe and hamburger}

Slight mac n' chz thread hijack.  When my niece was about 5, my mom was babysitting her and made mac n' chz with ground beef in it.  My niece made a scrunched face and told my mom, "Grandma, we don't eat dirty mac n' chz in my house." 

MissKittyDanger

short+sassy said:

MissKittyDanger said:

spockforprez said:

OMG, I love the mac & cheese bar idea! If I do that, I need a meat. I was wanting to do a ham, not sure how much work is involved with those. You buy them smoked and then just glaze & bake, right? Hmm. Maybe if I do crockpot mac & cheese I can save the oven for a ham. 

Thank you for all the ideas! I didn't know pasta was a common Christmas Eve thing - good to know!

what about macaroni, tomatoe and hamburger? If you want the same idea. {Also good - rice, tomatoe and hamburger}

Slight mac n' chz thread hijack.  When my niece was about 5, my mom was babysitting her and made mac n' chz with ground beef in it.  My niece made a scrunched face and told my mom, "Grandma, we don't eat dirty mac n' chz in my house." 

Omg! I'm giggling over calling it 'dirty' lmao!!
In my house we had macaroni, chz and tomatoe or macaroni, tomatoe and hamburger

AddieCake

Pulled pork or Italian beef sandwiches in the crockpot would be the simplest. 

STARMOON44

What is macaroni, tomato, and hamburger? I'm picturing hamburger helper?

MissKittyDanger

STARMOON44 said:

What is macaroni, tomato, and hamburger? I'm picturing hamburger helper?

I guess somewhat but not quite.
Boil macaroni, cook hamburger {not fully - but enough that it's not red}, put in over safe container and mix with tomatoe. Pretty simple and better than hamburger helper

spockforprez

Has anyone made pulled pork in a pressure cooker? We have an instant pot. Wondering if it would be more time effective since the mac & cheese only has to cook 1.5-2 hrs in the crockpot. 

lnixon8

MissKittyDanger said:

STARMOON44 said:

What is macaroni, tomato, and hamburger? I'm picturing hamburger helper?

I guess somewhat but not quite.
Boil macaroni, cook hamburger {not fully - but enough that it's not red}, put in over safe container and mix with tomatoe. Pretty simple and better than hamburger helper

For my and H's sister bridal showers one of her cousins secretly contacted all our family members and asked for family recipes and assembled a whole cookbook for every person at the showers. It was one of the sweetest gestures Ive ever received.

There is one family member that gave a ton of "recipes" like Dumplings: Follow directions on back of Bisqiuck. Serve with chicken and gravy., same with cream chipped beef, crab cakes (follow directions on back of old bay can)

She gave these ingredients for hamburger helper (follow direction on hamburger helper and called it something that somehow makes it even less appetizing: Slumgullium.

OurWildKingdom

MissKittyDanger said:

STARMOON44 said:

What is macaroni, tomato, and hamburger? I'm picturing hamburger helper?

I guess somewhat but not quite.
Boil macaroni, cook hamburger {not fully - but enough that it's not red}, put in over safe container and mix with tomatoe. Pretty simple and better than hamburger helper

My mother called it mish-mosh, and the cafeteria workers at school called it Johnny Marzetti.

cowgirl8238

lnixon8 said:

MissKittyDanger said:

STARMOON44 said:

What is macaroni, tomato, and hamburger? I'm picturing hamburger helper?

I guess somewhat but not quite.
Boil macaroni, cook hamburger {not fully - but enough that it's not red}, put in over safe container and mix with tomatoe. Pretty simple and better than hamburger helper

For my and H's sister bridal showers one of her cousins secretly contacted all our family members and asked for family recipes and assembled a whole cookbook for every person at the showers. It was one of the sweetest gestures Ive ever received.

There is one family member that gave a ton of "recipes" like Dumplings: Follow directions on back of Bisqiuck. Serve with chicken and gravy., same with cream chipped beef, crab cakes (follow directions on back of old bay can)

She gave these ingredients for hamburger helper (follow direction on hamburger helper and called it something that somehow makes it even less appetizing: Slumgullium.

I make a homemade version and my DH calls it "Slop"

lovesclimbing

cowgirl8238 said:

lnixon8 said:

MissKittyDanger said:

STARMOON44 said:

What is macaroni, tomato, and hamburger? I'm picturing hamburger helper?

I guess somewhat but not quite.
Boil macaroni, cook hamburger {not fully - but enough that it's not red}, put in over safe container and mix with tomatoe. Pretty simple and better than hamburger helper

For my and H's sister bridal showers one of her cousins secretly contacted all our family members and asked for family recipes and assembled a whole cookbook for every person at the showers. It was one of the sweetest gestures Ive ever received.

There is one family member that gave a ton of "recipes" like Dumplings: Follow directions on back of Bisqiuck. Serve with chicken and gravy., same with cream chipped beef, crab cakes (follow directions on back of old bay can)

She gave these ingredients for hamburger helper (follow direction on hamburger helper and called it something that somehow makes it even less appetizing: Slumgullium.

I make a homemade version and my DH calls it "Slop"

H calls soup that I've made "slop."  I've told him to stop because I don't appreciate it. I could understand him calling hamburger helper slop, but not the soup I've worked hard on. He doesn't dislike it, just likes mispronouncing words I guess. 

MissKittyDanger

lnixon8 said:

MissKittyDanger said:

STARMOON44 said:

What is macaroni, tomato, and hamburger? I'm picturing hamburger helper?

I guess somewhat but not quite.
Boil macaroni, cook hamburger {not fully - but enough that it's not red}, put in over safe container and mix with tomatoe. Pretty simple and better than hamburger helper

For my and H's sister bridal showers one of her cousins secretly contacted all our family members and asked for family recipes and assembled a whole cookbook for every person at the showers. It was one of the sweetest gestures Ive ever received.

There is one family member that gave a ton of "recipes" like Dumplings: Follow directions on back of Bisqiuck. Serve with chicken and gravy., same with cream chipped beef, crab cakes (follow directions on back of old bay can)

She gave these ingredients for hamburger helper (follow direction on hamburger helper and called it something that somehow makes it even less appetizing: Slumgullium.

Lazy recipes ... and that sounds gross!