What's your Christmas Eve dinner?

[wibblyjelly]

We have a tradition of fish and chips take away on Christmas Eve in my family. Dh, ds and I are doing Christmas at home, just us this year, so we will probably carry on the tradition, unless someone updates an awesome meal idea

Take away lol

Sausage rolls, mince pies, chestnuts, Christmas cake and cheese. Red wine for me.

I save the fizz for Christmas morning!

We have a middle eastern spread; lamb & apricot tagine, hummus, pittas, baba ganoush, olives, dates, figs, halloumi etc. have it slow cooking for when we get back after Christingle. I hardly ever cook lamb perhaps once in the rest of the year so it is a really special meal and meant to remind my family why we are celebrating.

Spiced beef with some form of spud & veg. Yummy.

ItStillLooksLikeRainDear

I forgot the spiced beef.
I actually ended up boiling that the day before Christmas Eve last year because DH had me pestered!

There was nothing of that left for the supper on Christmas Day.

We've tried lots :- snacky buffet, ordered in tapas, home cooked 3 course meal (nothing mega fancy - prawn cocktail, steak with all the sides and our favourite cream cake from the bakers) going out for a meal, going to parents and this year we've decided on..........
pizza hut delivery! lol! We may enjoy it more. I put too much pressure on the Christmas Eve meal being perfect and I'm not going to stress this year at all.
I'll make sure we have some nice snacks in and of course some Baileys and chill a bit more I think!

Could Hot and Cold Jesus be that they hide a Baby Jesus doll and the kids have to find it. They say hot when the child is near it and cold when they are far from it to help them find it?

My mum used to do the ham on Christmas Eve. (Plenty for heating leftovers on Christmas Day, and sambos on Stephen's Day).

DH's mum does spiced beef. Again, leftovers for use over coming days.

We tend to prefer a snacky type buffet, even if its only for 3 of us. Cured meats, olives, cheeses, nice breadsticks, squid rings, prawns in marie rose sauce, cherry tomatoes and pepper sticks, hummus .... more Medditeranean or Baltic type things than sausage rolls and flaky pastry things.

But I don't yet know about this year. I don't like a hot meal that day, but would compromise on a nice curry night (either takeaway or homemade). Or I might allow DH to cook a spiced beef joint to have cold with salads. I don't want to have to fuss on Christmas Eve as I know I have to work in the morning and we'll be in town after that for a while. I don't know yet if the au pair will be staying for the holidays (she arrives at the weekend, I'll give her a few days to settle before asking that one!). But I can pre-make a few nice curry dishes and freeze them, and throw together Bombay potatoes, and a green beans in coconut milk, side dishes in a few minutes. Buy ready cooked puppodums, make my tomato salsa in the afternoon. etc.

Can anyone give me a recipe for the spicy beef please?

Yes sorry, hot ncold Baby Jesus: my DMum made us a knitivity ladt year, baby Jesus is so cute! We hide it, DS has to find it: 'hot' for close, 'warm' for near, 'cold' for far away.

It certainly isn't some kind of dish! Haha!

We are in Catalunya so also do the Caga Tió (where you hit a chirpy-looking log with a stick, sing a song, and it shits sweets )

recipe for spiced beef. There are variations of the same recipe but in Ireland you can buy it from the butchers all prepared & simply cook.

I just buy the Beef from the butcher here wibbly
There's massive competition between them and secret ingredients/family recipes.
Everyone swears their butcher is the best naturally.

Looks nice, I've never heard of it before

One small thing, it's not boiled in water has to be stout.
Which stout you use is very telling...

I actually love these little traditions. It's making me all smiley happy!

ElQuintoConyo, my sister lives near Barcelona and I have alwsys been intrigued by the shitting log.

I want a shitting log!!

We often have a takeaway whole choines crispy duck with pancackes.

I don't like doing too much cooking on christmas eve, as I like to do some prep for the following day, and keep the kitchen clean and tidy for the onslaught.

A few years ago we started having kids party type food on Christmas Eve. Can't remember why now but it has stuck and the dc love it. My friend lives across the road and her and her dc come up and we exchange our presents. We also did away with the I will just buy something for the kids thing as they all get loads and buy each other something.
I always do Christmas dinner whether it is just is or family too so don't want to cook a massive meal 2 days in a row.

Christmas Eve breakfast is Father Christmas pancakes.
Lunch is vegetable paella, crusty bread and salad.
Dinner is a buffet/tapas type thang- selection of naice cheeses, olives, different types of hummus, herby breadsticks, crackers, veggie fake sandwich style 'meats', nuts, dried fruit, homemade veggie sausage rolls, Tyrrells naked crisps and coconut macaroons. Then we have the snowman shaped cake we make in the morning for afters
Then evening we watch polar express with naice hot chocolate, cream, chocolate flutes and marshmallows, the DC have their chocolate coins from their Christmas Eve hamper and they get to have a chocolate and cookie from the tree. Last year I made mincemeat popcorn (as in mince pies obv not meat ) but it didn't go down too well so shan't be doing that again... And when DC are in bed DH and I crack out a tub of booja booja ice cream and drink a lot of homemade mulled wine.

I love Christmas Eve. I think it's my favourite part of Christmas.

It's DH birthday so we go out for a meal wherever isn't fully booked and pay a premium for the privilege

Christmas Eve dinner is cheese fondue, with carrot and celery sticks, steamed broccoli, croutons, bread and cut up bits of frankfurters, followed by hot chocolate (boozy for me and dh) with marshmallows and squirty cream when we open our Christmas Eve box, then watch the a film with the log fire going. Ooh, I am getting excited!

Christmas Eve is the most special day of the year for me, so of course this is reflected in my choice of lunch time cuisine.... KFC I don't know how it started, but me, DD, my cousin & her kids all get together and watch The Snowman whilst eating greasy chicken & drinking bucks fizz.

Evening meal is eaten after 5 year old DD has gone to bed, we always have an M&S buffet (mini cheeseburgers, bbq pork belly squares, king prawns etc) Also griddled halloumi, toasted ciabatta, garlic olive oil, balsamic vinegar, baked camembert, doritos etc... As lovely as it is we are changing it this year as we are eating out on Christmas day so will cook the turkey on Christmas Eve and have hot turkey sandwiches with cranberry, mayo and home made Jamie Oliver pork & chestnut stuffing.