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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Bitten off more than I can chew 😬

29 replies

GipsyDanger · 29/08/2016 17:57

It's my ds 1st xmas this year and have told relations already I am not moving from the house all day, they can come to us (I have drove to at least 3 different houses every year for 10 years!)
The dream of having both sets of gps for dinner sounded lovely, the reality is I'm not the best cook in the world (www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/2701852-OMG-Ive-created-a-custard-monster for reference)
Mil says that dh gran will need to come as she would be all alone, and I wouldn't have that! So that puts me up to 7 people, currently dh brother lives at home with no gf so potentially going to 8 people Shock I'm having palpitations already! I don't even own that many plates! Blush with a single oven and not much counter space is this doable!?

OP posts:
LittleReindeerwithcloggson · 30/08/2016 10:24

And lidls frozen piggies were lovely too!

GipsyDanger · 30/08/2016 11:15

Thanks again for the advice! I can do this!

OP posts:
BiddyPop · 30/08/2016 12:27

Oh yes completely do-able.

Plan ahead. Can you borrow plates etc from family, or get some in Ikea or somewhere on sale in the next 4 months, or use paper plates?

Lots of veg can be cooked on the stove top not oven - so peas, glazed carrots, mixed stir fry, steam brussels sprouts etc.

And perhaps a big pot of mashed potatoes - do enough roasties that everyone gets at least one, but complement with mash. Once the turkey or whatever meat is out, you can put other things in the oven to finish off, which could include mash in a dish topped with butter to get crispy, cauliflower cheese, a dish of stuffing, etc.

Make gravy in advance, and then just add the meat juices from the meat once it's done, and reheat on stove.

Either a pot of soup or cold starter would be best.

Make your lists now:
How many people
What furniture you have or may need to borrow/buy
What crockery you have/need to borrow/buy (plates, glasses, cutlery etc)
Serving dishes..
Menu - at least the basic plan
Any family "specials" that must be made, or that others would be happy to bring?

From the menu, you can start a shopping list, broken into Non-perishables and Perishables
As well as the food items for the main meal, remember things like extra loo roll, bin bags, washup liquid
Maybe paper napkins etc
And other meals that visitors will be present for
Tea, coffee, and snacks etc if needed
Drinks - both alcohol (if wanted) and non-alcoholic

Start adding a couple of items per week to your normal shopping and put it away in a separate box.
I tend to use normal packets of biscuits rather than the tins - I prefer the selection, and it's easier to juggle amounts if more/less needed (and those not needed stay crisp for another time).

I also tend to use can of fizzy drink normally - I buy 6 packs or larger slabs, unless I KNOW that I will use the bottles. Especially for mixers like tonic, ginger ale etc.

Lots of fizzy water - and that can be used to make "fizzy orange" with squash too Xmas Grin

Ahead of time, make things like your breadcrumbs or even complete stuffing and freeze it.

Make plenty of ice, and pop from the trays into a large bag or box in the freezer, to use the trays for more.

If you have half a lemon or lime with no use, slice that up and freeze it for drinks for visitors or in jugs of water - already sliced, already frozen so less ice needed and saves the half that could otherwise get wasted!

If you can, organize an internet-shopping to be delivered with all the perishable items and any heavy items yet to buy. Or, a "click and collect" type shop, to save a lot of hassle in the couple of days before Christmas. At worst, try to go to the supermarket when it is quiet - early morning, late night etc, and no later than 23rd (so that any items you've forgotten can be just a quick dash on 24th). Definitely have a list for that shopping trip!

Delegate jobs - either in terms of bringing items for the meal/day to visitors, or parts of preparing the meal to people who will be there at the necessary part of the day. And also cleaning ahead of time etc - some jobs can be done by DP or even small DCs can be given some jobs to do (and often, they really want to be involved, even if sometimes that seems like they are getting under your feet - looks askance at DH )

It's all in the thinking and planning ahead, before executing in an organized way!

Yes you can do it.

And most importantly, you can ENJOY doing it too!! Xmas GrinXmas Grin

AmyAmoeba · 31/08/2016 21:31

Can you roast a chicken?
If not start practising now, every weekend, cos once you get the hang of a roast chicken dinner it's basically the same thing.

in terms of oven space you cook turkey first, wrap up in tinfoil to rest for a minimum of half an hour while you cook potatoes and veg. Serve a cold starter that can be plated up ahead of time and stacked in the fridge.

You collect all the kudos for cooking the turkey, so skimp on the sides and buy frozen roast potatoes and ready made carrots, cabbage etc

My top turkey tips are to use a magic turkey bag ( beautifully succulent and no need to baste), and to push a metal skewer through the turkey to the breast bone to ensure its cooked through the middle.

Buy a meat thermometer!

Set the table after you put turkey in the oven.

It can be as easy or as hard as you make it. Don't over reach on your first year, and start practising on the roast chicken!!!

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