What's on your Christmas dinner?

[MummaChristmas]

Every year we go to my parents for Christmas dinner, but I suggested for this year to take a little bit of the load off them, we all bring something with us. So, I'm just interested in what everyone else has (totally not trying to get ideas 😉).

Bonus points for dessert ideas!

We have roast beef for Christmas, but turkey for Thanksgiving.
Roast turkey/ beef
Roast potatoes, parsnips
Sweet potatoes mashed with molasses, S&P and a dab of butter
Roast Brussels sprouts with balsamic reduction
Green beans
Carrots
Gravy (roux, pan drippings, veg water, splash of plonk)
Sage and onion stuffing
Cranberry and orange sauce

Desserts are traditional American for both Thanksgiving and Christmas - pumpkin pie, pecan pie - plus tiramisu, buche de Noel.
I make mince pies for nibbling on, as well as a variety of cookies.

OK, so this year we it's just me, DD, and her dad (my ex) and he is cooking lobster!

But when I have done a traditional roast, this is what I do (or as close to this as I can).

Meat is a roast bird, could be turkey, chicken, duck or pheasant, depending on number of people/preferences.

Sides:
Yorkshire puddings (sometimes frozen ones admittedly).
Pigs in blankets
Some type of stuffing balls - whatever packet I find in the shops that looks fun.
Roast potatoes
Glazed carrots cooked in stock (there is a recipe in the Huw Heatnley Witringstall meat book I utterly love!).
Roast parsnips (possibly honey roast).
Spinach (possibly creamed with garlic - buy frozen creamed spinach and add a little squeeze of pureed garlic.
Some mixed roast Mediterranean veg (peppers, aubergine, courgette) cooked in oregano, olive oil, garlic etc
Maybe some roast sweet potato
Maybe some red cabbage

Please note that depending on time, oven space etc I would merrily buy some of these ready made from a supermarket. Though I enjoy cooking so with time and space would prefer making them myself.

Sauces:
Gravy
Cranberry sauce (possibly home made if I have time and can get the cranberries).

So that makes it sound like it doesn’t belong on the same plate, but I really want to believe that it does!

Turkey
Beef
Glazed ham
Pigs in blankets (made with proper sausages not small ones!)
Stuffing balls
Cauliflower cheese
Yorkshire puddings
Roast parsnips and carrots
Braised red cabbage
Sprouts roasted with streaky bacon
Steamed broccoli
Roast pots
Mashed pots
Home made bread sauce, cranberry and Jamie Oliver gravy (I make all 3 in advance and freeze)

Double posted sorry!

Our Christmas dinner is basically a glorified Sunday lunch with Turkey, pigs in blanks and about 7 veg instead of 3! Oh, brussels and roasted parsnips & carrots a must.

turkey
ham in cola
PIB
Stuffing
Roast potatoes
Spiced carrot and Swede mash
sweet potato mash
sprouts with chorizo and orange
honey sesame roast parsnips
crushed chestnuts with cream and bacon
bread sauce
roast carrots
gravy

some sort of starter
Christmas pudding
alternative dessert

Both desserts end up being eaten another day because no one has room!

We always go all out and do a big Christmas at my parents’ house with all the cousins, usually each adult chips in with a dish. We have the turkey, ham, salmon, yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets, stuffing, cheeseboard, roast potatoes, chicken nuggets for the kids, sprouts and carrots, halloumi, mash, and then pudding, cheesecake, jelly, apple pie, mince pies, cookies, trifle and a Yule log. We have prosecco, beer, and fizzy drinks and then cocktails later on in the night once the kids are upstairs.

We generally have:

Turkey
Pigs in blankets
Stuffing
Yorkshire puddings
Roast potatoes
Cheesy leeks and peas
pureed parsnip
Swede and Sweet Potato mash
Roasted Jerusalem artichokes
Brussels Sprouts
Cavolo Nero or Kale
carrots
Runner beans
Gravy
Cranberry sauce/Red currant sauce

It is a lot, but we grow lots of veg and everyone always wants their favourites. The runner beans are always frozen from when they are at their best during the summer. Leftovers always get used up over the coming days as bubble and squeak etc.

We don’t do starters as the main is so filling and pudding is usually Banoffee Pie using the original Hungry Monk recipe (pastry base not biscuit).

We always have a chocolate roulade for dessert as most of the family don't like Xmas pudding or mince pies. Some gluttons like me have all 3 'just to try them'!!

Turkey crown
gammon slow cooked in cola
this year we are also having a beef shin from M&S
usual sides
array of M&S desserts