I have parents on 25th, friends on 26th, PIL's on 27th and bil plus family on 28th. What can I cook each time that will not make me go grey?

[mrsmaidamess]

I need things quick and easy. Christmas Day will be what it says on the tin, but I will need at least one biggish meal for the next 3 visits! I think I may have bitten off more than i can chew...

26th......................

27th.......................

28th.......................

(Please fill in the gaps)

Make a chilli in the slow cooker.
Jacket spuds.
Bowl of grated cheese.

Salad, cold meet, pickles, coleslaw.

Fish supper.

Soup made from leftovers.

I'd just do a buffet type thing each night - and then just change the main to go with it each evening. For example, Lasagne, Jacket potates and so on... But you can also recycle the buffet stuff from the previous days (That's what I do anyway). Or, buy yourself a raclette - great food and they can cook it themselves www.source-promo.com/Raclette+grill/IN0310016/

Raclette is great.

janeite, do you know me? Friends use similar nickname for me in RL

Haven't made Queen of Pudding for ages tho, think I'll dust that one off this Christmas.

Other favourites include:
baked fruit salad (any combination of soft fruits - apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, sliced, blueberries, a sprinkling of sugar, baked 20 -30 mins. If using raspberries stir in at the end).

Grilled pineapple: cut pineapple into boats and cut the flesh into cubes; replace. Dot with butter and brown sugar; grill (cover leaves with foil to prevent burning). Put one tbsp dark rum in a pan, heat then flame. When flames out, mix in juices from tray pineapple is on. Spoon over grilled pineapple boats and serve. Dead simple but effective.

Nigella's Barbados cream is a great side dish (equal amounts of Greek yog and double cream whisked together. Layer in a bowl with soft brown sugar, finish with brown sugar on top. Put in fridge overnight and it will go "caramelly") Awesome

Make a load of roast veggies (sweet potato, carrots, beetroot, fennel, peppers) with olive oil and some herbs and just keep serving it up with leftover meat, or feta cheese, or pizza, or salad, or aioli or steamed salmon or anything elsethat you like that's quick.

One enormous chopping session can make life easier for the other days.

Barbados cream is fab. We had it with mince pies on Sunday.

Nope, i don't know you - but I was thinking of that character on the television years ago - was she in "Bread"?

didn't htere used to be a poster called QueenOfPuddings? Was that you lilolil?

Both of those fruity ones sound brilliant.

There was a QoP on here but it isn't me, similar to my real life nickname, but have always been lilolilmanchester on here. The fruity ones are tried, tested and fab. You can carb them up with shortbread/brownies/lemon drizzle cake if you want something less healthy.

Coo, what a lot of ideas! Cheers all.

(As I ate a luke warm pan of leftover beans standing up in the kitchen for my tea, its clear I need as much help as I can get)

yeah, but there are times when you can't beat a luke warm pan of leftover beans standing up in the kitchen, Entertaining relatives over Christmas clearly isn't one of them!

Another option. I am not feeling so great at the minute due to side effect of medication, but didn't want to miss on opportunity to meet friends and due to DS best if they visit us.

I have ordered the lot from M&S for Christmas day, Salmon En Croute and assorted other items from their Entertaining range for Sunday lunch with friends before Christmas and for a change, Waitrose leg of lamb and everything to go with it for NYE. Pricey, but cheaper than eating out and just needs bunging in the oven.

I'm afraid I'm far too lazy to cook much at Christmas so for the past three weeks we've been cooking double everything and freezing it - we've got sprouts ready to go in three minutes from frozen, stuffing balls, vichy carrots, coq au vin, beouf bourginon, spag bol, even gravy

Oh and don't underestimate the wow factor of layered ice cream, fruit and cake in a sundae glass.

Alternatively double wine quantities and just let them all get twiddled so they don't notice you are only feeding them pringles!

if you want to do something posh, try Waitrose's game stew recipe - they do the packs of game for it at the moment, and it is delicious. Serve with mash and greens. Will freeze / reheat.

Also, for Boxing Day try leftover pie: in your biggest pot fry some leeks in butter, add flour then milk to make a white sauce. Then add in Xmas lunch leftovers - turkey shreds, brussels, carrots, stuffing, chestnuts, bacon, mushrooms, roast potatoes and parsnips, whatever. Add more milk / white wine until you have a gloopy pie-filling consistency, and half a stock cube / thyme / rosemary if it needs flavour. Put in big pyrex / lasagne dish with ready made puff pastry on top.

4 x casserole Chop up all the stuff at lunchtime. Gorgeous hot food every night.

And make a note, NOT to allow this to happen again!!!!!