christmas eve dinner ideas

amh_navyblue

We're having ILs (BIL, SIL, MIL, nephew) over to our house for dinner and presents after Mass on Christmas Eve.  I want do something tasty, but simple and easy as the main course--either something that I can make quickly when we get back or something I can make ahead of time and just heat (we aren't doing a fancy dinner that night).  I found this:

 https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/pesto-turkey-squares/02464c22-1880-4d7f-945c-4edacb091768/#

Other ideas?

kastle

Growing up, we always had baked potato soup (with assorted toppings) + apps for xmas eve b/c of the reasons you stated. 

Another idea (and this isn't probably terribly child-friendly) but for every valentine's day that falls during the week, we make mussels, have good crusty bread to sop up the sauce & a salad.  It takes moments to throw together but feels fancy b/c we don't usually have mussels at home.

rubride

I like PP's suggestions! You could also try a nice hearty beef stew or beef bougioun (sp?) in the crock pot. Check out the 365 Crockpot Blog for other crockpot ideas.

WinesNotWhines

I'm trying to start a new tradition of cheese and chocolate fondue for Christmas Eve dinner. It's very easy, but soooo good.

CapitolBaby

I love the idea of a beef stew or roast in the crock pot, because it's warm, hearty, and will be ready to go when you get back.  If you cook it on low for at least 8 hours, it will be SO tender.  You can serve with mashed potatoes and warm rolls.

Hey Jellisy

Because our Christmas day guests don't eat red meat, we are having short ribs for Christmas Eve dinner.  They cook a long time so all the prep is in the morning and are really tender and delicious.   

Rbirgfeld

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}

I think a crock pot dish is great for something easy that won?t distract you when your guests start arriving. On blog I contribute to, Smart Living Blog, we look all over for great (and mostly easy) recipes and summarize them. One of my fellow bloggers wrote a recent holiday round up here: https://blog.couponnetwork.com/5-recipes-to-take-your-mind-off-shopping/ I haven?t tried any of these, but the second (pot roast) is definitely possible in crock pots. A post from a few weeks back also has some pasta dishes that may work well for a big group. https://blog.couponnetwork.com/this-week-find-refuge-in-your-kitchen/

Good luck and happy holidays!