What's she waiting for anyway? In my family and with most other families that I know the place, time, and menu for a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner is planned weeks ahead. That is so that everyone is notified/invited and all cooks know what the game plan is and what they are to provide. Also, so the hosts can set their tables for the number coming or get in extra chairs, ice, china, etc. This meal requires a little more than just throwing some extra burgers or hot dogs on the grill like you would for a casual outdoor cookout in the summer. Even if you don't do "formal" dinners, you still need to be able to plan this meal so you are not rushed and harried. Is she subtly playing a control card with this?

While everyone is celebrating Christmas, I'll be hosting 2 Channukah dinners Sunday and Monday and getting our Weber fired up. Sunday is for one of my childhood friends and her family. Grandkids and Daughters coming on Monday. Looking forward to all the kids lighting the Menorah and reciting the prayers for the lighting. Here is my Sunday Menu: First, Pomegrante Cosmopolitans, wine and beer along with Eggplant Caviar. I always go light on appetizers. Salmon on a cedar plank grilled with a dressing of apricot preserves and horseradish Baked Chicken with mustard and capers sauce Potato Latkes with homemade applesauce and sour cream sides Roasted carrots More wine Dessert will be: Homemade Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake (Barefoot Contessa and easy) Brownies My guest is bringing a desseert made from a recipe handed down from her Grandmother (who came from England). More wine and coffee. I love when Channukah falls on the same time of Xmas. I usually just host dinner on Xmas Day regardless. It's become a tradition in our home.

We made 40 potatoes worth of latkes (by rights, there should be more in that pic I posted, but I ate few more than I should have while making 'em!!), and 32+ apples worth of applesauce. We always shred the potatoes in our Cuisinart (circa mid to late-'80's) with the "fine" grating disc, and then dump them into two cheesecloth-lined colanders (over large glass bowls). FWIW, the cheesecloth (old and re-washed and re-used) came from W-S--very tight weave, so the potato shreds don't fall through any open holes! We pour off the liquid that collects in the bowls, and save the potato starch at the bottom of the bowls to mix in with the latke "batter." The shredded potatoes turn red when they release the starch. We rinse them (over/in the cheesecloth) and wring them out very well. They are then dumped into a large cooler that we use for mixing up all the ingredients (it's the only thing big enough to hold all those shredded potatoes). This year we used 21 small-medium onions (adjust accordingly if using larger or smaller onions)--chopped up very fine/pureed in the food processor with the steel blade. We added 10 large eggs, 2 1/2-3 tsp baking powder, 2 cups bleached, all-purpose flour (give or take), and then salt (kosher and table) and pepper, to taste, and the reserved potato starch. I mix it all up with my hands (wearing latex gloves) and then drop spoonfuls of the mixture into hot oil, flattening the mounds slightly with the back of the spoon. You can adjust am'ts as needed--you'll know when you see how the first batch holds together/cooks up when you add it to the oil, and how the first few taste after they're cooked (you can always add more salt, eggs, onions, flour--but you can't take them back out) LOL! For us, the key thing, is allowing the potatoes to sit for a little while, to release the starch, and then rinsing them well, and draining/squeezing them out well. This way, the latkes come out nice and lacy and crispy, which we prefer (vs. gummy or doughy).

I too am having a big party on Christmas Day (now over 190) and do not cook like you all do. I have to have help. I like to have a cleaned up kitchen at all times so things move easily through to the party. Garbage and dirty dishes need to go away. My tips are: Start with an empty disihwasher and garbage cans. Have a covered tub or tubs that you can put the rinsed off dishes in that can't go in the dishwasher and keep it off to the side. Keep the dishwasher going the whole party and empty it and add. At the end of the party, if this works, you have a lot less to do. That's what I have to offer.