We had a very casual Chrismas Eve dinner - ate on tray tables in front of the television and watched football. We invited a new friend to join us. I kept thinking about my beautiful Christmas china and table linens and my lovely dining room but I'm not well enough to go to that effort. No Christmas tree this year, either, but I'm grateful to be out of the hospital & rehab center. It's so good to be home and eating tasty food.

We had AnnT's tourtiere. My husband made it this year and it was delicious - rich and filling. Our friend has been following a vegan diet but wasn't shy about digging into a pork pie and was thrilled to take a slice home for Christmas Day!

My husband's family is French Canadian and he grew up with tourtiere at the holidays. His mother's wasn't as highly spiced - I think she only used a little bit of poultry seasoning, S&P. Ketchup on the side is obligatory. We had pickled beets and cole slaw with it.

Oyster stew like always. Gorgeous prep and my usual sofrito...lots of extra leeks...we were not happy with the oyster pint that should have had a dozen as said by the fish monger...5, two big ones and three tiny ones, lol. Oh well. Leek soup!.

I bought a turkey, but then plans changed and we went to friends for dinner. I will cook the turkey later this week. I cooked a prime rib roast on Christmas Eve using the slow roast, reverse sear method. DH woke me up three times during the night to tell me how good it was, so I guess that method is a keeper!

Success, as rated by those who seldom give out compliments

Prime rib came out perfect, despite my meat thermometer deciding to go belly-up on Christmas day. I was quite pleased. Was so worried I was going to overcook it. I cannot eat overcooked beef. Or, any meat, for that matter.

I had Christmas Eve dinner as usual. We always have lobster stew and popovers, a grapefruit/avacado salad with red currants, and for dessert after that rich, filling meal, raspberry sorbet with fresh raspberries, min cream puffs and we pass the chocolate sauce for those who want it. It's SUCH an easy meal - lobster stew was made several days ahead of time as it's better if "aged". It was great as always.

When my first DGS had his first Thanksgiving, my ex asked my DD if he could come for Thanksgiving. She was very torn as she had not spent a major holiday with him in ages, but she knew her stepfather had already purchased a plane ticket to come home from ME (she was 5 when we married and he raised her). So, I suggested we "share" Thanksgiving and all be there. Her father wasn't sure but knew it was that or nothing, so he came. Apparently, he felt it went so well, that he asked if he could come back for Christmas! DD called me and asked me what I thought, I said I could understand if he felt awkward coming to my house Christmas Eve, but I was not willing to give that up - he was welcome to come - his decision. He came. And he's been with us for every major holiday since - 16 years now. And every single year, he goes back to the kitchen for "seconds" of the lobster stew and scoops out most of the lobster, just leaving the broth. Yep, he did it again! I will have to buy more lobster if I don't want two meals of lobster stew without the lobster! GRRRRR... He's greedy and unfailingly rude to me every holiday. If my 2nd husband was still alive, I'd suggest we just alternate holidays but I don't want to be totally alone. So, I put up with this man who divorced me 41 years ago after 9 years of marriage. Fifty years, and he's still in my life...when one has children together, it comes down to who is the "last man standing". I have no doubt it will be him - too danged mean to die!

Our Prime Rib roasted on the grill was the most delicious we've had in years... a really good piece of meat roasted perfectly! The beautiful chocolate cupcakes made and decorated by the grandchildren will have to be eaten later because we all ate too much dinner.

These all sound wonderful!

Anglophilia, it's time for a good offense! You make the lobster stew days ahead every year. He hogs the lobster every year. He's not going to change. You can't make him nice, but you can control the lobster. Make enough stew with enough broth so you can divide it. Portion enough of the lobster and plenty of the rest into one container, and the rest of everything in another opaque one that changes names and size/shape every year. Dog food. DGS's science project. Bone broth. Etc. Heat the one that has just enough lobster in it and portion it out so everyone gets their fair share. If the man in question goes to the kitchen to help himself to the rest, it'll be broth and whatever else, and maybe a scrap or two of lobster. And you'll have the other container ready to mix back in for the leftovers. And you can always magic some out of a "lost corner" to heat up and provide seconds or for a latecomer or whatever.

We had sous vide stuffed turkey breast, sous vide sirloin beef - both lovely! I was very nervous about cooking those as it's still so new to me. Veg was roast potatoes and parsnips, vichy carrots, sliced brussels sprouts with chestnuts, cauliflower cheese and a nut roast for my daughter. Then cheese, then Christmas pudding and a white rum tiramasu with marrons glacés. What piglets!

I cooked a Filet Mignon roast from Trader Joe's that was absolutely delicious. It came already seasoned, sealed in a bag, so I just had to open it and roast it. We had fresh off the bay mussels (my friend owns a commercial mussel farm and fresh picked them for me on Christmas Eve) steamed with garlic and herbs, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and some (unfortunately) overdone roasted carrots. For dessert we had some very cute little Christmas themed petite fours. Am so looking forward to leftovers today! Will cook some pasta to toss with the leftover mussels and their juices and some crusty bread and a salad. More roast tomorrow; maybe french dips.

I did a 9 pound rib roast.... For 2 of us. :) it was a perfect medium rare. Joel Robochon style potatoes and fresh freen beans in the side. The ribs, scraps from Thanksgiving's roast that I had baggd and frozen and some extra bones went in the crockpot right after dinner with a little water- it will be strained and reduced to dip french dips in today. We are SO looking forward to it!!!

Prime rib was wonderful. The new salad dressing recipe we tried is a true, true keeper. We all enjoyed it very much. The salad we poured it over had no lettuce, just grape tomatoes, radishes, onion, green pepper, and carrots. It was beautiful to behold and was nice and crunchy. Bread turned out beautifully. In fact, am on my way into the kitchen to make another batch of dough.

Only half the family was around so we hosted a small (for us) potluck on Xmas. We rarely entertain any more and the total of 8 is the max our place can hold, LOL.

2016 Xmas Dinner

- Spinach dip

- Goose liver pâté & cheese: Brie, D'affinois, raw
Swiss, peppercorn chevre

- Bread, raw carrot sticks, various chips. Found an amazing
"sweet potato tortilla chips" that everyone demolished - must go buy
some more!

- Mac n' cheese - Not the usual saucy type. Just cooked
pasta, cubed cheese, a little milk, and crushed saltines. I thought it was
mediocre but my niece's DH adores this; his mom's recipe so this made him
happy.

- Fried chicken cutlets - Chinese velveted chicken cutlets,
pan-sautéed with a mixed mushroom gravy

- Pesto/tomato tart on puff pastry, sprinkled with finely
chopped toasted pecans and freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano (the pecans were a
sub for pine nuts because one person is allergic to them)

- Mixed vegetable casserole in a light cheese sauce (two
people are vegetarians)

- Salt-rubbed raw Kale Salad with apples (vegan)

- Pear-caramel trifle made with cranberry biscotti

We had a simple meal, and it was delicious. Baked fruited ham, buttered cider sauce, mincemeat stuffed peach halves, Waldorf salad, snap peas, twice baked (stuffed) potatoes, cheesecake pie with raspberry sauce, cranberry bread and pumpkin bread. I have lots of left over ham, and a bone. The bone will become the base for split pea soup.

DD hosted and DSIL insists on a turkey. She knew that i was bringing a beef tenderloin and was thoroughly annoyed that he insisted they make a turkey too. Darned if it wasn't an excellent turkey! I made the tenderloin, roasted Brussels sprouts, steamed haricot vert, potato latkes from Trader Joe's (yes, I would have made them, but DGS2 is obsessed with these). For dessert DGS1 and I baked a chocolate chip bundt cake (his choice) and two baby cheesecakes and molasses cookies. Lots of leftovers! Meanwhile chicken/turkey broth is currently simmering in my Instant Pot.

brisket was perfect, latkes were nice and crispy and the challah perfect. also french toast challah the next morning.

The Christmas Eve standing rib that my son cooked was perfect....eaten with latkes and fresh....well not frozen! green beans....apple sauce, sour cream...you know the thing.
And Christmas day at my daughters was a fried turkey adn a ham....mashed potatoes green beans and a huge assortment of snackies...herring, pickled blooney, the new Maytag blue cheese and various dips and spreads

DH's family dinner Christmas Eve went well, food-wise; one SIL brought the nibbles (rockmelon cubes wrapped in prosciutto, watermelon chunks, quiche, and little moneybag dumpling puff pastry balls filled with some kind of sausagemeat); other SIL roasted a turkey breast and one leg for those who liked dark meat, with sausagemeat stuffing, bread sauce, gravy (MIL made it, it's OK but thinner than I like it, more like jus), fresh brussels sprouts (so much nicer than the usual frozen ones but always a risk as I have found at this time of year they can be very buggy), carrots and roasted potatoes; I brought a whole glazed ham with Glenda_al's Spiced pineapple pickups, and the desserts- lime tart, coffee cheesecake topped with pecan praline and brownies. MIL made her usual trifle which I love and don't get to eat at home as no one else here cares for it (I got leftovers :-) ). SIL who did the nibblies puzzlingly brought a panettone for dessert as well (she had asked if I needed help with desserts and I declined with thanks) but I was glad as I love panettone and in the divvying up the leftovers phase I got some o bring home :-) I took a bunch of plastic take away containers to assist with the divvying up which worked well :-)

Christmas Day it was just DH, DD, DSIL and moi at home. We had a big breakfast of bacon and really good smoked bacon after church in the morning that kept us going with snacks until a big early dinner. We had roast turkey with bread stuffing in the main cavity and sausagemeat stuffing in the neck cavity (SIL had never had it before and really liked it), hasselback potaotes, roasted asparagus, roasted sweet potato, herb bread, gravy, bread sauce, and pumpkin pie (DD's favourite) for dessert. I sent a lot of leftovers away with the kids yesterday along with a big containers of Christmas cookies when they went to a family picnic with DSIL's Dad and siblings. Apparently they traditionally take leftovers and I was very glad to be able to supply some :-) Also produced some disposable plastic platters and champagne flutes- the convenience of hoarding stuff "just in case" :-D !

Had a lovely text from DD thanking me for their stay and the "yummy food", which from her is a huge compliment, and said the cookies were a big hit at the picnic.

Both SIL's turkey carcase and mine have been turned into stock (I used SIL's on Christmas Day for our gravy as our turkey had no neck!!) and about a third of the ham resides in all its glory in the fridge :-)