re: What’s on the menu for Christmas dinner?

We did my family yesterday. Lots of us contributed.

Chicken and sausage gumbo (me)
Potato salad (grandma)
Pasta salad (brother)
Sausage rotal/Velveeta dip (mom)
Smoked salmon dip (Robert Fresh Market)
Pimento cheese with olives dip (Cannatella's)
A massive ham with rolls for sandwiches (mom)
Boudin king cake (me)





We normally go out for dinner on Christmas Eve with my SO's family, but didn't feel like dealing with covid restrictions so I'm cooking for the family.

Not sure of everything so far, but I'm doing blackened red snapper with a crawfish cream sauce.. served over black rice sauteed with butter and mushrooms.

Some sort of green vegetable with that, and then a white chocolate bread pudding.

Got a couple of boneless turkey breasts to throw on the smoker, a ham for the oven, cornbread dressing, baked beans, potato salad, thawing out some leftover gumbo, rice, gravy and rolls. Will likely cook a pot of red beans because my son, who’s in his thirties, expects it. :) There’s only going to be six of us so I’ll be done cooking for a few days.

Seared backstrap for an app then seafood gumbo for the main.

Crawfish etoufee Christmas Eve

Sausage balls Christmas breakfast

Lobster roll Christmas lunch

Doing a surf and turf with harissa butter grilled lobster tails and sous vide rib eyes potatoes augratin sensation salad for Christmas dinner

Wife’s making egg nog ice cream and a rum cake for dessert

Just me, the wife, my brother, and the kids this year. Wife's brother is still having family over, but we decided to stay home since he invited his wife's family and it's looking like about 25-30 people will be there. We want no part of that.

Anyway, I think we're doing beef tenderloin, brussell sprouts, and twice baked potatoes. Dessert is TBD.

This is the first year we get to host Christmas. We do a Christmas late lunch (1/2 pm). Should be about 6 adults, 2 teenagers, and 5 kids. Maybe some lagniappe.

Fried Turkey
Double Brined smoked Pork Loin - Picked up a nice 5 lb'er at Calandro's yesterday.
Emeril's Oyster Dressing
Mom's Cornbread Dressing
My Rice Dressing
French's Green Bean Casserole
Deviled Eggs
Mac and Cheese - for the kids
Mashed Potatoes - Wife is making this
Cranberry Sauce
Rolls or Spelt, Rye, and Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread - if i have time to make it, i will make the bread.
Alton Brown Eggnog - Making tonight
Various pie's being made/picked up by family - Pecan, apple, others...

ETA: And chargilling oysters for dinner, along with leftovers.

Christmas Eve:

Charcuterie Board
Muffulettas
Cacio e pepe

Christmas Dinner:

Dungeness crab Caesar Salad
French onion soup
Ham/ corn casserole/ green been & artichoke casserole

We do our typical Sunday red gravy, meatballs sausage dinner on Christmas Eve, but with much more wine. Adding some shrimp oreganata as before dinner app.

Christmas day calls for the usual prime rib roast. Snared a couple nice 8 lbers, prime at Sams. Garlic mash and brussel sprouts will accompany. And of course more wine.

I do my prime rib with 500deg for 30 minutes, then 325 till done method. garlic, course black pepper, kosher salt, fresh rosemary and softened butter rub

Chicken and sausage gumbo christmas eve

Standing Prime Rib Roast Christmas day