Exactly what BG said and what fun!! I LOVE Christmas but it shouldn't be stressful at all especially as you have little bubs and one that will be having their first Christmas and the other that will be much more aware this year!
Yes i am going to delegate food for people to bring, might have a few bbq hot things that DH can cook.
Great ideas girls.
I am excited about having it here. (even laybyed a christmas tree.. yes they are in the stores lol)
And i am telling my self it will be easier here with the 2 littlies that having to trek them around the country side all day visiting family lol
so you wouldnt be offended invited to xmas lunch and being told to bring a certain food or item>?
We always get family to bring a dish one because it lightens my load and two why should i have to wear all the cost of a xmas lunch. I also agree that it is much easier not having to drag little ones all over the place.
Good luck with it, its always fun planning it
Definitely would NOT be offended if asked to bring something. After all you are providing the venue and organising it all. It is a family occasion and should be fun for all.
PP -I definately not be offended hun. It is a HUGE ask to be responsible for feeding that amount of people.... I know some families that all pay a certain amount and they get it catered!
Most people love to cook and bake at Christmas time and will be more than happy to prepare one lovely dish to bring along!
Get everyone to bring something! It'll make a huge difference, make sure you rope in someone to help setup as well. Enjoy the day, I always get to caught up in running around and it's over before you know it! It's not to early it'll be here before we know it!
I have 3 sisters and a brother we all have to bring something.........this year I drew the drinks so have to buy enough softdrink juice ect for everyone....we all put in $20 or $30 towards the costs of prawns veges salads ect then draw from drinks nibblies desert and disposable plates and bon bons ect. Works out great.
Your expecting a big group of people on christmas day and there are lil ones, so I dont think your family will mind bringing a plate/dish. People often like to bring a 'special' dish to share so show off their clever recipe or presentation skills too in my experience , and those who cant be bothered, well, it doesnt really matter if anyone has a poor attitude does it? Most people will be happy to help.
Have fun preparing all the extras like a fabulous xmas tree and decent quality crackers etc - lol p its a long way off, but you`ve got me looking forward to it!
deligate tasks and jobs well in advance n matter how simple the task is could sisters do dishes and clear table, ask ppl well in advance what would you like to bring? salad desert main or other? then get them to tell what they are bringing. BYO and playpens your gonna need them and also ask any younger ppl there teenagers if they could help out with kids. Maybe go to park and have picnic that way kids can play.
Make it an evening meal if you can - spend the day doing lots of things with the kids so that they will flake out later on.
Foodwise, they key is to pick things that can be done well in advance and/or can be delegated to other people. BBQ'ing hot food is a great idea, because it gets so much heat and stress out of the kitchen.
Here's an idea for a menu
Starter - crab salad
Packets of fresh/frozen white crab meat mixed with mayo, chopped apple, chopped tomato, lemon juice and a little chilli. Make it the day before and store in the fridge in a sealed box.
Simple guacamole - chopped/mashed avocado with a little lime juice, chilli. cumin and fresh coriander - best made the same day.
To serve - put some shredded lettuce in the bottom of a glass (hiring a crate of glasses from the bottle shop is a big help for that many people), add a spoon of guacamole, top with a spoonful of crabmeat sprinkle a little parsley on the top and it's ready to go....looks impressive, but it is dead easy.
Main Course:-
Duck - pan-sear the duck breasts in advance (the day before), cook them skin side down in batches for 10 minutes or so to melt the fat out of the them and crisp up the skin, then turn them over for 5 minutes then cool and store. You will need to pour the fat off occasionally into a bowl - don't throw it away.
They can then be reheated in a low oven or gentle BBQ for 10 minutes or so - they don't need to be served piping hot, so it's fine to let cool down a bit whilst the starters are being eaten.
Get someone to bring cooked boiled/steamed potato - put them in a saucepan, put the lid and shake it violently to rough them up a bit then lay them out on a couple of oven trays - pour the duck fat over them, lay a few sprigs of rosemary on the top and put them in a hot oven for 35-40 minutes. The rough edges of the potato will ensure that you get lots of nice, crispy bits round the outside - if you have never had potato roasted with duck fat then you are in for a nice surprise.
Get someone to bring salad leaves, fennel bulbs and fresh orange segments - combine at the last minute to make a nice fresh salad - dress with olive oil, orange juice and a little tamarind paste.
Deserts are easy to farm out to other people as they are mostly pre-prepared.
This should bring the total cooking time on the day down to about an hour or so and is very simple - you will only use a chopping board and 3 oven trays on the day...no sweating over lots of pans and filling the place with washing up.
You can easily bulk the meal up by adding a ham or a seafood platter into the mix if you are coping with non-meat eaters.
If this isn't what you had in mind, then let me know what you would like to serve and I'll see what I can come up with.
and what fun!! I LOVE Christmas but it shouldn't be stressful at all especially as you have little bubs and one that will be having their first Christmas and the other that will be much more aware this year!
Registered User
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks