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Your Christmas Menu

jglass

jglass

New member
So what are you guys planning for Christmas dinner? I will be making a small one for Jon and I plus the big family dinner for his Dad to feed about 16-18.
As of right now I had no idea of what to do for either. For the family dinner it will be a turkey and a ham I know. I havent decided what Jon and I will have for ours yet. I may be making a dinner for my brothers family to pick up again for Christmas.
 
Geez Janie - I'm still gettng over T-Day!

This year I am making a roast beef with all the trimmings and homemade pasta with braciole. I may add more - but those are my plans so far.
 
Thank you for asking Janie -

I have not been out except to pick up a few things at the store - I don't hang out around the aisles - in and out as fast as I can - and I cannot shake this. I've got a low-grade fever, and it's landed in my ribs and around my back. I don't quite feel like I've been hit by a semi - just maybe a dump truck.

How about you? Anyone else have this "lingering" crap?

As far as braciole goes - you can stuff it any way you want. My dad was a big meat eater and he loved it stuffed with meat so that is the way I do it 98% of the time.

Once stuffed and tied, I skillet fry it slowly (gives a fabulous flavor) and then when cooked I add to my pot of sauce.

To serve - remove to meat platter and cut strings - pile the pork, chicken, sausage or meatballs onto the meat platter; pasta to the pasta platter and enjoy.
 
I'm not trying to pry but are you taking any meds for it? I wish you were doing better. Jon fussed at me yesterday for insisting he use antibacterial handwash when ever we came out of a store. I was telling him what a hard time you have had with the bug you caught.

Thanks for the braciole tips. I will put them to use and I can use all the help I can get lol.
Thanks for asking ..I am all better and luckily Jon hasnt caught anything.
My father in law was telling me today at Sunday supper his other son and his entire family are really sick with colds/flu. They have the baby that was born very premature last year who is also sick. I really hated to hear that.
My younger sis has been sick with this since October. She just cannot get rid of it.
 
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Your sis sounds like me.

Those antibacterial soaps are good for the moment - but the problem is - after using them for a length of time they don't work anymore.

Please don't think I am paranoid - I'm not - but if you really think about it - look at what you touch - your purse and car keys, your cell phone, wallet, and anything else that goes into your purse. Then you touch your steering wheel and the handles of the car. And the gas pumps when you pump your own. the pen you sign with if you use a credit card. The receipts given to you. The products in the stores and supermarkets. The counters and cash register area. The candy in the candy lane. The bottle of juice, pop or water to drink on the way home. The handles on the doors in the smaller stores. All those food items you can touch! And so can everyone else. And I do have to say "thanks" to all those idiots that couch and sneeze all over everything. I won't go on - I think you got the picture.

Oh I can go on - but there is bacteria all over the place. I will not go into a restaurant for a thing - not with everyone being sick. I won't even go to a drive though. And I avoid pre-baked food items (breads and rolls) that are baked in the stores. I don't even order anything from the deli counter - I go to the restaurant supply house and buy it whole; slice it myself.

I'm taking vitamins and I am drinking juice and tons of tea with lemon and honey. I think that is why I'm not super sick - just almost super sick. LOL

As far as the braciole goes - if you want a good meat mixture - try a basic meatloaf/meatball recipe. You don't want to take away from the flavors. and you don't need to buy a thin steak and pay $1.00 more/lb. Pound your own steak!
 
I was watching something on tv the other day and they were talking about how dirty stores were that had the bread bins where you use the tongs to get out your bread.
They even found broken off fake fingernails in the bottom of those bread bins. Nasty!
They had a hidden camera and most people just used their bare hands. The same thing with the candy bins. They showed how people would sneeze into their hands or wipe their nose and then handle 6-7 different heads of lettuce before buying one. Makes me shiver. Yuck. I wash produce several times when I bring it home.

So when I make braciole I can use my favorite meatball recipe for the filling? I will try that for this Sunday supper. If I dont mess it up I will put up a picture lol. If I can get the recipe down it would make a nice thing to do for Christmas.
 
Your favorite meatball recipe will work well. Pound your round steak to thin it and lay your meatball filling on top to within an inch of the edges; tuck and roll; hog tie with your kitchen twine and cook in a bit of olive oil and garlic until cooked through. Transfer to your sauce pot (I always make the braciole and meatballs before I start my sauce - sauce is already a cooked product and doesn't need to cook all day) and it will flabor your sauce as well.

I'm quite sure you'll do fine. The twine thing is the worst part of it all.
 
jglass said:
I was watching something on tv the other day and they were talking about how dirty stores were that had the bread bins where you use the tongs to get out your bread.
They even found broken off fake fingernails in the bottom of those bread bins. Nasty!
They had a hidden camera and most people just used their bare hands. The same thing with the candy bins. They showed how people would sneeze into their hands or wipe their nose and then handle 6-7 different heads of lettuce before buying one. Makes me shiver. Yuck. I wash produce several times when I bring it home.
QUOTE]

And we bring home heads of lettuce and produce and they go into our fridge until we wash them. And these scum balls tough everything - eggs in the cartons, all produce - and don't buy anything from bulk! Any time it's helpee selfee you can bet it's full of disease!!

I won't even buy rolls or breads the store bakes and pre-wraps.

I found a fly in a pre-baked cake at the bakery counter. It was buzzing around all the pretty flower decorations. I hollered nice and loud over to the girls on bakery that they better throw that cake it - it's diseased. I bet they didn't!

I wash everything and I mean everything. I even wipe down my cans before opening them. I need help...........LOL
Click to expand...
 
I will definately try the braciole this Sunday. Thanks.

I don't think you need help at all. If we could see what goes on behind closed doors I doubt any of us we eat out at a restaurant or buy premade food ever again. I bought those prepacked little cups of jello pudding off the shelf years ago at one of the stores here in town. When I got it home and took off the cardboard package it was full of rodent droppings.
 
and you can't blame the store for that if they were sealed properly -

it all boils down to that last dime they can make on profits

stick to homemade - you'll be healthier
 
Jon wants to get jumbo shrimp and scallops to have to our Christmas together. I may do surf and turf and get a good steak to go with that.
At his Dads yesterday I mentioned I was gonna start watching for ham and turkey on sale. My fil said he would almost prefer hotdogs and hamburgers for Christmas. Christmas pretending to be the 4th of July lol. I hope that he was kidding. Not that it wouldnt be easier for me since I do the cooking but come on ...burgers and hotdogs for Christmas? Of course my husband loved the idea.
His Dad doesnt really seem to me like he is in the holiday mood this year. He is 71 now and you can see his age starting to catch up with him some these days. Not to mention he really hates winter time.
 
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If he insists on hotdogs and hamburgers for the holiday make him the crockpot weinies and meatballs in the chili sauce/grape jelly sauce (equal amounts of each). It makes a nice appetizer as well.
(just a thought)
 
jglass said:
At his Dads yesterday I mentioned I was gonna start watching for ham and turkey on sale.
Click to expand...

I snagged a 18.5lb Jennie-O turkey at Food Lion for $7.35 over the weekend for Christmas eve dinner.

My mom will host Christmas dinner. Not sure what she's having. I'll be in charge of dessert, as always. James (hubby) wants me to make an apple pie so I guess that's on the list.
 
Im gonna cut back on making so much for the dinner at my husbands Dads this year.
Ham, turkey, yeast rolls, deviled eggs, marinated vegetable salad, gravy, honey roasted sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, chocolate loaded peanut butter brownies & cookies and cream cake. Im going to ask his Daddy to make mashed potatoes, rolls & green beans and new potatoes.

I figure I can make the desserts and the deviled eggs, marinated vegetable salad and the cranberry salad the day before and take them to his Dads. The day of their dinner it would leave me the ham, turkey, yeast rolls, gravy and sweet potatoes to make.
 
Everyone's holiday dishes sound SO delicious!

I'm unsure what I'm making exactly yet, except I need to photograph some King Crablegs so hopefully I can find some nice ones at a decent price at Sam's Club or Costco soon!

Not sure exactly how my clan will be celebrating/eating this year- or how, just yet...

Most of you know that my sister and I have been trading-off every other week having my Mom stay with us. She's on the waiting-list for a senior-apartment just 5 minutes from me- but the soonest they expect a vacancy is March...

Sis has asked me if I can keep Mom for the 3 weeks that her daughter will be home from college on winter break, 'cause Mom uses daughter's room, and Sis's family will be in and out and have a lot going on during that time.

I'm used to just having her for a week at a time- and I've always been grateful for the week-long trades w/ sis 'cause it gives us time to refresh and regroup to get stuff done and be at our best for Mom. So I hope it all works out well! Please cross your fingers for us!
 
Your Mama not staying at the same home she was in?
I got my fingers crossed for you Hon. If you need to talk you know where I am.
 
Well, janie... Mom has had another senior apartment that offers some assisted living aspects, about an hour from us in Peoria. But a few months back she went to stay at my sister's for 2 weeks and on the morning we were due to drive her back to her place she broke-down and confided in us that she didn't want to go back there and felt she could no longer take care of herself.

We understood- she's had obvious issues w/ personal hygiene the last year or so- and she's lost so much weight and has literally withered and become dangerously frail right before our eyes.

Oddly- all this decline has happened as her mental health has improved w/ meds and 'upstairs' she's now healthier than she has been in 30 years! So to see the physical down-fall occurring at the same time has been- well- strange.

Anyway, Karla and I have been trying to evenly divide the time we keep Mom- usually a week at a time... until the senior apartment facility near me can get her in- they say March...

...so until then we try to do our best, keep a sunny face on, and try to keep Mom's needs in mind before all others...

Thanks, janie dear! :)
 
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