(154) Christmas Dinner Prep ~ Creating Christmas Magic

Creating Christmas Dinner and the feeling of what guest call magical 

is done in many steps.

Christmas tree, candles many places lit, white Christmas lights, Christmas stars...

Here is a recounting of the various things (other than decorating for 

Christmas which I began the day after Thanksgiving!) that I did for the Christmas dinner... 

Two or so days before ~ on Friday this year ~ for the Sunday dinner ~

I made Chex Mix.

Original recipe, sans bagel chips and using microwave instructions. 

I got out some of my Godiva chocolate that I bought with

my birthday money (so fun!) and created treats for the Christmas crackers...

I put together the 2nd three tiered tea tray for desserts... and got out 

the many Trader Joes desserts (they were perfect!)

Burned down the candle so I could put a new one in properly...

Made the Christmas Crackers!

My Husband brought home the most beautiful flowers

(he gets them from work before they are dismantled for new ones after

asking one day what is done with discarded flowers...!)

On Saturday I prepared the small creamer potatoes, slicing them first,

then boiling, then adding the seasonings, I use this recipe;

the difference is that I use a whole bunch of fresh (Italian) parsley, it is just perfect that way!

Once the potatoes were totally prepped, I put tin foil over them, crimped it over the 

sheet pans and put the 2 covered sheet pans right in the fridge!

I also shared this speculoos filled chocolate with my Husband; since

it was the Dutch flavouring, I had to share it with him,

since we are both Dutch in ancestry! :)

 In an effort to be economical, I am trying to use up things we have in the freezer; 

so the cream sauce and sausage pasta I made the other day...I had lots of cooked noodles,

some of the cream and sausage left, so I made a bit more (maybe 1 cup?) white sauce

(adding some plain yogurt that needed using) and it became our simple dinner on

Saturday night after vespers!

I already have the table set before we left (almost completely, I had a few 

glass wine and water goblets to put out yet) so we at at our 

kitchen "island" and called it "Elizabeth's diner" since lots of diners in NJ and NYC

have a bar stood eating area in them. :)

Because I had so much prepped, I had also cut the carrots and had them in water

in a pyrex container in the fridge already; 

and the dutch oven, tin foil and roast ingredients were already out,

as were all the dessert boxes... and because I had been meaning to send a friend a card for 

oh about 15 weeks (a friend in BC who I had not been in much contact with

for about 20 years!) and had another to send out to a US-based friend...I quickly did those,

what a relief; I had them (esp. the BC one) as reminders weekly and just could not 

get to them... it helped that I had reorganized my closet and could find stationary more

easily...my office cubbyhole is a mess though and it will be another week and a half before

my writing table will resurface... anyway, I also found this super cute card for one of our

younger nephews for his birthday, my Husband said it needed to have animals on it...

thus the bear card above! Cute eh? :)

Table was set, I even used place-setting cards that I found (cheap of course!)

at the VNA rummage sale... 

I remember I had a hard time settling down for the night,

I think I was so excited... and thinking of so many things,

including Christmas' past and friends we don't see that often

because of life events and moves etc... 

Sunday morning before church... it was so pretty... 

(my Husband's glasses :) ) 

***

After liturgy, which was lovely in it's own right, of course,

but this post is somewhat focused on Christmas dinner party prep... 

We got home a bit before 1 PM...I had the roast, my Mother's recipe,

in the oven by about 1:20...

I did use the top of the Dutch oven as well... 

Once that was in the oven, 300F for 4 hours, so ending about 5:20, 

I looked at my new Paris tea and confirmed that it was a full 1 lb 

(I had not really doubted but my Husband was curious and I have this 

great scale so...) 

We had another camel tasting, I also had a belated post-liturgical nap! 

So in the end, after looking at various recipes, ideas and cookbooks,

I roasted the veggies for about 2 hours at 300F, the last 2 of the 4 hours

that the roast was cooking! 

It worked.  But I MUST tell you that I used 1 lb of carrots and I should have,

no questions, used 2 lbs.  They shrunk considerably and there should have been more

for a dinner of 6 adults. 

It all worked out, but still, a note for next time!

Of course I made cranberry sauce! 

The last minutes, i.e. the last 30 minutes or so, are always the most busy.

My friend came early to help and she made the salad, lit the candles and lampadas,

that I had prepared earlier to light, (actually it was so hectic that I never got to one

that needed to be fixed or to light the one above by St George, I should just light that one

sooner and maybe switch to wax wicks as the fabric strands I am using

don't aways hold up well) and the bread got cut;

I put out the desserts on the 2 trays; I wanted to ensure everything was very

fresh and not at all stale, which is why I had waited...

Also quickly put out the cheese and crackers, took off the lid

to the Chex Mix and made sure every candle was lit...

there was so many of them, one or two always get missed... 

then, just as guests are arriving, I got out the hot hors d'oeuvres, 

told everyone to eat them, trusted Mr Husband to talk with everyone

and I got the potatoes, carrots and beef roast out, with the help of two girl friends! 

Pictures were taken and then we all, after my Husband prayed for the meal, 

we all got our food and sat down to a very enjoyable evening together.

And that evening, I hope to blog about tomorrow...