Christmas Dinners

[Macabre]

We'll do a veggie lasagne with a white sauce for Xmas Eve.

[hedgehog]

If I'm feeling REALLY saucy, I might even make a pretzel-coated cheese ball (a hedgehog cheese ball) to go with some crackers while we all wait.

You're making me a cheese ball?   . Thank you!

[becca]

We are now undecided, lol.  Dh and I will go to Costco and see what looks good.  Lamb or beef. 

[YouKnowWho]

Honey ham, potato salad (German potato salad for DS1), baked beans, cucumber salad and broccoli.  Not what I wanted, but whatever.

[momtoAidenDeclan]

We are doing shrimp, cheese and crackers for apps, a whiskey cream sauce for the game hens, brussel sprouts (roasted with bacon and shallots), salad, potaotes, stuffing...
dessert is:

Caramel-Pear-Cheesecake Trifle


4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large slightly underripe Bartlett pears—peeled, cored and diced
1 cup Vanilla Bean and Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce
1 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups cold heavy cream
8 ounces gingersnap cookies, plus crushed cookies for garnish
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the diced pears. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pears are tender, 5 minutes. Scrape the pears onto a plate and refrigerate until cool.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Microwave at high power for 5 seconds, just until the gelatin is melted. Transfer the gelatin mixture to a bowl and add the cream cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup of caramel sauce. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
In another bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups of the cream until firm peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
Spoon one-fourth of the mousse into a medium trifle bowl. Top with one-fourth of the gingersnaps and one-fourth of the pears. Repeat the layering, ending with a layer of pears. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream until soft peaks form. Dollop the cream over the trifle and garnish with crushed gingersnaps.

[YouKnowWho]

That sounds DIVINE.  But where do I find the caramel sauce??

At first glance that looks elegant and allergen free (my house anyway!)  I think the family would devour that.

[CMdeux]

WOW.   That sounds amazing.

I'd need to make the gingersnaps, I think... but-- do-able. 

Hmmm.

Not sure that it would work with lasagna, though... might not be 'assertive' enough in flavor.  I'm definitely keeping that one for New Year's, though.     THANK YOU!!!

[momtoAidenDeclan]

here's the link for the dessert and in it is the link for the caramel sauce...

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/caramel-pear-cheesecake-trifle

Here's the egg-free gingersnaps I made - they rock! (I did them right away, as drop cookies)
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Ginger-Snaps-I-Allrecipes

[momtoAidenDeclan]

Xmas eve is lasagna 

[becca]

Found a marinade for the lamb:  lemon, yogurt, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper.  I tossed it all in the Vitamix and marinated overnight.  Smells wondeful.  Still roasting.  Will have roasted sweet potatoes and onion, kids will have regular baked russet potato,  and haricot verts.

[Macabre]

DH is making our tamales. We often don't do Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. We finished opening aroud 1:30 (started at 8:00--we just take our own sweet time ) and just didn't get to dinner.  I always make a veggie lasagne for Xmas Eve, and i made extra this year. We had that for lunch around 3:00 and then had popcorn and cookies for dinner while watching Doctor Who. 

I don't think tonight's dinner will be sit down, because it is very difficult for me to sit down, lol, (back muscle spasm). 

[CMdeux]

We wound up doing:

cheese ball with cracker assortment
green salad-- dark baby greens with cherry tomatoes, mushroom slices, jicama, bell pepper slices

Classic lasagna

Pumpkin spice spritz cookies, espresso ice cream (home-made) and fresh raspberries.

It was lovely and informal-- very relaxed, which was exactly right.   

[becca]

I made the spritz cookies for a party tonight.  some were plain butter cookies, but decorative with sugars, etc..., and chocolate ones, some with sugars and some with powdered sugar, and some plain.  I swear, it looked as if no ine had a single one of them when I left.    Oh well.  I think they are a nice, simple cookie.  We like that.  Whatever.

[Macabre]

Spritz cookies are the very best!  I miss our press.