Help!!! Christmas Eve Dinner Food!!!

We do a taco bar on xmas eve. Taco meat in crock pot, warm refried beans in the microwave, serve with tortillas, chips, taco shells, cheese, lettuce, etc. Everyone has loved this cause they can make tacos, nachos, burritos, whatever they choose. It's fast and easy. Good luck and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

1 mom found this helpful

We use our roaster just like a timed oven. I have made turkeys and roasts in it. I just follow the directions for the oven, and they have turned out great. We are in an older house with a smaller oven, as well. The roaster was a great invetment for us. It freed up our oven for the side dishes. As others have said, crockpots are another option. for cooking and keeping warm. I have seen one that you can cook two different sides in at the same time. I googled it, and it is made by Hamilton Beach.

Double Dish Crockpot
http://www.shopping.com/-double+crock+pot

1 mom found this helpful

potato salad, cole slaw, beans in the crockpot, deviled eggs, jello no bake cream pies, rachel ray's five minute fudge, hot rolls, steam mixed veggies in the microwave, you can also microwave baked potatoes.
and I'd serve them on some hefty duty paper plates!
Merry Christmas!

1 mom found this helpful

A cheap toaster oven is just as cheap as a crockpot as well and you can make pretty much anything you'd make in an oven. You can get one for $25 at walmart.

Here are some veggie recipes that might help... http://www.cooksrecipes.com/sidedishes/vegetable-side-dis...

And here is a link with Thanksgiving stove-top and slow cooker recipes:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1039912/easy_slo...

1 mom found this helpful

Try some veggies......you can put broccoli, carrots, asparagus all in a baking dish and drizzle them with olive oil and fresh slices of garlic.....when you pull the roast out, put them in at 375-400 and bake about 15 minutes....they will be wonderfully crispy and hot and garlicy!.....one of my favorites and healthy too

1 mom found this helpful

This is one of my favorite recipes for a quick and easy meal that can be as small or large as you need: http://burbmom.net/?p=831

1 mom found this helpful

Here's a good "do-ahead" recipe I got from a friend of mine

Heavenly Potatoes

6 - 10 medium size potatoes (sliced, cooked & mashed)
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese (regular, light or fat free...your choice!)
1 sm (8 oz) sour cream (reg, light or fat free)
2 - 3 tsp of finely chopped onion (cook w/the potatoes)
dash of garlic salt
dash - sprinkle of black pepper
grated cheese
butter or margarine

After you have cooked & mashed the potatoes; add cream cheese & sour cream. Stir until well blended! A few lumps are okay. Add the garlic salt & pepper. Stir. Spread potato mixture into a casserole dish. Drop a few dabs of butter on top. Cover w/foil & put in fridge over night. (You can also cook this in the morning & leave in fridge until you are ready for it). Pre heat oven to 350. Bake the potatoes until bubbly around the edges & warm in the middle. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Put back into oven until cheese melts.

If you want a cold dish, this is a HUGE hit at my house, especially with the kids, but haven't met an adult yet who doesn't love it! It's super fast and easy and can be made the day before if you prefer.

Fruit Salad

15 oz can Light Fruit Cocktail
20 oz an Pineapple Tidbits (not heavy syrup)
11 oz can Mandarin Oranges
2 pkg White Chocolate Pudding Mix (may substitute Vanilla)
8 oz Fat Free Sour Cream
6 oz Fat Free Cool Whip

1) Drain fruit, reserving ½ cup liquid (I usually hold out a little more just in case)
2) Mix pudding with reserve juice
3) Stir in sour cream and cool whip
4) Fold in Fruit

1 mom found this helpful

Why don't you pick up a couple sides or something from Entree Vous in Southlake? I copied this from the Local Business Reviews under Food>Meal Preparation/Recipes:

Take & Bake Meal Preparation/Assembly Kitchen. Great healthy meals using homemade sauces and fresh herbs for people too busy or just don't want to cook.Our entrees come in Family size serves 4-6, and Regular size serves 2 - 3. Visit our website: www.entreevous.com to view our complete menu. Also, Anne posted a coupon for $7.50 off! Merry Christmas!

We no longer go... but in my hubby's family, the Christmas eve tradition is that each family brings a dish... usually finger foods (chicken wings, veggie trays, fruit plates, dips, sweets, etc.) rather than a sit down meal. Everyone LOVES this-- everyone is pleased. I highly recommend this idea for large gatherings.

We always did tamales rice/beans - a fun Tex/Mex feast for Christmas Eve. Its a lot of fun and doesn't take too much prep time.

Good luck!

How about a veggie tray and a fruit tray. All can be done the day before like the potato salad listed below and need no heating. ALso, I know there are some macaroni and cheese recipes for the crock pot. YOu could get a couple mini crock pots (only about $10 at Walmart) too for some beans or other cooked vegetables. Cranberries like at Thanksgiving require no heating. Maybe some bread in a bread maker. Or if you don't have a bread maker, some heat and serve rolls that only require a few minutes to heat. I also have a corn casserole recipe that can be done in the microwave. PM me if you want it.

Get a six-slice size toaster oven--it will fit a pie plate or a regular six-muffin tin. I love mine and I use it almost exclusively in the summer. You can use it to heat "last minute" items and even cook a few things, too.

My suggestion would be to do mashed potatoes on the stove top and asparagus in the oven after the prime rib comes out. Put the asparagus on a foil lined cookie sheet, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and put in a 500 oven for five minutes. It's yummy. You could also do a green salad or fruit salad. Usually prime rib needs to stand for a bit after coming out of the oven before being sliced, so you probably have time to reheat a side if you need to or do rolls.

Good luck and Merry Christmas.

go to party america and buy those serving dishes with bunsen burners....I'm sure they are on sale, everything else is! That way you can make your yummy side dishes and put them over the burners while you warm other things. also..sweet potatoes...cook in microwave and can warm them also. I'm sure your dinner will be fabulous! don't stress!

My oven is relatively small too - I cook ahead and keep warm in a crock pot. The biggest thing I do is cook my meat in an electric roaster with a baking bag. But I've never cooked prime rib, so I have no idea how that would hold.

If you have a crock pot use it. Mashed potatoes stay nice and warm if you make them and then put them in the crock pot.

H.

The crock pot is a great idea..maybe you even know someone you could borrow another one from and have 2 going at the same time. They are great for cooking, or, if you need, cook something in the oven/stove and just keep it warm....like mashed potatos. Allrecipes.com is a major lifesaver for me, so I would look for well reviews recipes for the crockpot and go from there. Ohh...and it is always my job to make deviled eggs for our big meals..so that could go with your veggie tray. (Also, if you happen to know your neighbors well enough..you could be like me and have to throw something in their oven too:) Thank goodness for great neighbors!!) Good luck and happy cooking!~A.~

Hi S.-
I can relate to your stress-I actually did not sleep last night worrying about getting all my food prepared for family/friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. And I have double ovens. Bless your heart! But do not worry because you have had some great suggestions from other moms. Mine would be this, and I have done this many times in the past, do a BUFFET. Buy some bakery rolls, have your choice of deli meats sliced (your can even do a yummy roast beef), have some good sliced cheese (creamy havarti is delicious) then put out some fancy chutney and mustard/mayo. You can do all that way ahead. Add some of the sides suggested in other posts too. A cheese tray. Some nuts. Even asparagus can be steamed ahead of time and served cold, just drizzle with olive oil/balsamic vinegar. Add some pretty Christmas cookies and you are done with no worries about no ovens/stovetop space.

You are blessed to have so many loved ones who want to spend the holidays with you and your family! Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Like another post, try the crock pot! You can search online for recipies for stuffing and all sorts of stuff.

For Christmas eve we usually just make a big homemade pot/crock pot of taco or tortilla soup and make munchies and yummy finger foods to go with it. It is good, easy to walk around with and everyone seems to like it.

Good luck! :)

Most people like potato salad and you can make it the day before and it doesn't need to be heated.

Do you have a crock pot? If so you can cook chili or stew. Or you could purchase a whole chicken and poor in two cans of soups you like, like french onion and mushroom. Chicken also taste good with tomato bisque and onion.

If you are close to lewisville and need to borrow my crock pot just write me a message and we can set something up. I hope all goes well, and Merry Christmas!