This was the first holiday spent in our house. (Last year, we spent Christmas and New Year’s in the Philippines.) David decided to have the whole family over for Christmas Eve and I gladly stepped up to the challenge.
Ambitious as I was, here’s what I had on the menu, almost all of it homemade:
APPETIZERS:
Honey Dijon Mini-Chicken Drumsticks
Mango Galettes
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
Avocado and Goat Cheese Dip with Plain Tortilla Chips
Garlic Salsa (from a jar)
Cheese and Crackers (Smoked Gouda and Port Wine Cheddar; all store-bought)
MAIN COURSE:
Honey-Glazed Ham (store-bought)
Breaded Turkey Cutlets
Sotanghon
Green Beans with Lemon Butter Topped with Toasted Almonds
Mashed Potatoes (made awesomely by my sister-in-law)
Sweetened Yams (another awesome creation by sis-in-law)
DESSERT:
Leche Flan
Apple Pie (courtesy of pop-in-law)
Coconut Custard Pie (store-bought; didn’t quite work out!)
Coffee
Hot Chocolate
Eggnog
Bonus: I adorned the Christmas tree with a variety of chocolates so guests could “pluck” them from the tree.
Hungry yet?
I had everything planned a week in advance, but as always, nothing ever works out as smoothly as one intends. I was going to start cooking the day before, but all I managed to do that day was marinate the little chicken drumsticks.
The following day, realizing I had my work cut out for me, I woke up extra early to get things rolling. I re-organized my schedule and managed to finish preparing the appetizers just as the guests started to arrive.
The main course was easier to prepare than I thought. But I have to say, had it not been for David’s help, the whole thing would have been a big mess.
End result: Everyone loved the food and had a great time. After all our hard work, seeing the satisfied faces of our guests was all that mattered. That, and opening the presents.
Next up—New Year’s Eve. Quite the opposite of Christmas Eve. But more about that later…
9 comments:
Glad to see you are back yay! You did do it yay! Thanks for your call jade, it was unexpected and a great surprise. Sana make an LJ account lang, dont update it ra, just use it to read LJ ppl :) -KK
sus Other na lang unta diay akong gigamit hehehe :D
congrats on your xmas feast, domestic to the max ;) pareho na ta hahahaha, I love preparing food for visitors though, as in. ambot naunsa na ko.
Neneng! Welcome back and happy new year! I love the chocolate Christmas tree idea, but I doubt if the choklit trimmings will last more than two hours in our household. :D Very impressive imong Christmas menu! This year I tried my hand at preparing the Christmas buffet too (instead of having stuff catered) and I'm happy to report dili ikauwaw ang akong ham (store-bought pero ne-retoke ko), cherry waldorf salad, kiwi cheesecake, and hot chicken salad. Yay.
yipee!!! -- tedo
looks yummy...welcome back Jade!
--douine
KK--Thanks! I never thought I'd be capable of cooking various dishes, let alone cooking for a big party.
Dines--We've been very good with the chocolates. We still have some on the tree now! Also--if you have more leftover kiwi cheesecake, please send a couple of slices my way. Place them in a styrofoam box with dry ice at the bottom. That should keep.
Tedo--labad pa imong ulo? How did it go? I might call you later.
your christmas buffet sounds yummy... had to work during xmas eve and new year's eve though. :-( Welcome back, Jade! Happy New Year, original J-Lo. :D
Douine--Thanks! It feels good to be back!
Anonymous--Not sure who you are but thank you. Sorry you had to work during the holidays. Did you at least get double pay?
Everyone--I turned the comment moderation off. It's annoying. Everyone should see their comments right away.
I should point out for the record that Jade did most of the work that day (and while wearing knee-high boots, no less). I wasn't even much of a sous chef--I was more of a busboy!
The food couldn't have been better. Everyone had seconds and even thirds (as did I).
The next morning we prepared breakfast for the people who'd spent the night. This was followed by multiple viewings of the holiday classic A CHRISTMAS STORY (it was being aired back-to-back-to-back in a 24-hour marathon).
We may not have had a white Christmas, but it was a picture-perfect holiday nonetheless...
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