Tuesday, December 22, 2020
I thought I would share last minute ideas with you in case you are in need of some at the last minute! If I’m too late maybe you can use some for New Year’s Eve. I feel like this is going to be like 1999 NYE? But, what will 2021 bring?
This Christmas probably looks different (if it doesn’t I’m calling the Covid police on you!); more of the work may be on you without the extended family to help. As if the Moms didn’t have enough to do already, right? But, maybe 2020 has forced you to simplify. If there ever were a time to choose simple, it is this year, right?
It isn’t too late to do one last grocery pick up. If you aren’t picking up your groceries, you should. It is truly life changing!
I am planning for a Christmas Eve dinner for our family of four, Christmas morning brunch for our family of four, and a Christmas Day dinner for our family of four. Then, on December 26, somebody better go get me some take out food, ok? I love menu planing and cooking but I know I will be done by then.
Here are some ideas and I will share my/our menu plans at the end of the post.
Christmas Taco Salad – If you can find the red and green chips this can be really fun. Just do your taco meat and add whatever toppings. I bet kids would love a Christmas Taco Bar!
Order a Chick-Fil-A Heat it When you Need it tray. Or, if you don’t need that much, just get some ahead of time and heat in oven when ready. Serve with toothpicks. My kids loved foods with toothpicks and dipping sauces when they were little. Pick out the red and green toothpicks from your container!
Have Appetizers! This is what we are doing for either Eve or Day – haven’t decided yet. Here is one recipe I plan to make.
Open Faced Mini Rye Toasts – I love rye bread and this little cocktail bread is hard to find. My Aunt Judy has the best recipes and I have so many memories of her food upon our yearly Christmas trip to her house in a suburb of Chicago. Here is her recipe:
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. pork sausage
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 lb. Velveeta
Brown the sausage and beef and drain. Add W sauce and oregano. Add Velveeta. When cheese is melted, spread the mixture on top of the little rye on a cookie sheet. Broil for a minute then serve. You can prep ahead and it will work fine, too.
I am doing this but cutting the recipe in 1/2 at least for my family of four.
Think Red and Green Foods! Spaghetti, Lasagna, broccoli. The food can be normal dinner food.
Order pizza a day or two before and freeze. It warms up nicely on a cookie sheet in a low temp. oven.
Order Chinese or Mexican food for Eve. Most of our restaurants are open but some close early. I would say order early and then re-heat. I am re-heating for at least 20 seconds anyway just to be safe. Use your Christmas plates and it makes it really fun!
Just order chips and salsa/queso! We have been doing this for the last few years to have on Christmas day. The boys thought of it one year and it stuck.
Here is my menu:
Christmas Eve or Day:
ham (Kroger had spiral cut hams on sale for $8. They are huge) We usually get Honey Baked Ham but I don’t feel like spending $75 to get the ham sweats, you know?
Hawaiian buns or Sister Schubert’s rolls (I bought both)
Potato Casserole
Macaroni and Cheese
Green beans
Christmas Morning:
Egg Casserole (I will make this the day before)
Mimosas for the over 21 females (just me)
Virgin Mimosas for the rest
Monkey Bread (I think I can assemble the day before)
Christmas Day or Eve:
Cocktail Rye open faced toasts from above
Lil Smokies (small crockpot with grape jelly and chili sauce)
Beef and cream cheese roll ups (thin beef – spread cream cheese and roll up and cut – Jack loves)
Chips and Salsa
cream cheese and pepper jelly dip
carrots, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, grape tomatoes veggie tray
grape tomatoes with tiny mozzarella balls and balsamic
mini bagels with veggie cream cheese and cucumbers
The family is getting Monopoly Deal this year (upon a rec from a friend!) and we have last year’s game that never got played – The Game of Things – still bitter about that! I think it might be fun to do the apps with the games. My boys are hilarious (not biased at all) if we can get them to play a board game with us and if they are in the mood to be hilarious. Teenagers.
What are your plans? I need to know!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
We’ll be at my sister’s house for Christmas Eve and Day but I’ll be making a breakfast casserole and mimosas and fuzzy navels on Christmas morning. All of your ideas are so good, if it were just the 4 of us I’d be all over appetizers, that is my favorite kind of food anyway!
xo,
Kellyann
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looking up what a fuzzy navel is now! I can’t remember. Just being curious – is your family not worried about gathering or is that you can be outside? Is that the norm in Florida?
LikeLike
This is so helpful! Normally we will have a big meal on Christmas Eve with out family, then on Christmas morning we will have a breakfast casserole. This year we are having the easiest and delicious casserole! It is just sausage, cream cheese, and crescent rolls. I am putting the link to it below.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/168244/simple-sausage-casserole/
LikeLike
Thank you Abby! I love that recipe – it tastes so much like biscuits and gravy which I love. I like something sweet in the morning on holidays, too! I love monkey bread and cinnamon rolls!
LikeLike
Try pickle roll ups. Wrap large dill pickles with the thin beef spread with cream cheese so they are completely wrapped around. Wrap tightly with Saran Wrap and chill a few hours. Slice into rounds to serve. This was always a favorite growing up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I have had – we like the plain better! I love pickles, though!
LikeLike
So many great ideas! I’m making lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner and then muffins, quiche and fruit for Christmas morning. After that, everyone is on their own 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I thought about lasagna! I have been craving it. That is a great plan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOVE your red and green chips idea for a taco salad! We may do that tomorrow night! And……I never knew about the Chick Fila Heat it when you need it chicken…….our kids will LOVE that!!
We are doing Christmas at our home with just the 5 of us. Then, my sister is joining us. Her sweet husband passed away this August and this is her first Christmas without him, so we are all missing him terribly.
We are getting a big snow storm tomorrow here in MN!! So excited! Perfect timing to cozy up!
Christmas isn’t Christmas without Cranberry/Cream cheese dip!!! It is the BEST!!! If you like cilantro, you’ll GO NUTS!!!
Merry Christmas to you!!! I LOVE your blog!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! The red and green chips are probably on a stand somewhere and not in the chip aisle – FYI.
I have never tried the CFA like that but we buy extra all the time and microwave it. Sometimes we even buy it on Saturday and eat it on Sunday! Shhh – don’t tell!
That will be sweet with the 5 of you and of course your sister should join you! I’m so sorry!
I would love an inch!
I know what dip you are talking about and have it in a cookbook. Maybe I will try it. I do have cilantro and cranberries.
Merry Christmas to you, too! Thank you soooo much!
LikeLike
Christmas Eve my daughter and I will do our 5k walk. Then go get our favorite coffee from our favorite coffee truck. She and I are making a gingerbread house that afternoon, baking cookies and I will make lasagna for Cmas Day. Cmas Eve we are having Skinny Pizza dough make your own pizzas and wine. and cookies. Christmas morning my mom will join us and we are having scrambled eggs, Trader Joe cinnamon rolls (the best!) fruit, bacon and mimosas. For lunch its just the 3 of us and we will have the lasagna and Taylor is making a Christmas tree of bread rolls with garlic butter. Yum and Caesar salad. And WINE. we like our wine. We are going to open our stockings to each other on Cmas Eve and then we are also watching Safety (the Clemson football player true story) on Disney +…….whew. Sounds like alot but I think it will be perfect. Normally we go to the movies on Cmas Day. This will be a first for us! Merry Christmas!!
LikeLike
I used to make those rye toasts but haven’t in awhile. Need to again! Our daughter and grandkids were coming to our house today for Christmas but weather forecast isn’t very promising. We postponed it until Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to the Scott family 🎄🎅🏻🎁
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m excited to make them – I’m picturing us eating them by the fire pit outside but probably not gonna happen that way but one can dream.
I’m sorry you had to postpone. Thank you Eva! Same to you and your family and I hope Friday turns out great!
LikeLike