The moment you know you’ll be cooking Christmas dinner is when the creativity begins.
What will you prepare? What traditional foods will you serve? What exotic dishes will you entice your holiday guests with? What herbs and spices will you use, and will they complement each other? These are some of the questions you should be asking yourself. The sooner you get your answers, the sooner you’ll feel at peace with the process.
The first step to creating a great Christmas dinner is to decide on the main entrée. Turkey, ham, and beef roast are three traditional choices. If you’re planning on using a non-traditional entrée, such as duck, wild game, or a tofu turkey, make sure you also have at least one traditional option. Otherwise, your guests may feel like there’s “nothing to eat,” despite all the other dishes you’re serving.
Let’s say you choose both turkey and ham as your main entrées. For specific details on cooking a turkey, click here.
Now, with pen and paper in hand, jot down two ideas for starchy vegetables, two ideas for bread/rolls, stuffing, gravy, three vegetable ideas, two fruit ideas, and three dessert ideas. Don’t forget about homemade cranberry jelly—it doesn’t really fall into any of these categories, but it’s an essential part of your meal! This pattern will serve as the basic foundation for a spectacular holiday feast.
Don’t worry if your holiday budget doesn’t allow for all these dishes! If you’re pinching pennies, create your menu based on one traditional entrée, two starchy vegetables, one type of bread, one vegetable, a salad, one fruit, and one dessert. Serve it with love, and your meal will be more than wonderful—it will be memorable.
Planning Ahead Can Include Cooking and Reheating
Cooking Christmas dinner starts the day before the meal is served. If you’re making homemade dinner rolls and apple pie, you can bake them the day before and simply reheat them prior to the meal. They’ll still taste fresh, and having these two items ready ahead of time will reduce the overwhelming feeling of having too many dishes to prepare. It will also free up your oven for the most important items you want served freshest.
Some people even cook the holiday turkey the day before, then slice it and reheat it, baste it in broth to enhance the flavor even more. Don’t dismiss this option without giving it some thought—you’ll have less clean-up time after the meal and more time to relax with your guests.
To make the cooking process smoother, create a schedule. It should look similar to the one below. Modify it if you’ve prepared a few items the day before.
5:00 a.m. – Put the 15-18 lb turkey into the oven.
6:00 a.m. – Baste the turkey.
6:30 a.m. – Baste the turkey.
7:00 a.m. – Put frozen broccoli into the pot they’ll be cooked in. Cover. Baste the turkey.
7:30 a.m. – Prepare salad. Refrigerate. Baste the turkey.
8:00 a.m. – Set mixed nuts in a bowl. Baste the turkey. Make spiced cider in the crockpot.
8:30 a.m. – Prepare fruit salad or fruit wedges and set them on the serving dish. Baste the turkey.
9:00 a.m. – Set the table. Baste the turkey.
9:30 a.m. – Baste the turkey for the last time.
10:00 a.m. – Take the turkey out of the oven. Put the stuffing in foil or a baking tin, cover it, and set aside on the counter. (You’ll reheat it slightly if needed). Collect pan drippings and make gravy. Place apple pie in the oven to bake, along with potatoes or sweet potatoes. (For mashed potatoes, click here.)
10:30 a.m. – Carve the turkey. Place meat on a platter. Take butter out of the refrigerator to soften. Prepare beverages, such as coffee and tea. Pour cider into a serving pitcher (or leave it in the crockpot and add a ladle).
10:45 a.m. – Warm homemade rolls in a 200°F oven. Place salad, cranberry sauce, and other cold items on the dinner table. Start heating vegetables on low heat.
11:00 a.m. – Remove hot apple pie from the oven. Take ice cream out of the freezer to soften. Take the rolls out of the oven and place them in a basket on the dinner table along with all other hot foods.
11:05 a.m. – Seat guests. Say a thankfulness prayer. Dig in!
Every great chef creates a schedule; the only difference is that some people create it in their heads. Cooking Christmas dinner with a schedule ensures that everything gets done when it should. Now go have your best-planned holiday meal ever!
