Dinner Is Served! (Traditional Christmas dinner)

Member Name: madgoose10

Product:	Traditional Christmas dinner
Date:	20/10/08 (363 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: food, family, Christmas crackers

Disadvantages: maybe the calories, but it's only one day

The one thing everyone looks forward to in winter is food. The foods that are so deliciously homemade, over the top, and calorie laden are usually the best. What makes them even better is that you have to wait all year for them. Christmas of course, is the culmination of all these wonderful foods, with the centerpiece in the form of a fat golden turkey. Although, do not think that we go through all those silly rituals of starving ourselves on Christmas for just the turkey! We starve ourselves so we can stuff ourselves silly with all those glorious side dishes. Christmas dinner contains all the foods that give someone that comforting feeling, like a hug from the inside. They are the types of dishes that are so filling that they perfectly compliment that sleepy, Tryptophan state of being, and you have the best sleep of your life.

It's funny every year since I have known my husband I have actually been having two Christmas dinners. On Christmas day we have dinner at his parents' house, which includes my husband, his mom, dad, two brothers, and myself. However, a couple of weeks before Christmas we go to visit my parents in Florida, where we have an early Christmas dinner. The result of these two dinners is a mash up of favorite dishes and traditions that are both British and American.

--Food:--

--Sweet Potatoes & Marshmallows--
This dish is the ultimate in American indulgence. Even saying the name of this dish makes me salivate, you do not have to be a genius to figure out this is my all time favorite. This side dish is a lovely contrast to all those savory flavors on the Christmas plate. The sweet potatoes are peeled, cubed, topped with a little bit of butter and brown sugar. Now for the piece de resistance a layer of mini marshmallows covering the sweet potatoes and at the last few minutes of cooking placed under the grill for that toasted, golden goodness.

--Mashed Potatoes--
Any Christmas dinner is not complete without the addition of mashed potatoes. What other food makes a perfect vehicle for holding gravy without it leaking out and spreading all over the plate.

--Cranberry Sauce--
This side dish is best when it's homemade and not out of the can. I use fresh cranberries, water, sugar, orange juice and zest, lemon juice and zest. It is also important to use a tart apple such as a Granny Smith. It's easy; you first rinse the cranberries, and then add them to the pot with just enough water to cover them and about a cup of sugar. In the meantime, peel and cube the apple. The apple is important because the pectin thickens the sauce. Boil for about 5-10 minutes until the cranberries begin to pop open, then turn down the heat to a simmer, add the zest, juice, and apple, and cook for about 15-20 minutes. You can adjust the sugar to whatever tartness you like.

--Yorkshire Pudding--
Light, crispy little Yorkshire puddings need I say more? Yorkshire puddings are perfect for mopping up any gravy left on the plate.

--Gravy--
Gravy made from scratch using a roux (butter and flour mix) and dripping from the turkey tin is heavenly. You have the use the giblets otherwise it's not proper gravy. I also like adding some apple cider for that really Christmas-y feeling. Apple cider gives the gravy real body without using cream, as well as a tangy flavor. However, I must mention that if I mention apple cider in the UK people think I'm talking about an alcoholic drink. The apple cider I'm talking about is in the American sense of the word; it's just a thicker, darker version of apple juice because it contains all of the apple rather than just the juice. I recommend if you can find some, try it!

--Desserts:--

America wins out on this category hands down! Perfect, traditional desserts for me are apple pie (who would have guessed?) and sweet potato pie.

My only gripe with Christmas dinner, anywhere in the world, is why does it have to be so early? Why is everyone eating dinner as early as 3 o'clock? Any other day of the year dinner is at 6 p.m. or later, so what's the point of eating so early when in a couple of hours you will be hungry again? Hmm it's a Christmas mystery I will never understand.

--Traditions:--

One of my favorite British traditions that I discovered since visiting Scotland is Christmas crackers! I love the silliness of receiving a paper crown that is usually too big for everyone's head and wearing it like royalty throughout the meal. I like the fact that it's equivalent to "breaking the wishbone" in America, except with crackers you actually receive a prize that flies out with a loud snap. Another bonus is the look on everyone's face when they hear the punch line to those ridiculously cheesy jokes; it just makes the whole dinner a bit of a laugh.

These are the foods and traditions that make my Christmas dinner perfect. I often think these types of food taste so much better in winter because people are usually sharing them around a dinner table surrounded by all their loved ones.

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Summary: my perfect Christmas dinner