Christmas 2010 Menu

Well, it's officially under a week away from Christmas. Remarkably things are well under control around here, the holiday baking is done, 90% of the Christmas Shopping is done, wrapped and under the tree, one daughter is home, the other arrives tomorrow... yep, things are in good shape. This kind of level of preparedness means only one thing: it's time to start obsessing about the Christmas menu.
I'm actually not obsessing that much since we are keeping the theme of classic family favorites going from Thanksgiving. No crazy new dishes, no Tandoori Turkey (thanks Modern Family), just things that are easy and delicious. The only real newcomer will be Jessica Moore and Sonya Robinson's AMAZING Clementine Cosmopolitans... WOW, just wow...talk about Christmas in a glass!

Christmas is always a "stay in your pajamas" kind of day for us. We may have a fancy dinner, but it is eaten with the kind of casual comfort usually only reserved for snow days and Sunday mornings with the paper. Of course Irish coffee, Bloody Mary's, Cosmopolitans, eggnogg, wine and Manhattans help a little with the relaxed (if not comatose) atmosphere.

So here it is, the 2010 Holiday menu. Over the next few days I hope to be posting most of these recipes on the blog. I hope you consider trying some of them, they are delicious and for the most part, EASY! Most of the things on this menu can be at least partially prepared in advance, so you don't spend the entire day in the kitchen. Which leaves more time for drunken Wii playing!

Christmas Menu 2010

Christmas Eve after church cocktail party by the tree:
Smoked salmon with caper and onion cream cheese on pumpernickel
Bosc Pears with Stilton
Assorted pates and crackers
Hot mixed olives with lemon zest and herbs
Rosemary Scented Pecans
Robinson Moore Clementine Cosmopolitans
Doug's famous Manhattans

Brunch:
Raspberry and Chocolate Chip Muffins
Hash Brown Casserole
Breakfast Sausage and Bacon Casserole
Irish Coffee
Mimosas
egg nog

Dinner:
Crab Bisque
Chris Pfitzer's warm Goat Cheese Salad
Beef Tenderloin with Bordelaise Sauce and Morels
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Haricots Vert with Brown Butter and Almonds

Desert:
Chocolate Buche de Noel
Christmas Cookies