Hosting a Stress Free Christmas Dinner: Part Two

The best way to ensure you spend the day relaxing and enjoying family time on Christmas Day is to commit some time in the few days before Christmas to get most of the work done. 

Here is my plan for getting it all done without stress or kitchen chaos.  I have not included amounts as it will depend how many people you are serving. 

I suggest allocating a place in your home to place your turkey to thaw (if you're using a frozen one give it at least three days) and to put all of your other prepared food until you need it.  In winter, I use the work bench in my garage, as it is very near the same temperature as my fridge, and keeps my fridge clear for other stuff. 

Two days before Christmas:

Actually, all of these tasks could be completed up to 5 days before the big meal.  Once the bread is dry and hard (after a few days), just place it into bread bags and store until you need it. 

The following tasks should take you 60-90 minutes, unless you are making buns which will take about 4.5 hours in total, about 45 minutes of which is actual hands-on work.  Of course, purchasing buns from the grocery store is also perfectly acceptable!!

• Make the Buns: My mom thankfully offered to make the buns for Christmas dinner (and leftovers!) but if you want to make them, check out the recipe:  click here for the link to my mother's bun recipe

• Make the cranberry-cherry-orange sauce: In a medium saucepan, place roughly equal amounts of fresh cranberries and frozen cherries.  Add about 1/2 cup sugar and 4 tbsp. marmalade for each two cups of berries.  Pop in a cinnamon stick and add a splash of water and turn the heat on to medium. Bring to a simmer and allow the sugar to dissolve, then taste it and add more sugar to suit your tastes (be careful as it is HOT!) Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, or until it becomes slightly thick and coats the back of a spoon.  Taste one last time and adjust sweetness if necessary.  Refrigerate until needed.

• Make the honey balsamic reduction: I suggest using a whole bottle of balsamic vinegar for this, no matter how many people you are serving.   The reason is that this stuff is amazing drizzled over just about anything: omelets, pasta dishes, salads, even ice cream.  Pour the balsamic into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Simmer gently until it is reduced by two thirds.  Add a few tablespoons of honey and continue simmering until it becomes syrupy and coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool before pouring into a squeeze bottle.  Store until needed.  No need to refrigerate.

• Prepare the ingredients for the stuffing: Start by cutting the white bread into 1 inch pieces and placing them out on trays to dry.  Leave them somewhere out of the way until you need them on Christmas day.  They will become dry, hard and stale, which is exactly what you want.  Next, for each loaf of bread you are using, chop 2 medium onions and two celery stalks along with about a teaspoon each of fresh thyme, rosemary and sage.  If you have the turkey neck, gizzard and heart, brown them in a large frying pan with a little oil, then set aside.  In the same large frying pan, melt 1/2 cup of butter.  Add the vegetales and herbs along with 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, and a large pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 15 minutes, scraping up any brown bits from the neck etc, and then add a splash of white wine and allow it to cook down for a few more minutes.  And yes, at this point you are essentially boiling your vegetables in butter.  It's only once a year my friends! Refrigerate the cooked down mixture with the neck etc. until Christmas morning when you will combine it with the stale bread, pack it into your slow cooker with a splash of chicken stock, and leave it be until dinner time!

• Roast and Chop the Walnuts: Place the whole nuts in a microwave safe dish.  Microwave on high for one minute.  Stir.  Continue microwaving at one minute increments, stirring each time, until the walnuts become fragrant.  Be very careful not to overcook or burn them.  If you think they are almost done, switch to 20-30 second increments.   Cool slightly, then chop roughly and store.

• Boil the Eggs:  These are for the layered salad.  Simply place as many eggs as you want (I'm doing one egg for every 3-4 people) into a small saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and set the timer for 6 minutes.  When the 6 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat, drain the eggs and cover with cool water.  Once cool, refrigerate until needed.