Day 12 ends with a Christmas Dinner menu. We are not having Christmas at our house this year otherwise I would be making this. The last time I made it was Christmas 2009 when we told our parents that I was expecting; that seems like such a long time ago.
Menu
Arugula-Orange Salad with Pomegranate-White Wine Vinaigrette
Horseradish and Garlic Prime Rib
Roasted Wild Mushrooms
Roasted Asparagus or Fresh Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots
Mashed Potatoes
A delicious wine to pair with the Prime Rib is 2005 Finca Allende Rioja. Be sure you open up the bottle at least two hours before eating to let it breathe.
I made the Arugula-Orange Salad a couple weeks ago and actually included it in Day 3 of the Twelve Days of Christmas Celebration. I love making this salad this time of year; not only is it really tasty but I just love the colors of it. I highly recommend making the dressing with the Raspberry vinegar, it's delish.
As for the Prime Rib I have a few notes (1) I usually cut back on the amount of sea salt I use, I probably use closer to 1/4 cup versus the 1/2 cup the recipe states and (2) you must save the juices from the prime rib, it makes wonderful gravy. I have made this recipe a number of times and everyone always enjoys it.
I am sure when my husband reads this post he will have something to say about he shocking fact that I recommended a menu that contains asparagus and mushrooms. Ha, ha the jokes on me; I can't help it they go well together. This is just more support to why he decided to come up with an asparagus spear rating system for my meals. If you aren't a big asparagus person, another option is fresh green beans with sautéed shallots.
I have used two different roasted mushroom recipes in the past and both are equally as good. The first is Bobby Flay's Oven Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme and the second is Tyler Florence's Wild Mushrooms, you will be pleased with either option.
Fresh Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots
Trim the ends off your green beans and blanch them in boiling salted water for approximately 5 minutes. Drain from water and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Meanwhile in a separate pan, sauté diced shallots (2-3 large shallots) in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Let the shallots soften and brown slightly. Then add the green beans to the pan and heat them back through, stirring regularly. Season with Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste.
Roasted Asparagus
Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears, place in single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
I always make my standard mashed potato recipe you can refer to my earlier blog posts for the recipe. I have made them so many times I don't measure anything anymore so it was difficult when I tried documenting the recipe. In any case you can refer to my Thanksgiving post if you are making roughly 5 pounds of potatoes or my Garlic Herb Pork Loin post if you are making a smaller portion.
I probably won't be posting again before the holidays as I will be busy finishing up my Christmas shopping. Yes, I am that person. I don't know why I waited until the bitter end. I normally really enjoy Christmas shopping; I think it's so fun to look around and really find a fitting gift for everyone. Unfortunately I don't know that I have been as creative this year since I am in crunch time now. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and enjoys spending time with their families.
Merry Christmas!
Showing posts with label holiday dinner party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday dinner party. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Day 3: Holiday Dinner Party
Last night I had a small gathering for my mom's birthday, Becky & Thierry, Megan & Pat and my parents all came over to celebrate. We had a great time and I hope everyone enjoyed the food.
Menu
Appetizers
Assorted Cheeses and Crackers
Marinated Olives
Meatballs
Main Course
Arugula Orange Salad with Pomegranate White Wine Vinaigrette
Beef Tenderloin
Pan-Seared Scallops with Black Grapes and Almonds
Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes
Roasted Asparagus
Dessert
Chocolate Cake
My sister Becky brought the appetizers; the cheese tray consisted of Midnight Moon, 15 Year Aged Cheddar and Camembert. The meatballs are a great appetizer and are super easy to make. You take a 12 oz. bottle of chili sauce and a 12 oz jar of grape jelly and heat them in a pan on low (stirring frequently) until combined. You then take a package of frozen cocktail meatballs and add them to the mixture, coating them evenly. You can either continue to cook then in the pot or move them to a crock pot to heat them through.
I have made this salad for Christmas a couple of times and I absolutely love it. Not only does it look great on a plate because of all the colors but it tastes great. The only thing that is rather time consuming is de-seeding the pomegranate, it's also quite messy. In case you have never cut a pomegranate before this link has very helpful instructions with how to cut and de-seed a pomegranate.
The beef tenderloin was prepared the same way I have made it in the past; check out the post called Good Food, Great Friends from July for the details on how to make the marinade. I have also made the Scallops before, although since Champagne grapes are not in season this time of year I had to go with the Black grapes. I didn't photograph them last night but you can check out my post called Pan-Seared Scallops with Champagne Grapes from August when I made them for the first time. The only thing I was disappointed about with this recipe last night was the coloring of the sauce; it was a purple-gray. I can only assume this was from the different type of grape I used. The scallops still had great flavor.
I found the mashed parsnip and potato recipe on the food network website; it's a Tyler Florence recipe. Any recipe I have ever made of his has been delicious so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this, and I was right, it was delicious. I ended up making this a couple hours ahead of time and then moved it to a casserole dish with a lid. About 45 minutes before dinner I put it in the oven to heat it back through. It turned out great. One note I would make is to be sure the parsnips are really tender when you start mashing as I had a couple pieces I had to pull out because they wouldn't mash. I didn't have a food mill so I handed mashed them and then used a hand mixer.
As far as the asparagus goes I placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet. I drizzled the asparagus with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Place in oven on 475 for about 15 minutes.
My sister, Megan, brought the cake...it was divine. She got it a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting from Standard Market; we will definitely be getting some bakery items from there in the future. I let Stella have a couple small licks of the frosting last night and she must have really like it because today she was pointing at the counter saying "pie" over and over again until I gave her a little lick.
Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you had a great night!
Menu
Assorted Cheeses and Crackers
Marinated Olives
Meatballs
Main Course
Arugula Orange Salad with Pomegranate White Wine Vinaigrette
Beef Tenderloin
Pan-Seared Scallops with Black Grapes and Almonds
Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes
Roasted Asparagus
Dessert
Chocolate Cake
My sister Becky brought the appetizers; the cheese tray consisted of Midnight Moon, 15 Year Aged Cheddar and Camembert. The meatballs are a great appetizer and are super easy to make. You take a 12 oz. bottle of chili sauce and a 12 oz jar of grape jelly and heat them in a pan on low (stirring frequently) until combined. You then take a package of frozen cocktail meatballs and add them to the mixture, coating them evenly. You can either continue to cook then in the pot or move them to a crock pot to heat them through.
 |
| Arugula Orange Salad with Pomegranate White Wine Vinaigrette |
The beef tenderloin was prepared the same way I have made it in the past; check out the post called Good Food, Great Friends from July for the details on how to make the marinade. I have also made the Scallops before, although since Champagne grapes are not in season this time of year I had to go with the Black grapes. I didn't photograph them last night but you can check out my post called Pan-Seared Scallops with Champagne Grapes from August when I made them for the first time. The only thing I was disappointed about with this recipe last night was the coloring of the sauce; it was a purple-gray. I can only assume this was from the different type of grape I used. The scallops still had great flavor.
 |
| Mashed Parsnip and Potato |
As far as the asparagus goes I placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet. I drizzled the asparagus with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Place in oven on 475 for about 15 minutes.
My sister, Megan, brought the cake...it was divine. She got it a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting from Standard Market; we will definitely be getting some bakery items from there in the future. I let Stella have a couple small licks of the frosting last night and she must have really like it because today she was pointing at the counter saying "pie" over and over again until I gave her a little lick.
Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you had a great night!
 |
| This meal was rated 3.5 asparagus spears |
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