Easy Peasy Christmas Menu

Christmas time is always about parties and family gatherings. I remember my mom, preparing a lot of cold cuts, salad, different kinds of courses, different types of breads, desserts, fruits and the traditional hot chocolate to share for the Christmas eve. I don't have that much talent with cooking and entertaining and in most times, somebody has to push me so I can do some parties at home too. Honestly, I do not have the patience to cut carrots, onions, de-bone stuffs etc etc. So obviously, I'm not the usual domestic diva that I thought I was.

Now, I would like to share my easy peasy christmas menu, it's fast (?), it's easy and it's definitely good but please don't judge me! lol .. as long as my guests enjoy it.. It's all good! 

Appetizer 

Spanakopita - is a greek savory pastry. It's made of phyllo pastry, butter or olive oil with spinach, feta cheese filling and seasonings. If you want to make your own, you can click on this  LINK.
Or do what I usually do, buy it frozen and put it in the oven few minutes before the party.

Crackers and Cheese Platter - Have a variety of cheeses, Gouda, Brie, Camembert,  Block cheddar cheese, Block mozzarela cheese cut into small squares. then put some crackers on the side and some fruits arrange them on a plate that should look something like this.

Image courtesy of Jorgy's cafe

Side Dishes

Scalloped Potatoes - again, if you want to make your own, go to this LINK.
But if you want to save some time, you can buy the boxed ones and follow the instructions. It'll be ready in about 20 minutes. I usually buy the ones from Betty Crocker.

Image courtesy of Betty Crocker

Taramosalata - I didn't know about this until I tasted this side dish from a friend's party. She's Greek. You can eat it with a cracker, a bread, or as an accompaniment to Steaks, Roasted chicken or BBQ ribs. Unfortunately, I do not have the recipe but I usually buy this in most Greek store or Greek restaurants, and I put it in a small serving dish to make it more presentable. 

"Taramosalata is a Greek and Turkish meze. It is traditionally made from taramas, the salted and cured roe of the cod or the carp, though blends based on other forms of fish roe, particularly cod, have become more common. The roe is mixed with either bread crumbs or mashed potato, and lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. It is usually eaten as a dip, with bread or raw vegetables. The colour can vary from creamy beige to pink, depending on the type of roe used. Mass-produced taramosalata is often a bright pink due to the addition of food colouring. The alternative spelling 'taramasalata' is sometimes found"  from Wikipedia

Tzatziki - is made of strained yoghurt (which is usually from sheep or goat milk) mixed with garlic. This is another Greek/Turkish appetizer that you usually see along with Souvlakis and Shish Taouk.  I love Tzatziki, even if  my breath usually stinks after eating it (because of the garlic), I still love it! This is available on most Greek stores and restaurants. 

Kopanisti - you might want to add a little spice on your side dishes. Kopanisti is also a Greek side dish which is made up of whipped Feta cheese and red pepper. I'm sure one or two of your guests would like to have something spicy.

Image courtesy of Krinos

By the way... I do not have a Greek or Turkish blood, but I love their food!

Pasta

How bout try my Creamy Garlic and Herb Shrimp Linguine recipe? I swear, this will be a hit to your guests!

or my Lasagna Recipe

Main Course

I usually have 2 main courses: Roasted Chicken, which I usually order from Baraka BBQ  and Oven Roasted Baby back ribs or side ribs, whichever is on specials, that I prepare the night before.

Oven Roasted Baby back/ Side ribs - After few tries of different BBQ recipes, I finally got the best one that would finally satisfy my taste buds. I got this recipe from Put Pork on Your Fork website.

 
Desserts


I usually order at least 2 pies from Rockaberry (Strawberry Shortcake and  Banana split au chocolat and Apple Crumble are three of my personal favorites).  

Image courtesy of Rockaberry

Or if you want to make your own.. 


Try my Leche flan recipe  which is always a hit to everybody.

and my Oreo cheesecake recipe

So you know what, whether it's a frozen meal, or a store bought food, or you prepared everything out of scratch, when you put them on the table, it will not matter anymore. What would matter the most is that there's something on the table that you can share with each other at this special time of the year.