Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[jdmessner]

We had our first snow yesterday, so it must be time to start thinking about our annual Christmas party. I am not sure I could pull it off without your help! I do hope this is not getting too repetitive each year. The party is in a new place with new people, so there are no previous expectations. There is a very nice fellowship hall with a commercial kitchen (and a commercial dishwasher)! I am looking forward to hosting the party in this setting.

Originally, I thought we’d be in great shape for the party after visiting Bethlehem. We were going to be inspired by all kinds of stories to tell, great food ideas and inovative ways to decorate. That didn’t happen, but I think we have come up with a good alternative plan. The biggest change is that we are going to do all hors d'oeuvres, rather than serve a meal buffet style. This will free us up from standing behind a serving line and we can get away with smaller portions. Here are some of the ideas so far:

Outside station with mulled cider, Christmas music, and hot chestnuts on an open fire

Bread and Soup - TBD
Greek Salad Skewers – basically a Greek salad on a stick, without the annoying green stuff.
Various kinds of hummus with assorted vegetables
Igloo cheeseball with penguins
Spanakopita
Aged top sirloin on garlic toast with horseradish sauce on the side
Smoked Salmon Dip
Leg of Lamb on small pita rounds with Tzatziki sauce and mint Jelly on the side

Dessert
Figgy Pudding and whatever else my wife comes up with!

[Kristin Meredith]

Baba Ganoush as a dip with pita chips;  falafel if you are any good at making them (I realize that is a big undertaking!); dried dates or go fancy with Devils on Horseback;  and more Jewish than Middle East but still great -- latkes!

[hughver]

Deviled eggs. When we do them, they are always the first to go.

[Bentley]

All I could keep thinking was...what does an Ice Chest have to do with a cheeseball and penguins...

Igloo cheeseball with penguins

[jdmessner]

All I could keep thinking was...what does an Ice Chest have to do with a cheeseball and penguins...

My wife makes a cheeseball in the shape of an igloo, covering it with cream cheese, and using a toothpick to draw the bricks on the igloo. She then uses a large and a small black olive, cream cheese, and a sliced carrot round to make each penguin. The large olive is sliced lengthways, and cream cheese is piped in to make the torso of the penguin (giving the appearance of a white chest). A small triangle is cut out of the carrot circle and used for the base. A tiny slit is cut in the small olive (the head) and the leftover triangle piece of carrot is inserted in the small olive for a nose. A toothpick is run from the head, through the torso, and into the base. The penguins can then stand upright around the igloo. It is easy to do, and people are usually very impressed by how cute they are.

[jdmessner]

Baba Ganoush as a dip with pita chips;  falafel if you are any good at making them (I realize that is a big undertaking!); dried dates or go fancy with Devils on Horseback;  and more Jewish than Middle East but still great -- latkes!

Baba Ganoush is a great idea, I will add that for sure. The last time I made falafel (about 30 years ago) I got really sick to my stomach. It was a flu bug and not the falafe that made me sick. However, after that incident I lost my taste for it. So I think I will pass on that one! I have made the Devils on Horseback before and it went over well, that should be doable. I will need to experiment with the latkes and see if I can do them justice. It would be good to have a potato dish, so I will play around with it and see what happens.

Hugh - Deviled eggs are always good. I am always willing to consume my fair share and then some, but I have never made them. They may be above my pay grade!!

[hughver]

They may be above my pay grade!!

They are very easy to make and there are countless varieties to choose from.

[focuspuller]

I'm "Latke Larry"

Been doing "Latke Fest" for many years.

Would be happy to make them for your event.

[jdmessner]

I'm "Latke Larry"

Been doing "Latke Fest" for many years.

Would be happy to make them for your event.

Awesome! That's what I love about this forum, there is such a diverse wealth of knowledge! Where else are you going to find an expert on Latkes? I am curious, when and where is the Latke Fest? If you have any tips or recipes that you might be willing to share, I would appreciate it.

[focuspuller]

Awesome! That's what I love about this forum, there is such a diverse wealth of knowledge! Where else are you going to find an expert on Latkes? I am curious, when and where is the Latke Fest? If you have any tips or recipes that you might be willing to share, I would appreciate it.
[/quote]

There we be no "Fest" this year as my three daughters will be elsewhere.

I can do the "Fest" by you, incorporated with your event.

Love to be part of the experience?

As for a TIP...use Peanut Oil at 400 degrees...also use a hand grater for the potatoes and onions...this way a little of you will go into each one, (knuckle cutter with the grater) 

[jdmessner]

Looks like the wheels are in motion, I have made my first two food purchases. I found a chestnut farm that wasn't too far away. I now have 5 lb. of fresh chestnuts to be roasted outside on an open fire!

Last fall I discovered a butcher shop a couple of towns over with an excellent reputation for the quality of their meats. When you walk in, it feels like you are back in the 1960s. I told the butcher what I wanted and what I planned to do with it. He nodded and told me he thought he had something for me. He came out with a 20 lb. top sirloin. Before pricing it he removed the fat cap, trimmed it, and charged me for a little over 11 lbs. Since I wasn’t going to start aging it until next week, he vacuum sealed it for me. When the aging process is finished, I hope to have around 7 lbs. of meat to smoke.

However, the one thing that really has me jazzed about the dinner is that after several messages and texts, I learned focuspuller (aka Latke Larry) is sincere about his offer to come and help! There are some pretty good snow belts between us, so I hope the weather doesn't become an issue. Pulling for El Nino! The early indications are trending in the right direction. It will be great if this works out!

[pmillen]

Looks like the wheels are in motion, I have made my first two food purchases. I found a chestnut farm that wasn't too far away. I now have 5 lb. of fresh chestnuts to be roasted outside on an open fire!

The American Chestnut is making a comeback from almost certain extinction.

Kristin, are the new American Chestnut trees in Culpeper's park thriving?

[Kristin Meredith]

Looks like the wheels are in motion, I have made my first two food purchases. I found a chestnut farm that wasn't too far away. I now have 5 lb. of fresh chestnuts to be roasted outside on an open fire!

The American Chestnut is making a comeback from almost certain extinction.

Kristin, are the new American Chestnut trees in Culpeper's park thriving?

I have not been out there for about a year Paul.  Use to take the pups to that park for training and whenever the next pup arrives I will go out and check on them.  They were doing well last time I saw them, but we have had bad drought this year, so don't know.

[jdmessner]

Put the sirloin roast in the fridge last night to start the aging process. By my calculations it should go 28 days. Starting weight 11.16 lbs.

The refrigerator had glass shelves, so I rigged up a shelf using a couple of cooling racks. The temp has been holding at 38.5° F. I don't have a lot of control over the humidity, but it has been around 75.

[focuspuller]

Put the sirloin roast in the fridge last night to start the aging process. By my calculations it should go 28 days. Starting weight 11.16 lbs.

The refrigerator had glass shelves, so I rigged up a shelf using a couple of cooling racks. The temp has been holding at 38.5° F. I don't have a lot of control over the humidity, but it has been around 75.

Have you ever tried Dry Aging Bags from  https://umaidry.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA9dGqBhAqEiwAmRpTCyb8VXqsuj_fSUPCxBeMLvCa_zWm0hzIZj1zZN8lt4WXSGBT9KlsgRoC35oQAvD_BwE ?

They work great and makes aging foolproof.