Christmas Menu Plans

After yesterday's post - for which I will most likely get the stink eye from many of you - I decided to post about food. For Thanksgiving James made a dinosaur turkey. It was the turkey that ate all the other turkeys at the farm. If you think I'm joking, try to picture a 30lbs turkey. You can't. Your mind stops at 20lbs. It cooked all day long - literally - and came out perfect. It was juicy and amazing. As a back up, just in case it didn't come out succulent, I made a 12lbs turkey. As you've probably guessed by now, there was a whole lot of turkey leftover.

We were like Bubba but with turkey, we made: turkey sandwiches, turkey rice, turkey pasta, turkey beans, you name it, we made it. At one point when I asked my son what he wanted for lunch he said, "Anything but turkey!" - he put into words what we were all thinking. Needless to say I will not be making turkey for Christmas. I'm going crazy and breaking tradition.

This year we're splitting up into two because most of my siblings will be with their respective others vising in-laws on the 24th (the big dinner day in Brazil), so we'll be celebrating together on the 25th. I'm going to make a gigantic honey ginger glazed ham, green apple and bacon relish, potato salad (Mary makes a really good one), farofa (no Christmas here makes it without farofa), and salpicão (a chicken and carrot salad with a mayo based dressing and crispy matchstick potatoes on top - very popular this time of year), or should I make a chicken waldorf? Don't know yet, but something like that. For dessert, our favorite walnut Christmas cake taken from a very old traditional Portuguese recipe book from the 20's. I cover mine in chocolate ganache and it takes it to a whole new level of yummy.

On the 24th we'll have HRH's parents over and since that will be a much smaller affair, I'm thinking of going gourmet and making poussin. They're small individual chickens. I can stuff and bake them, and serve them with either rice, couscous or pototoes. Thing 1 and Thing 2 will love it! I'll make a nice supreme sauce (chicken velouté with mushrooms and cream) on top. I still don't know what to make for dessert, but I'm thinking of perhaps making a cheesecake.

Do you think I'm crazy for already preparing Christmas menus? I want to know in advance what I'm going to do and plan accordingly. Plus, after this post it might all change.

Tata for now!