Christmas Food Traditions

15 dozen cookies from random neighbors.

A random tin of Topsy's popcorn, because for some reason your vendors think that's what says Happy Holidays.

You have the one neighbor who makes the most amazing peanut brittle and toffee, that you will never refuse it.

Someone has delivered a mix of what started out as Chex Mix and is now Chex Mix with every type of candy that Wal-Greens sells drizzled in chocolate.

A Harry & David fruit box, with hopefully ripe pears.

And, of course, the random mustards, jams and chutneies you received as host/hostess gifts over the year. This is the perfect time to throw together some trays, open gifts, drink, have old friends come over and most importantly CLEAN OUT YOUR FRIDGE. So here is a list of the things we have done over the years, with lots of success.

Dessert trays

Pull out that 3 tier dessert stand you have always been wanting to use and load it up. Cookies on one level, bars on another and mix-n-match random on the other.

Sandwiches

Gather up all of those meats, the frozen turkey from Thanksgiving and bring them out, along with the panini press you got last year. Make a tray of random cheeses and toppings. Be sure to include all of the random mustards and even the left cranberry sauce, as well. Another trick is to grab some local bread. We try to come up with a "signature" sandwich of the night. A few of our favorites have been:

Beef short ribs with brie
Ham, swiss with apple chutney
Smoked turkey, cheddar with a spicy aoili

Quiche

Make some tart dough together and throw together some quiche's together from all of the leftovers. Before to include all of the mustards, a bowl herbed creme fraiche or even a throw together salsa, to help entice people to grab a slice.

Frittatas

Run to the store and grab three dozen eggs. Whip them up, add in the random goat cheese, chopped up meats and all of those veggies. Cook them in your new cast iron skillet and you are good to go. It's also another great dish to have all of the random sauces and dips you have gained this year.

Toast

Who doesn't love avocado toast? Avocado toast with a toppings bar. It's like going to Yogurtini for toast. Hmmm, I think I may have come up with a restaurant. Anyways, grab some local bread, avocados and set all of those left meats, veggies, sauces and of course some Everything Bagel Seasoning and you are good to go.

Supplies

To keep everything as easy as possible you should also some supplies.

Grab some appetizer plates. When I say grab some, I mean grab enough so you can have a set for people grabbing food and another set in the dishwasher.
If you don't have them, cheese knives are always a good option. It helps to have peace of mind that someone's child isn't going to grab a sharp knife, accidentally.
Plenty of wine glasses, champagne glasses for mimosa
A bar of liquors, beer, and wine is always appreciated.
Coffee with all the goodies
Hot chocolate bar for the kids is always fun.
For all of your toppings and spreads, I like to have tasting spoons out, since somehow they tend to find their way to trashcan.

So here you go, my reason to host Christmas and how to keep your stress level down on the big day. Happy Holidays to everyone. Here's hoping someone bought you a cast-iron skillet or Japanese knife this year.