Providing two meats, a couple of salads or roast veggies and two or three desserts is all that is needed to satisfy the hungry souls at your table. The more you have to choose from, the harder it is for the eaters to choose. How to fit it all on the plate ? There is only so much you can eat at one meal and many people travel from table to table ( family home to family home ) in one day.
Also, the more you provide, the more likely you are to be left with leftovers for a week. To avoid gastro, food should be refridgerated between courses and consumed within 2 - 3 days of cooking. You are less likely to forget what is left in the fridge if it is consumed within a small time frame.
I've cooked traditional and casual Christmas lunches in the past. Here's what I've provided for my guests
TRADITIONAL
roast lamb served in gravy
roast chicken
roast potatoes, pumpkin and carrots
cauliflower and broccoli with white sauce and cheese on top
mint sauce
sticky date puddings in muffin size with caramel sauce, cream and icecream
CASUAL ( BBQ )
rissoles
bbq steaks ( cut into smaller pieces )
sausages
mushrooms and onions
bread stick
green tossed salad
potato salad
pasta salad
plum pudding ( no name ) with home made custard, cream and icecream
mini pavlovas ( home made ) with cream and berries
Both have been hugely successful and everyone is full and satisfied. The casual meal had a lot more leftovers. We just ate salads and sausages for the next two days. The best thing about these meals is that I have most of the ingredients on hand already so there are no grocery blowouts. The only extra expense is the meat and a few veggies / salad things.
Here are some handy hints for cutting costs
* Grow your own lettuce and salad things. Lettuce grows all year round in pots or the ground.
* Buy your leg of lamb in Spring when it's about $6.99 a kilo.
* Keep a look out for bbq meats on sale at the butcher. Freeze ahead of time in smaller portions. It's so easy to pull out the exact amount of meat needed from the freezer. Less waste and quite often dinner guest numbers are not known until a couple of days before.
* Spread the workload around and ask guests to bring a plate / dish. Most people are happy to help.
* Not everyone likes plum pudding. Single serve puddings might be your answer to reducing costs and left overs. I've found no name/ generic brands to be mild in flavour and well received by guests. Making your own could be another option.
* Buy your bon bons on Boxing Day at half price. I always buy enough for a couple of years. A cheaper option is to make your own from wrapping paper tubes, wrapping paper, ribbon, your own printed jokes and a trinket / lolly. Making your own costs next to nothing.
* Snacks like nuts, dried fruit, chocolates, chips, soft drinks and lollies should be bought ahead of time. Most of these items are on sale from week to week. Just check out my grocery specials post every Wednesday.
With some forward planning you can have a fabulous Christmas Day full of delicious food without blowing your budget.
Have you started planning your Christmas Day menu ?
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