What are you all having for Christmas dinner?

Timballo with Penne and Meatballs

It’s a drum shape (timballo) baked pasta. You line a springform pan with sautéed eggplant and fill it with cooked tiny penne, meatballs, marinara sauce, and mozzarella mixture. Then fold the eggplant to cover the pasta and bake uncovered at 325. Remove from oven, cover it with foil for 15 mins. Then invert if onto a plate. Slice and serve with warm red sauce and Parma cheese. I serve with salad and fresh bread.

It’s Maryanne Esposito’s recipe from Ciao Italia, but I deviate from the veal and use turkey meatballs.

Another great idea!

I'll have to think of that for tomorrow's lunch.

I have got plenty of nice organic maple syrup from Quebec.

Polish Christmas Eve is called "Wigilia" and is held on December 24. In Poland, Christmas Eve dinner is the most important celebration of the year. For Poles, Christmas Eve is the most beautiful, the most magical and the most family-friendly day of the year. Christmas Eve is deep in the heart of every Pole. Although this meal is reserved for the closest family, it is customary to set an extra plate and seat for an unexpected guest or even a vagrant. Most of the dishes served are cooked specifically on this special day – and only once a year.

It is still strongly believed that whatever occurs on Christmas Eve has an impact on the coming year. So, if an argument should arise, a quarrelsome and troublesome year will follow. In the morning, if the first visiting person is a man, it means good luck; if the visitor is a woman, one might expect misfortune. Everyone, however, is glad when a mailman comes by, for this signifies money and success in the future. To assure good luck and to keep evil outside, a branch of mistletoe is hung above the front door. Finally, old grudges should end. If, for some reason, you do not speak with your neighbor, now is the time to forget old ill feelings and to exchange good wishes.

On Christmas Eve, the whole family gathers and waits impatiently for the appearance of the first star. This tradition commemorates the Star of Bethlehem, which according to the New Testament guided the Wise Men to the birthplace of Christ. When the first star appears in the sky, the Christmas tree is lit and the dinner begins. The Christmas Eve meal starts with a prayer, then reading the Bible aloud (a fragment about the birth of Jesus Christ), then kissing the cross, and finally the sharing of the blessed "oplatek" (consecrated bread wafer which is similar to that used during Holy Communion in the Roman Catholic Church), and exchanging wishes. Usually, the male head of the household takes the wafer and turns to his wife, extending it toward her. He wishes her good health and success in the upcoming year, the fulfillment of her dreams, and, if there have been any misunderstandings, he asks her for forgiveness and for the new year to be a better one. The wife then thanks him and breaks off half of the wafer and eats a piece of it. Next, she offers the wafer to her husband, expressing similar wishes. He breaks the wafer and eats it. This ceremony is repeated with each person present, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.

After the breaking of the wafer and an exchanging of wishes, everyone sits down at the dinner table. The table is covered with a white tablecloth. There is some hay beneath the tablecloth at a Polish Christmas Eve celebration. The hay is there on purpose, as a way of remembering that, according to the Bible, newborn Jesus was put in a manger to rest. And there is one additional place on the table set for an unexpected guest who, especially that night, should not be turned away. No one should be left alone at Christmas Eve, so strangers are welcomed to the Christmas Eve supper. This is to remind us that St. Joseph and Mary were also looking for shelter. Until the first star appears, Wigilia is a day of fasting. Although there are plenty of dishes on the table, this is a traditionally meatless dinner. The tradition calls for twelve traditional dishes to be served during the Polish Christmas Eve. This number is the symbol of the richness, twelve Apostles and represents the twelve months of the year. Dinner consists of several soups (red beet with mushroom pockets, fermented rye, fish, dry mushroom), fish (fried, jellied, in sweet sauce, in beer-almond-ginger sauce, staffed), sauerkraut with beans, pierogi (dumplings) stuffed with mushrooms and cabbage, noodles with poppy seeds and honey, sweet strudel, and a compote made with dried fruit.

According to an old Polish legend, animals are granted the gift of speech on Christmas Eve as a reward for their role in welcoming Jesus on earth. As a result, children often try to extract a word or two out of bewildered family pets.

Time after dinner is devoted to different activities. Old stories are told and Christmas carols are sung. These activities continue until it is time to attend midnight Mass. In Polish it is called Pasterka, "the Mass of the Shepherds" to commemorate the shepherds who were the first to greet the newborn baby Jesus.

There is something magical experienced on the way to midnight Mass. Stars are shining and bells are ringing. The snow crunches and whitens the way. Sleighs are heard and one can almost detect the angels singing, "Silent Night, Holy Night."

After Mass, people return to their homes and have a glass of hot compote and a piece of cake.

These are age-old traditions.

Last study finds that 97% of Poles celebrate Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

yeah german apple with sour cream. amazing and I hate apple pie.

Cherry pie and pecan pie.

A big corned beef brisket.

Cabbage

Brussel sprouts

Cabbage

Deviled eggs

Stuffing

Mashed potatoes

Cooked potatoes

Fried okra.

Cornbread

Chocolate/Coconut pie.


We usually do ham or prime rib. But found a killer deal on a big chunk of corned beef. And that's on of our favorite things... so that's the route we went. We do our dinner today (Christmas eve).

Do you follow any family traditions or is it just whatever happens to sound good?
For my family it changes from year to year... One year it'll be Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce, the next it's tamales, other times it'll be basically a repeat of thanksgiving.

This year I've decided to make tourtière with brown sugar glazed carrots, asparagus, mashed rutabaga and potato and pickled beets.

Store bought desserts though cause i'm not really that ambitious.

Whatever you're having, I hope you have an amazing day full of love and happiness! Even if you are an intolerable asshole.

This thread is making me powerfully hungrified.