I would just use crushed tomatoes. I grew up with an Italian grandmother and have access to homegrown organic tomatoes, and would still argue with 15k+ NYT reviews for anything other than a recipe that requires something so basic of the sauce. This recipe isn't about the sauce.

I find butternut squash and marinara an odd combination. Not what I would gravitate towards. So many other recipes for butternut squash with ricotta, sage, brown butter, cheese - those types of non-acidic traditional squash flavors.

I've used Rao's marinara from the jar and it isn't too bad. But it still tastes strongly of dried herbs like most jar sauces.

I didnt use jarred marinara, that’s not something I would have in the house.

@Kendrah I hear you about the butternut and marinara seeming weird. I love butternut, and I love it the way you describe, but I gave it a try and I like it. Its’s not one way or the other I can have both in my life.

I loved stuffed shells. They are not hard and I think they make a lovely presentation. There are many variations. But they are always a make ahead meal, which is so nice. I have put them out for a crowd with a bowl of meatballs and a big ceasar salad and it is easy.

I too thought that tomato sauce with butternut is odd, but I think the ricotta would balance it out. I think I will try this one. Not sure when, as my holiday menu has already been vetted and I dare not deviate!

Forecast is 69* and sunny. I think we will have steaks on the grill.

This year for the main we are serving prime rib, lasagna (recipe below), roasted green beans, Christmas green salad, and a fruit salad. Family arrive with other sides as well. I give them the menu and they can add in as they like.

We will also have a couple of appetizers as many in thd family arrive a few hours ahead of dinner. I will have cookies and other family will bring additional desserts.

Lasagna recipe - https://www.food.com/recipe/our-favorite-lasagna-247474

I have used this recipe since I was in my early 20's. I add generous amounts of cheese. This is a huge hit.

We are having lasagna on Christmas Eve (late supper before the 11 pm service), apple french toast and bacon and fruit for Christmas breakfast, and a 4:30 pm dinner of beef tenderloin with horseradish cream and/ or sauteed mushrooms, roasted veg (brussel sprouts and carrots), wild rice, and a waldorf salad. Dessert is a yule log (a chocolate and peppermint with white chocolate icing) and a Black Forest trifle using sour cherry and chocolate panettone, whipped cream and marscapone mixed with chocolate ganache (instead of custard) and sour cherry jam.

Well steaks are out. Hubby does not want a steak. I guess I should just give up and cook another turkey. Back when we were kids, you only got turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas so that is what was special. NO ONE was Italian or Mexican or any other cuisine. Southern Fried or Stewed Meat and Three 7 days a week.

I may just serve a leftover frozen turkey sandwich.

I’ve been practically begging folks to come for a prime rib with no success. In response, I’ve not decided on any menu so far. Not recommended🤣

Christmas Eve we’re doing cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Tentative menu is:

Beer, wine, champagne, full bar set up, and a Christmassy batch cocktail

BBQ chicken sliders (pulled chicken in a chafing dish with multiple types of buns and sauces)

Caprese skewers with a balsamic reduction and antipasti skewers (cheese tortellini, olives, artichoke hearts, herbed salami)

Crudites with an asian style dip

Houston’s spinach dip with red and green tortilla chips

Cream cheese with cranberry salsa and crackers

Caviar with sour cream and potato chips

My friend will bring dessert, and I’ll also set out saltine toffee and cranberry and pistachio sables.

Christmas brunch will be sausage and egg caserole, cinnamon rolls, and strawberries and green grapes with a lime dressing. I’ll set up a coffee bar with egg nog, candy canes, Lindor truffles, amd whatever else I can round ip.

Christmas night we’ll go to my father and stepmother’s for another round of appetizers. I’m sure she’ll ask me to bring shrimp cocktail and spinach dip. (I’ll just double the one from Christmas Eve.)

We always have Shabu Shabu on Christmas Eve. Pumpkin waffles Christmas brunch. And Saffron risotto and halibut Christmas night. But I got a request for filet mignon so I am making that (Steak Diane version) and will jsut serve it w salad and a baked potato. Still noddling about dessert. I loved this but it was not decadent enough for all... maybe I can alternate panna cotta and the Skyr mixture

https://www.marthastewart.com/1523808/pavlova-wreath

Xmas 2022

I’ d been meaning to make the Mary Berry version of that pavlova wreath Mtn, very similar but with more berries of different types. It’s very pretty!

Such a pretty dessert! Looks light and sweet just enough with every little bite.
The filet mignon menu sounds delicious! I don’t eat a lot of red meat, except for this time of year. I am making a prime rib roast because my family craves it for Christmas, it’s expected at this point. Thank goodness we have a smoker to cook the prime rib, leaving the oven free for the sides.

I think I’ll do Ina’s baked shrimp scampi Christmas Eve, but maybe not.

Christmas breakfast we’ll have popovers.

Christmas dinner I got a request for lamb chops with smashed potatoes, which I’ll serve with fennel and orange salad.

Sherry, make Cornish hens instead of turkey. Still festive but a lot easier and you can have the same sides that go with turkey.

I'm making scallops for Christmas Eve and not sure about Christmas. Will go to Whole Foods Christmas Eve morning for the scallops and see what they have in beef for Christmas. Alternate plan is the stuffed pork roast I linked to.

For dessert I'm making brandy Alexander and whatever cookies I decide to make. I am not going to exhaust myself with baking this year.

Everything is sounding so yum.

There are many reasons why people here like Mtn, but mine is because she makes meringue desserts.

Eileen, can you reserve your scallops in advance from WF— I worry about being disappointed.

5 years ago on 12/23 I was working to produce about 35 buche de noel and a bunch of other food for my business— assisted by wonderful staff including immigrants and refugees from Taiwan, El Salvador, Mexico and Iraq. Thanksgiving and Christmas were very busy, even during the covid days (no parties then but lots of small group family food). I am not missing that lifestyle at all. Happy to be cooking for just friends and family.

What we are not having is DH's family's traditional xmas eve dinner which I could barely tolerate. 2 kinds of kielbasa: fresh and smoked. Very sour sauerkraut. Kasha. Horka (blood sausage). I can't stand the smell of kasha cooking and the chalkiness of the horka made my stomach churn. I used to eat just the kielbasa and sauerkraut. When I did make it, I was always thankful that the dinner was easy to accomplish.

There are many reasons why people here like Mtn, but mine is because she makes meringue desserts.

LOL! I bought peppermint meringue cookies at TJ's today; have you tried them?

Sounds perfect, Sueb!!

It all sounds wonderful! The restaurant looks great!

If you don't have a fave garlic bread recipe, I made this last weekend and it was yummy. I did not include mozzarella cheese; don't think that is needed.

@Sueb20 that restaurant looks lovely. will be waiting for a full review.

Oh, Annie... <blech!>

Sue, I could probably eat saltines alone and be happy in that restaurant setting. Enjoy it.

eta I'm trying to talk SO out of tacos on Christmas Eve. We are not Hispanic, so it's not like a tradition. And there are too many good ideas on this thread.

Saltines, LOL!

LOL Feathers, I have the opposite probem-- SO rarely makes a request. He (wisely) says he loves everything I make. He will nix a recipe (forever) but he won't make requests or suggestions for a holiday, special dinner or even a Tues night!

Since you're going Italian, why not make a lemon ricotta cake instead of a lemon yogurt cake?

https://thisitaliankitchen.com/italian-lemon-ricotta-cake/

Eileen, because

1. Ina Garten

2. I don’t have a springform pan

😆

I use a different ricotta cake recipe than the one I linked and bake it in a loaf pan. It has olive oil instead of butter so it's a bit healthier and lighter. It's actually similiar to Ina's cake. It has 8 oz. of ricotta and 1/2 c. of sour cream but most of the other ingredients and measurements are the same as Ina's.

Very Important Update: SO agreed we can have tacos Monday or Tuesday evening. Christmas Eve will be lasagna, and my kids want fondue for Christmas dinner. Hooray for traditions!

I still can’t decide what to make for XE and X. I don’t eat pork or shellfish. I don’t like turkey. The look of rare beef tenderloin is very unappealing to me. I’m bored with lasagna, our usual XE dinner. An all appetizers dinner seems like more work than a meal. If I knew it wouldn’t be too cold out I could grill chicken or steak. I’m not having any trouble finding desserts I want to make 😆.

Sounds like a plan! I love fondue. I actually received two back in 1985 and still use them from time to time. I have done chocolate fondue for a dessert, dipping strawberries, apples, cookies, and Swiss with fruit, meat and vegetables. It’s a nice change up.

We had cheese fondue at dinner out last week, very yummy Gruyère. It was served with: Apple, pear grapes, new potatoes, baguette, cubed ham

HH, if rare beef is unappealing, what about a beef bourguignon? It can be made ahead, holds well, and sounds fancy. 😁

I received a gift of 4 jars of fancy jam. So now I’m thinking tea and toast for xmas dinner.

@bbstx, great idea, thanks. I’ll check out some recipes.

We have the same thing every year, which makes planning simple (and would cause a mutiny if changed). Christmas Eve is cheese Fondue with crusty bread, apples and new potatoes with King Crab legs — a fun, messy and participatory meal. Christmas morning is Eggs Benedict casserole and fruit (with milk punch for the adults) and Christmas dinner is Prime Rib, Twice Baked Potatoes, Spinach Madeline and Ambrosia. I’ve given up on desserts that go uneaten.

Reporting back from phase one of this week’s cooking challenge. Last night I made two Ina Garten recipes: linguine with shrimp scampi, and chocolate mousse. Both were very, very good. DS and DDIL were impressed!

I made the mousse early in the day (has to be refrigerated at least 2 hours). As I was patting myself on the back and placing the cute individual ramekins in the fridge, I turned back to clean up and noticed two egg yolks sitting in a bowl. Um, they were supposed to IN the mousse. Guess what, the mousse was still delish. I’d leave them out next time too!

I didn’t feel like adding an extra course, so I just roasted broccoli for a side. Could have probably thrown it in with the pasta too.

LOL, glad it worked out well.

I've decided to make this with Christmas dinner, and now I have to find a 10x15x1 pan, aka a Jelly Roll Pan. I don't want to use the wrong pan because the cake needs structural integrity. I thought i found one and I ordered it for pickup at Walmart but they sent me a message that they substituted a different pan -- a cookie sheet, which I have. ARgghh

Now a frantic search ensues. The day before the day before, and with a snowstorm.

It sounds wonderful, Sue ... great work! I find Ina's recipes so very reliable.

I will be totally winging Christmas Dinner lol .. the good news is I have some good ingredients to work with. The bad news is .. I am not sure what supporting ingredients I will have LOL. SO went shopping yesterday with a friend who works at a WF kinda place. I thought she would give him better guidance but not really. I normally give him a very abbreviated shopping list to keep it simple (which is why we have fancy grilled cheese and wine for Christmas Dinner). I did give him a list but they followed it loosely LOL. He got scallops, crab legs, Niman italian sausage, green beans, mushrooms and shallots ... a lemon and parsley and rosemary. No cheese. He got sourdough bread but not the artisan bakery kind. From there I am not sure what else. I was laughing as he recounted the trip. He was so proud of himself -- and again, we WILL eat well but I will be cooking since there's no cheese for fancy griled cheese. He did get FIVE bottles of wine LOL .. so we will definitely be well fed and festive. 🍷

Right now I am thinking scallop scampi with garlic-lemon-oregano green beans OR ribeyes, garlic mushrooms and asparagus (I am bringing the steak). I could do surf and turf but that would be more food than we normally eat.

I can't even think about dessert.. I don't need it but I know he'd appreciate a small sweet bite. He has bittersweet chocolate morsels so maybe Sue's mousse or Pots de Creme. He won't have heavy cream but I think I can freeze a pint to take with me... or I can send him back out again (though i hate to do that.. stores will be crazy now)

It will be a by the seat of my pants adventure .. but it will be all fun and we will be together!

Those look great, Mtn .. is it raspberry in the creme?

No it is a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

So is the red in the cream cheese filling just crumbles? It really looks great!

Mtn, isn’t a jelly roll pan a half sheet pan?

ETA: Answered my own question, it is smaller. My 1/2 sheets and 1/4 sheets all have the edge. I also have cookie sheets with no edge. I need to order a jelly roll pan.

FYI: When ordering from Walmart, be SURE to check "no substitutions" . They are bad about being out and just filling with something only somewhat close.

Question for you Ina Scampi fans. I made it but chickened out on the recommended 9 cloves of garlic ( because I couldn’t use real butter I added some pistachio paste to help bump the flavor) but I used only 4-5 cloves garlic.

Does the full amount of garlic work nicely? (I hate smelling garlic in my skin the following day).

I make Ina's baked shrimp scampi most often but also the linguine with shrimp scampi -- i had to double check but both call for 4 cloves.

I don't always follow the number of cloves on any recipe ... as you know, cloves can vary quite a bit in size so I eyeball it (but that's how I do most of my cooking).

How was the pistachio paste. Lisaam? It isnt a flavor I would think of for scampi but it sounds interesting .. I could see walnuts.

My recipe called for 9 cloves and yes, I got nervous so I ”only” used 8. It didn’t seem as garlicky as I thought it would! I don’t THINK I stink today…

The pistachio paste was nice— added some richness with subtle flavor. I have previously used it in a vegetarian pasta and vegetable dish and was pleased with the effect. I was a bit distracted by my guests and should have swirled in a bit more olive oil to loosen it but they loved it.

I will be totally winging Christmas Dinner lol .. the good news is I have some good ingredients to work with.

Pretend you are on Chopped @Funkyart

Everyone really liked the baked ziti! I made the recipe with pesto that I mentioned and thanks to Dee, subbed some of the mozzarella for ricotta. Everyone said it was yummy and cleaned their plates. I started with this salad

https://www.littlebroken.com/greek-italian-chopped-salad/

and we had garlic bread (“texas toast”, frozen, because I had forgotten bread and sent DH to the store and that’s what he bought).

Ina’s lemon yogurt cake was so good, and SIL brought her famous chocolate ganache cookies.

Just 3 of us remaining, and we will all be having the leftovers tonight. DD and I will be spending the day binging the Taylor Swift documentary.

PS I assembled the pasta dish the day before, along with prepping the salad and Christmas breakfast (french toast casserole) so I wasn’t frantic yesterday (company arrived at noon).

I have to make a main course for 10 in a couple of weeks, so I’ll be reviewing this post again for ideas!