Christmas Party Plotting
Dec. 14th, 2010 02:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
x_losKaty is having a Christmas party Saturday and was thinking of serving /Chicken Nuggets/. From /Bird's Eye/. From the /oven./
I had assumed this was Her Deal and that I was not at all involved with the prep, but a conversation over the weekend revealed I that was allowed/encouraged to help cook (though she suggested managing it all at my place in Vaxuhall and bringing it over, which given the poverty of that equipment, the lack of any space, and the transportation, is such a logistical nightmare I think I threw up a little bit in my miiiiiind. Cooking anything more complex than 'lazy dinner for one' there is like skinning a weasel--overly complicated and really pointless). I did a sort of Seasick Morgana Face and started plotting how to get Not Chicken Nuggets done in a quick, unobtrusive way that would not ruin Katy's flatmate's life or cause me to pull out all my Naturally Curly Hair (which I am v. anxious that viewers of the Christmas Pagent should see, though I am only playing Innkeeper's Wife... anyone for Charlie Brown Christmas Special? Anyone? Bueller?). This is my provisional list (though due to a Christmas Gift Idea Katy and I had today, two more Mystery Items must also get cooked in the interim).
Must get a menu properly together ASAP. It seems unthinkable that I let time get away from me to this extent. I only /today/ bought my family's Christmas presents.
CHRISTMAS PARTY:
Cookies: A Most Excellent Party Activity (bake ahead, put variety of shapes out for guests)
1. Get cookie-cutters, festive, many shapes
2. Make dough, sugar and ginger bread
3. Get a LOT of decorating stuff, let people decorate
Drinks (try and make /all/, if possible--you'll have to MAKE egg nog, the heathen English do not have it in shops--remember, happy guests are blitzed out of their minds!):
1. Mulled wine (Nigella)
2. egg nog (Joy of Cooking?)
3. hot spiced cider (Delia)
Mains/Savory Nibble Options for Party:
MUST CHOSE JUST A FEW OF THE FOLLOWING
* Shrimp-dip (I do not really like this, but people RAVE about it--Daddy's)
* cheese and crackers, dry sausage (easy and accommodating)
* olives and pickles (Anna likes olives--she could potentially pick some decent ones up from Olive Land/Waitrose/wherever the fuck Olives happen, the Olive Garden?)
* beefy cheese dip (possibly with chorizo?)/bread (Daddy's)(may encounter resistance from the English, who do not have this--remember terrible Pumpkin Pie incident)
* pancetta rolls (Nigella)
* quiche (SUPER easy, v. slicable, sort of holiday--Mom's)
* beef brisket (this could be made ahead and just sliced on the day, put out with baps and the chutney/toppings if desired--grandma's recipe)
* Christmas finger sandwiches (while finger sandwiches as such are not v. christmassy, we could do a Pret and devise maybe 2-3 toothsome seasonal varieties, have them out)
* cheese/spinach and artichoke dip (easy and delish, could go with the bread/cheesy beef dip) (may encounter resistance from the English, who do not have this--remember terrible Pumpkin Pie incident)
* cocktail sausages (where will we find these?)
* chinese duck (all the classic DUCKiness of christmas feasts, none of the us-cooking-it. Bring it home from work/China Town Butchers on Friday, carve and eat hot or cold at the party)
Deserts:
Christmas cake? (Nigella)
Christmas Pudding? (Cannot make in flat, nixed for suet-related-reasons)
mince pies? (perhaps Delia Has Thoughts)
I had assumed this was Her Deal and that I was not at all involved with the prep, but a conversation over the weekend revealed I that was allowed/encouraged to help cook (though she suggested managing it all at my place in Vaxuhall and bringing it over, which given the poverty of that equipment, the lack of any space, and the transportation, is such a logistical nightmare I think I threw up a little bit in my miiiiiind. Cooking anything more complex than 'lazy dinner for one' there is like skinning a weasel--overly complicated and really pointless). I did a sort of Seasick Morgana Face and started plotting how to get Not Chicken Nuggets done in a quick, unobtrusive way that would not ruin Katy's flatmate's life or cause me to pull out all my Naturally Curly Hair (which I am v. anxious that viewers of the Christmas Pagent should see, though I am only playing Innkeeper's Wife... anyone for Charlie Brown Christmas Special? Anyone? Bueller?). This is my provisional list (though due to a Christmas Gift Idea Katy and I had today, two more Mystery Items must also get cooked in the interim).
Must get a menu properly together ASAP. It seems unthinkable that I let time get away from me to this extent. I only /today/ bought my family's Christmas presents.
CHRISTMAS PARTY:
Cookies: A Most Excellent Party Activity (bake ahead, put variety of shapes out for guests)
1. Get cookie-cutters, festive, many shapes
2. Make dough, sugar and ginger bread
3. Get a LOT of decorating stuff, let people decorate
Drinks (try and make /all/, if possible--you'll have to MAKE egg nog, the heathen English do not have it in shops--remember, happy guests are blitzed out of their minds!):
1. Mulled wine (Nigella)
2. egg nog (Joy of Cooking?)
3. hot spiced cider (Delia)
Mains/Savory Nibble Options for Party:
MUST CHOSE JUST A FEW OF THE FOLLOWING
* Shrimp-dip (I do not really like this, but people RAVE about it--Daddy's)
* cheese and crackers, dry sausage (easy and accommodating)
* olives and pickles (Anna likes olives--she could potentially pick some decent ones up from Olive Land/Waitrose/wherever the fuck Olives happen, the Olive Garden?)
* beefy cheese dip (possibly with chorizo?)/bread (Daddy's)(may encounter resistance from the English, who do not have this--remember terrible Pumpkin Pie incident)
* pancetta rolls (Nigella)
* quiche (SUPER easy, v. slicable, sort of holiday--Mom's)
* beef brisket (this could be made ahead and just sliced on the day, put out with baps and the chutney/toppings if desired--grandma's recipe)
* Christmas finger sandwiches (while finger sandwiches as such are not v. christmassy, we could do a Pret and devise maybe 2-3 toothsome seasonal varieties, have them out)
* cheese/spinach and artichoke dip (easy and delish, could go with the bread/cheesy beef dip) (may encounter resistance from the English, who do not have this--remember terrible Pumpkin Pie incident)
* cocktail sausages (where will we find these?)
* chinese duck (all the classic DUCKiness of christmas feasts, none of the us-cooking-it. Bring it home from work/China Town Butchers on Friday, carve and eat hot or cold at the party)
Deserts:
Christmas cake? (Nigella)
Christmas Pudding? (Cannot make in flat, nixed for suet-related-reasons)
mince pies? (perhaps Delia Has Thoughts)
