Christmas dinner

[ELKHUNTER]

What is the one thing you just have to have on your table for Christmas dinner ? I have to say mine is a whole smoked ham. Not one of those rolled and pressed models they say is ham. But the real genuine article right out of the smoke house. I use to have a couple of the first steelhead of the season on the table but now they don't seem to show in the rivers till after Christmas.

Rocky

[flybinder]

Rocky;
For years, we used to always have the traditional "Christmas Ham", on the table too. And, to a small degree, we still DO............ have a little bit on the table, somewhere!!
However, for the past 4 years, Linda and I have been having our Christmas dinner, with a group of close friends. My sons are all grown and live scattered all over the country, so neither of us, has any close family to eat Christmas dinner with anymore.

So, with some of our friends in the same boat with family not being around, we've started this "weird" by some standards I suppose.................. "Multi Main Dish", Christmas dinner. There are four of us couples, in the gathering and each year, we draw from a hat............... either "fish, bird, traditional, or animal".

So, whoever draws the "traditional slip of paper", is delegated to bring "the traditional ham". Whoever draws the "fish slip", has to bring to the table, something like Steelhead or Salmon steaks, or some sort of fish fillets, from something they've caught that season. The "bird slip", almost always, brings pheasant or grouse, or some sort of wild game bird and "animal" is likewise, either venison,and/or, Elk steaks. Although, last year, the couple that drew the "animal slip" had bagged a bear, in Alaska, so we were treated to some fantastically prepared bear meat!

It may be considered by many as "weird", (we've all actually been told this, by others!?), but I can't think of any better meal, than the one we all share at Christmas time!!

Happy Holidays!
Paul

[ducksterman]

Rocky;


So, whoever draws the "traditional slip of paper", is delegated to bring "the traditional ham". Whoever draws the "fish slip", has to bring to the table, something like Steelhead or Salmon steaks, or some sort of fish fillets, from something they've caught that season. The "bird slip", almost always, brings pheasant or grouse, or some sort of wild game bird and "animal" is likewise, either venison,and/or, Elk steaks. Although, last year, the couple that drew the "animal slip" had bagged a bear, in Alaska, so we were treated to some fantastically prepared bear meat!

It may be considered by many as "weird", (we've all actually been told this, by others!?), but I can't think of any better meal, than the one we all share at Christmas time!!

Happy Holidays!
Paul

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Man I like the sound of that. What a wonderful tradition.

Last year two of us each got a Bear and had it all made up into steaks, roasts and bearburgers. Neither one of Us remembered to get any bear sausage made. So this year when Stanley ( Nephew ) got two spring bears He asked the butcher to make them both into sausage. Now I won't say the boy didn't think this one thru but he wound up with about 450 lbs of bear sausage. We all had a good laugh at his expense. 5 of us spent an entire day vaccum bagging it up. Man thats a lot of sausage.

He said everyone in the family is going to get at least 20 lbs each for Christmas wahooo!!!. Luckily His dad got a bear for steaks and roasts etc.

[ELKHUNTER]

Flybinder, maybe I should be coming to your dinner. All that wild meat sure sounds good.

Gnu Bee, we get several spring bear every year and have them all made into pepperoni sticks. Bear meat makes good pepperoni. We have this outfit make it about the half way point between mild and hot. Once in awhile we will have the back legs from the bear smoked like a ham. Prettty good eats.

Rocky

[Grubb]

Hey this is gonna turn out to be a really good post. I most always like the "what are you haveing for dinner post's" like I do when you folks share pictures from other place's. I get to enjoy where you all have been and what you are eating. It also gives me ideas... My dinner usally could be alot of things cause of my work schedule, family and friends. Like thanksgiving, I fixed a small ham at home b-4 Thanksgiving and and ended up eating my dinner at work, I had turkey ham pies and all at work while, the rest of my scattered family, all ate various dinners at there perspective places... lol Everyone ended up having a very good Thanksgiving dinner. It looks like Christmas dinner will be the same, so far I don't know where I'll be on Christmas day, I know there will be ham, turkey, pies, and the works some where lol That in it's self is a blessing.......=

Hey you folks share your dinners with us, and don't forget to throw in a recipe or two, maybe even a picture with it!!!

Tim

[tailingloop]

Beer,

An nice Pils to start, a rich Pale Ale with the main courses, and a Belgian Lambic Framboise with desert.

[misterpaul]

I have to have my mother-in-law's "Not Milnot Bread" on the table at Christmas.

Some of you may know about Milnot bread already, but for those of you who don't, hear goes:
The recipe used to be on the back of the can of Milnot evaporated milk. The bread is made with evaporated milk (of course) and baked in a one pound can, which gives it a nice, even crust and nice round slices from the loaf.

Anyway, my wife's uncle was an accountant with the Milnot company in Illinois for 15 years when they decided to downsize. He lost his job just before his pension was at 100% (convenient, eh?). The whole famn-damily has boycotted Milnot since then, but my mother-in-law still makes the recipe with a different brand of evaporated milk.

Thus the name, "Not Milnot Bread". Boy, is it good with her homemade applesauce, too.

[bowfin47]

Eggplant casserole - stuffed with Shrimp and Crab.

A New Orleans tradition!

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

MisterPaul , perhaps you could beg borrow or outright steal the Not Milnot Bread recipe and send it in to Deanna so we all can boycott Milnot milk whilst enjoying some of that deliciously sounding bread you describe.. Hint hint...



ElkHunter . Yep thats what we do to except it was Stanley's first year getting a bear and He didn't know that you could specify which type of sausage.

We always get some garlic sausage made. pepper sausage, Hotter n hell-spit sausage, Medium, mild , and fraidey cat sausage made along with several kinds of pepperoni. We have a wonderful butcher who is a master at mixing different blends of Deer, Elk, Moose, and bear meat into amazing sausage.
Stanley went to some other guy and just said Sausage, so thats what he got. Its good stuff but there's 450 lbs all the same type, Medium garlic. hahahahaha

The good thing is, it is a lesson he will never repeat and we all get 20 lbs of free sausage out of the deal. Winner winner.
Ps. I am going to put 20 lbs of pepperoni Moose/deer sausage as His Christmas present and the rest of the clan are each doing the same so he will wind up with a diversity of sausage in the end.