Hi All, I am under renovation but still hosting. I will have to get some takeout but any tips for food? No oven, stovetop etc. nothing with meat either!
We always get Chinese takeout on Christmas Day, so I imagine they would also be open on Christmas Eve.
We are a diehard pizza on X mas eve kind of family. We have done chinese once or twice, but the vote is typically pizza all around!
I cannot imagine 'hosting' during a renovation. My hat is off to you!
Merry merry!
PS
If it were ME, I would make sure *I* had plenty of WINE, and a large festive glass (emphasis on LARGE!!)
Who are you hosting? My family typically does pizza on Christmas Eve. :) you could do pizza, salad, fruit and veggie trays with dip.
Do you have a crock pot? Pinterest has some great recipes. I have one of those families where none of us can afford to host alone so we usually do a pot luck.
okay...no meat?
Vegetarian pizza
Tomato capraisi (mozzarella cheese and tomato slices with balsamic vinaigrette)
Chinese take out - they have a lot of vegetarian plates....
I don't get why you are hosting in the middle of a renovation, to be honest. I know I would rent a room or have everyone meet at a restaurant...this is just asking for stress...
Chinese take out is popular.
Pizza delivery is good too.
Chinese.
We do eat meat, and if we were under reno, I'd put a ham in the slow cooker or turkey roaster.
Increasingly, restaurants are open and doing catering over Christmas, even o Christmas Day itself. Christmas Eve should be easy -- but you need to put in an order ASAP if it's a place that might get a lot of orders!
If you have a Boston Market or the similar Chicken Out chain near you, those places have tons of vegetable side dishes, breads, pies and cakes, etc. No need to get the meat. Many large supermarkets will do full meals for pickup, you just order in advance. Or simply get to the supermarket's deli section and order then and there from the deli counter -- not meats, but lots of things like hot vegetables, pastas, cold pasta salads, cold vegetable salads, etc.
A lot depends on who's coming. If it's a pizza and beer crowd, just do that and take it easy. But if it's more formal or folks who want more variety, I'd just get to the nearest good, large grocery store and put in an order now to be packed and ready on the day.
Time your pickup with care, though, so you don't end up sticking item after item into the microwave to heat things.
We always have taco's on Christmas Eve...so I would look into catering from Chipotle or Moe's.
No meat? Ok so no deli trays.
How about:
-cold pasta salad
-try a couple of college dorm room burners. Maybe you could do a pot
of spaghetti on them?
-get catering dishes w/the candle underneath to keep things warm
-buy pre-made dips (spinach dip w/bread, hummus & chips, crackers w/
cheese (sliced salami if that meat is ok)
-try your local Chinese food place for big dishes (call now to see if open
that day)
-spinach salad w/sliced almonds, dried cranberries & dressiing
-baguettes of bread
-Rotisserie chickens in a pinch (they don't give much meat though for
a lot of ppl. You'd have to cut them in advance.
LOTS of supermarkets now have a huge prepared foods section. And lots of food that can be served at room temperature. So you can do casual OR you can do dressed up to the nines - up to you.
Ratatouille (or equivalent mixed vegetable dish)
Roasted root vegetables (great at any temperature) - you can jazz them up with some fresh lemon and olive oil.
Green beans (salad or any other prep)
Salmon - you can do a cooked salmon served cold or a platter of smoked salmon with the regular trimmings (capers, lemon, chopped onion)
Bread, cheese and fruit.
Every Chinese restaurant is open on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. They have plenty of meatless dishes.
Crockpot full of vegetarian chili. Maybe you can borrow an extra from a friend or neighbor. Do a hot mac & cheese, lentil soup or a rice & bean dish in the other, or any other favorite recipe.
You can get sterno-fueled chafing dishes at the party store for the take-out.
Antipasto platters minus the meat - olives, cheeses, etc.
Oversized party-style sub from the sub shop with cheese, peppers, onions, cukes, tomatoes and other vegetables. Cut in single-serve slices.
There are plenty of hearty appetizers in the warehouse/club stores.
Fruit "porcupine" - skewer chunks of different colored fruits on the large plastic picks with arrowhead points (they hold the fruit better than plain toothpicks), and insert in holes you have poked in the green rind of a hollowed-out and inverted watermelon half (drain it well, use the cut up fruit of course). Each fruit kabob can have 3-4 pieces on it of any fruits you have - mix it up. I use honeydew, cantaloupe, halved seedless grapes, kiwi, mandarin orange segments, pineapple, and any berries that aren't exorbitant at this time of year. I put a few paper towels on the platter to soak up any watermelon juice, and surround with lettuce or kale leaves.
Cranberry, pumpkin & zucchini breads from the market or bakery.
