Still Up In the Air

 Christmas is a  week away and there are some home chefswho still have no clue as to what to make? Ham ? Turkey? Prime rib?  Should  it be vegan? What about the desserts? All cookies or something fancier.

It's OK to still be indecisive a week out.Plns change as do the guest list. You may have more leat lovers than originally planned or a few vegans and vegetarians were added to the list. There's also the tomec constraint. Many home chefs are working up until Tuesday next week. Between office Christmas parties and  end of the year work, there's little time to take off and go grocery shopping. Add in school pageants and tree trimming parties with family and friends and there's zero time to do a proper trip around the market. One way to look at this is to go simple. If it's only two people keep the amount  of food to four servings each. You could serve a tree pound breast which is more than adequate serinv wise. Add I stand stuffing like Stovetop or Lidl's version along with one or two frozen vegetables. It's still a festive dinner but without all the fuss.. For larger groups such a as three or four, what about a capon? This is a gelded (fixed )rooster and the bird can get as big as a small turkey. You can still have all the trimmings and add a jar of turkey dressing for the stuffing. 

What about sides? You could replicate Thanksgiving for an easy cook. There's stuffing cranberry sauce and some kind of veggie .Yams or sweet potatoes can be added too.  However you many want something fancier.Stringbeans amandine are a nice side. This Gallic classic involves toasting or sauteing almond sauces in butter and adding chopped shallots, a cousin of both garlic and onions. It's then mixing the sauce with the more tender haricot verts (if you can't find these then frozen green beans will do). This is the perfect side with any dish, from chicken to beef to fish. Another elegant side are Brussels sprouts Piedmontese style. This is from the northwestern part where butter and cheese figure prominently in cooking. The Brussells sprouts are cooked and then drenched with  melted butter(you can also use I Can't Believe It;'s Not Butter). Give them a liberal sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. What about pork or even ham as a main dish. Then try spiced apples. These are cubing apples and then cooking them in  a skillet.Add butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon for a tasty sweet savory flavor. Cornstarch is stirred in to t hicken the sauce. This is perfect ladled by a slice of roast pork and perfect with its' dressing.

Christmas dinner menu still up in the air? Don;t sweat it. Make what you think is best. Get  the ingredients now or Christmas Eve. What matters is a tasty dinner that makes  for a good holiday dinner.