Excited about entertaining for Christmas

[lighter]

My 7yo has a piano recital coming up..... I'm peeking over old Martha Steward Holiday pics and feeling happy about ripping off some of her ideas, if only on my mind.

Flocked fresh evergreens draped daintily around a silver wine bucket..... silver ornaments artfully arranged nearby.

Little coconut covered balls of ice cream stacked under a thin chocolate wafer topped with a perfectly toasted marshmallow hat. 

WHO THE HELL'S GONNA SNIP LITTLE PIECES OF LICORICE FOR TINY LITTLE BUTTONS AND EYES?!?!

::pitching pictures over shoulder::

Oh well.... it was nice to dream for a minute, lol. 

On the upside..... my brother and I have discussed my sister's imminent arrival and agreed that our goal is to help her feel better.... not create more discord so.....

we're going to ignore any rudeness and (try to) keep our goodwill in tact, no matter what she does. 

I feel so much better just talking to him about it and not ending on a sour note. 

I would like the holiday to be uplifting and worry free...... esp for the children. 

My niece always has her radar up for trouble.... and there's usually trouble surrounding her mother.

Not this year, says I.

[lighter]

::sigh:: I'm torn.....

I made a Lobster bisque 2 years in a row. 

Or... should I say I put my poor BIL in charge of the all day process then we all ate 2 servings and couldn't touch the rest of the meal  

Shunned.... I can picture you pecking people on the head saying "clean here... now clean here" like that one ghost from the movie SCROOGED.  I think I do that too sometimes too and it's not the way I want to remember Christmas.

We were sooooo full after the bisque.... nobody ate anything else. 

So.... Shunned, we bought the Costco Lobster Bisque last year... gonna make it easier on everyone and serve less, right?

Not the same and I struggle between simplifying and obsessing.......

Can you guys please share your ideas of the most simple, well loved holiday menus?  I never know what Costco does well and what they don't but I don't want to find out at Christmas Dinner.

I was thinking I HAD to have the difficult bisque but..... I don't.... not really.  ::trying to give up desire for homeade bisque::

So..... a very simple main dish for me is tenderloin cooked 10 minutes per lb for rare, lowest rack of the oven, 425 degrees.

Chambord sauce on the side.  Everyone says no to the sauce,at first, then I end up having to run back into the kitchen and throw together a batch in 5 minutes that approximates the hour long batch.  Might as well just make two batches to begin with I guess.

Hmmmm..... if I skip the soup, and I really should: /  I'll have a little salad with frise greens, a slice of pate and a light drizzle of ranch dressing.... I had this in Paris once.... love it though it sounds a bit icky.  Seedless raspberry preserves on the side for those want it.  Mmm.

OK.... salad, roast of beast, I could make a yummy potato dish with celery root and a side of carmelized mushrooms... with onions or no? 

OH OH... I once had a blue chic pea dish with lots of butter, salt and tiny chopped carrots and celery sauteed together with a bit of chicken stock.  SOOOO nice and easy.  Can't find the colored chic peas but that won't matter.

Has anyone ever made one of those yule log thingys.... I've got Martha pics on that too but...... can't wrap my mind around it. 

Eh.... I'm going to order one and some of those little chocolate and plain coissants from William Sonoma.... the only thing about those is you have to take them out a day before you want to cook them and not burn them

I want new ideas of stuff to cook that's yummy and simple! 

I want the Martha Steward Christmas I just don't want to give up all the things you have to give up to get it!

Torn and really jonesing for the bisque!  Warm crusty french bread on the side with salty european butter.......

Going to come up with something better this year. 

really....

who has easy wonderful ideas?

Day long recipes are just too too much..... Shunned.... I bet those cookies are going to be special. 

Me?  I'm wishing I could order plain soft sugar cookies and let the kids ice them. 

I'm not a happy baker.  Too much science and exact measurements involved. 

I have a terrific seafood soup (cream and champagne based) if anyone thinks they want to reduce this, add something else then reduce again and again.  Very special and doesn't take all day. Can use it as a sauce over pasta too.... but so nice as a soup. 

Maybe I'll make that one this year..... instead of the bisque.

[sunblue]

Christmas and the holidays always pose such opportunities for more pain and rudeness from Ns.  I have had a really, really bad year and I so wish I could come up with a legitimate excuse to get out of all family obligations.  I called in sick on Thanksgiving and just stayed home.  On Christmas Day, since my Nparents always spend it with my Nsister and her partner and his family, I'm usually invited to spend the day with my brother's in-laws.  This year, I'm taking a pass on that as well.  I can't deal with so many people and all their questions about why I haven't found a job yet and their criticism of how much I spent on gifts for them and their children.  I always looked forward to shopping for the kids but this year, without my knowledge, "they" decided that I should only spend a very nominal amount for each child, an amount which is just not reasonable given their ages.  So, I feel kind of disgusted and will pass on it this year.  That leaves Christmas Eve, the only day in the year presumably that my Nmom and co-D dad reserve for myself and my brother and his family.  They've been known to back out at the last minute and instead "run" to my Nsis who coincidentally always goes into crisis mode on the one day reserved for us.  But I'm just not up for it.  In the past few years, my brother hosts it at his house where his mother-in-law also is present.  This year, I asked for the Xmas Eve celebration to be at our house (I live with Nparents because of unemployment situation).  It's easier for me and my parents that way.  But NO.  My brother (who surprisingly is the healthy one in the family) insists on having it at his house.  I've noticed that he is beginning to adopt some of the "controlling" behavior of Ns.  He's only happy when he controls circumstances.  Now, he isn't N and is a good person, but I've noticed this about him lately.  I always feel like a third wheel, an afterthought.  I'd really love to get out of this Christmas Eve tradition this year but I can't come up with a good excuse, especially since I live with my Nparents and they are scheduled to go.

Any ideas?  I think I'm at a point where I'm just so disgusted and disappointed at the way my family treats me.  What I want or need never matters.  Case in point.  My birthday happens to be coming up next week.  Last week, I ran into my brother at the maill by chance.  He made a comment about a date next week and I had no idea what he was talking about.  He then told me he spoke with my mother last week and told her of his plans to celebrate my birthday on a day next week that's convenient for him (4 days before my birthday).  But neither one of them bothered to tell me about it!!!!  I don't want to go to that either.  I know his intentions are good.  But everything is always about what he wants, his schedule and his needs.

So, I wish I could be excited about the holidays this year.  But I'm not.  I'm just disgusted and sooooo disappointed in my family.  I know that leaves me with no one in this world but still, how much disappointment can you tolerate?

Anybody have any suggestions on how I can get out of the Xmas Eve celebration at my brother's without causing WWIII?

Thanks!!!

[Hopalong]

Dear Sunblue,

Please, tell everyone you can't do Christmas because you have a cyberdate with your friend Hops, and you are going to be partiicpating in a joint home pedicure session, with splendid holiday scarlet on the toenails, and perhaps gold bells around the well-exfoliated ankles, and some bay candles, and cheerful non-holiday DVDs on the telly, and popcorn, and best of all, you'll be communing with some goofy pet who has absolutely no idea why this day should be any less or more amazingly pleasant that any other day on this weird thing humans call a calendar.

hugs
Hops

[sunblue]

Hey Hops!

Now that's a plan!  I especially like the bells around the ankles, movies and popcorn parts.....Just add some comfy PJs and treats for the special four-legged visitors, and it sounds like a great day!  ))...

Thanks for the wonderful image...

[lighter]

Sun.... you're always welcome to come and hang out with us.....

for some reason..... having friends around  always makes family gatherings
BETTER.


ahem.....

are ya in the mood for bisque? ::wiggling eyebrows::

NOOOT that it crossed my mind to strap an apron on you and put ya to work, lol.