12 Dinner Dilemmas of Christmas – Solved!
The holidays can be stressful…all that cooking, baking, wrapping, entertaining….but with a little help from your friends at Canada Beef, we’re hoping your Christmas will be filled with fun and fabulous meals. We’ve pulled together some great ideas to help you solve the 12 Dinner Dilemmas of Christmas. From our family to yours, we hope it’s a great one!
Dec 13: Christmas Pageant Rehearsal Dinner
Beef and Pasta Florentine is perfect to dinner to take-out for the rehearsal night pot luck and it can be quickly pulled together with just a few pantry-basics. Just heat in the oven and it’s ready to serve. A good alternative to pizza, this hearty casserole packs a powerful nutrient-rich punch with iron-rich beef, veggies, cheese and pasta.
Dec 14: Trim the Tree Tapas Party
Small-plates dining is all the rage so why not adopt this idea when you’re getting friends together to celebrate the season? Ask each guest to bring their favourite yummy nibbler and you instantly have a tapas party – such an easy relaxed way to mix and mingle. Make your contribution Steak Brochettes with Peanut Dipping Sauce. Make skewers ahead and broil in just minutes before serving.
Dec 15: Christmas Special TV- Table Dining
Every year I look forward to hunkering down in front of the TV with the kids to watch our favourite holiday shows – there’s nothing better than watching Snoopy do his ‘Snoopy Dance” once again – always inspiring! A good bowl of Beef Chili with some crusty garlic bread is perfect for dinner with Snoopy!
Dec 16: Digging into Dinner after Digging Out
After a big storm (or frosty day), rescue yourself at dinner with this (slightly) exotic slow cooker supper: Island Inspired Beef Stew. There’s nothing better than having dinner ready when you open the door after an hour of digging. It’s your instant reward!
Dec 17: Office Party Pot Luck
You’ve been asked to bring a salad to the office pot luck. No problem we’ve got you covered. This beautiful layered salad will be the hit of the meal. Everyone loves the flavours of ground beef tacos and this layered salad combined them all, The Better Taco Salad. It can be assembled the night before and no other work required.
Dec 18: Shop ‘til you Drop Dinner
Who in their right mind wants to squeeze into the crowded food court for dinner when you could come home to a delicious dinner ready from the slow cooker? With Slow Cooker Spiced Beef Brisket in the pot, it’s like having an early Christmas gift just for you!
Dec 19: One More Appetizer!!
One can never have enough this time of year! This one is pretty cool: a tangy antipasto-like topping that is made with ground beef and is oh-so versitile. Serve the Eggplant and Beef Caponata warm with toasted baguette, or try it out as a dinner main course, by tossing it with cooked pasta. You can make up to 3 days ahead and microwave just to warm it for serving.
Dec 20: Bragging Rights Recipe: Grilled Beef Roulades
Everyone needs one of those ‘one-up-manship’ recipes for holiday entertaining – this is it! All decked out in the ‘holiday red and green’, this starter is pretty as a picture! And, it’s all so tasty when made with ever-tender tenderloin! To keep life simple, make it ahead and grill just before serving.
Dec 21: Dining on a Scaled Back Budget
Entertaining just got easier with this slow cooker pot roast recipe from Canadian Living’s Kitchen: Spanish Style Pot Roast. Made with economical Beef Pot this recipe tastes so amazing, you will think you’re dining out when you’re dining in. And with pot roast, fork-tender is the only way it’s done – just like a stew! There will be no debates about doneness with this roast beef dinner.
Dec 22: Fireside Dining
Get all cozy by the Christmas tree and fireplace with this hearty casserole. Mediterranean Beef and Pasta Bake has that lasagna feel to it without all the lasagna work, plus it’s way easier to serve if you want to take it out to a buffet spread. If you want a smaller version for family dinner, halve the ingredients and bake in an 8-inch (2 L) baking dish for 25 minutes.
Dec 23: Casual Dining: Eater-tainment at the Table
Beef Raclette is a Quebecois tradition that brings friends and family together to cook their own meal right at the table – much like the fondue experience. Mushrooms, sweet pepper strips and tiny boiled potatoes can be sautéed on the raclette along with the beef. Camembert or other soft cheese and Dijon-flavoured mayonnaise can be melted under the grill and used as dips. Serve with mayonnaise and pickles. If you don’t own a raclette, you can always sauté in a nonstick pan – or or just to go buy one for yourself as an early Christmat gift.
Dec 24: Christmas Eve Tourtiere
This tasty Traditional Tourtiere just might become your new family tradition – created by merging several family recipes from Canada Beef staffers. My family loves it served with homemade pepper jelly, gherkin pickles and pickled onions.
Dec 25: The BIG Day
Hate leaving the fun of Christmas Day just to get the turkey ready and into the oven? Roast beef gives you time to relax! Yes, you still need to allow a substantial amount of time to cook a large crowd-pleasing roast, but it takes only 5 minutes to prepare – seriously! With our Classic Roast Beef, simply rub the roast all over with seasoning, insert a programmable thermometer and then it’s into the oven to let it roast away. You’ll be back to the enjoying the excitement of Christmas in no time!
Dec 26: The Boxing Day BONUS (BONUS RECIPE)
Kick back and relax – the holiday hustle is over! Keep dinner simple on Boxing Day, making good use of any roast beef leftover in this pretty Beef Thai Salad – it is just the ticket for re-vamping leftovers. No one will know just how resourceful you are!
Dec 31: Celebrate the New Year with Beef Wellington
Ringing the new year in with friends? Try out this recipe Beef Wellington Packages for Everyone. You can prep them ahead and pop them in the oven just before your guests arrive. Happy New Year!
