Turkeyless-but fab Christmas meal still!

[shootingstar]

My partner and I come from Christmas turkeyless families, so really we together don't have turkey for our Christmas dinner.

Instead we do different stuff every year -it is a serious multi-course gourmet meal that's planned. So different years, we've had: scallops, fish, mussels, bison , etc.

And you?

[salsabike]

Steamed local clams and Dungeness crabs are our big favorite.

[Brandi]

Yummy...steamed clams. i might have to do that.

[bmccasland]

I think I see shrimp in my future. Good fresh Louisiana shrimpies.

[makbike]

My mom has for as long as I can remember treated the family to prime rib, mash potatoes, breaded green beans, jello salad, rolls and homemade gravy. We all basically fast all day so we have plenty of room for dinner. It is simply wonderful!

[kelownagirl]

We do prime rib and either crab or lobster if we're only having a small family gathering. Secretly I prefer that over turkey.

[Aggie_Ama]

Texas it is all about the TAMALES! Also King Ranch Chicken caserole (my mother-in-law blessed me with the best recipe) and my parents make a huge breakfast. Not a turkey in site here and that is how I like it.

[kelownagirl]

I've never had a tamale. What is it?

[Kimmyt]

My mom always does non-turkey for Christmas. This year we're doing beer-can ducks. In the past years we've had: crown roast of pork (I love those little chefs hats!), goose, beef wellington, surf n' turf, etc. We are a family of foodies so really get into holiday meals! I am hoping to convince her to do a full Italian 7 fishes dinner on of these years.... we usually split the meal up, with my mom making the main dish and some sides and all of us kids bring something like a dessert or an appetizer or a side dish.

K.

[Running Mommy]

I've never had a tamale. What is it?

WOW! You've never heard of Tamales ehh??
Well here in the southwest they ARE Christmas. It's the hispanic culture.
They are little pockets of calories! Yummy, but lOTS of calories.
You take something called Masa - think thick polenta.It's basically a mixture of corn meal and lard- which sounds gross, but isn't. You smother masa on a dried corn husk and then fill it with your choice of fillings. Since it's a mexican dish, usually Beef, Pork, or Chicken that is well seasoned. They also have something called blue corn, which is FABULOUS.
You wrap that all up in the husk (the masa envelopes the filling) and then steam them.
Nothing like unwrapping a fresh steamed tamale on a cold winters day!
And YES we do have cold weather here in AZ this time of year..

[7rider]

We never had turkey for Christmas. That was for Thanksgiving. Beyond that, no way.
Christmas eve was always a MUCH bigger holiday for our family, and it always involved seafood - shrimp scampi or a "seaside stew" that had just about everything in it but the kitchen sink, spaghetti and clam sauce, pickled herring, bakala (salt cod. doubt I spelled it correctly), calamari. Seven kinds of seafood, and LOTS of it!
Christmas day - way back when it was 30+ people at my parent's house - was roast beef, ham, raviolis, and lots of sides. Never turkey.

[shootingstar]

Regina I want to be invited over to your feast!

[crazycanuck]

I'm happy having a bbq @ christmas. That's the down under way

Tamales..umm..hmmm..

C

[bmccasland]

and in the spring there's green corn tamales. Yum. With the influx of Hispanic Culture riding the post-Katrina construction worker wave, I might actually be able to finally buy GOOD tamales in this otherwise great food town. What the locals make are, well, best left alone. I don't care if people like them, they haven't had a proper tamale.

[Chile Pepper]

That sounds fun! Are all seven dishes served at once, or can you stagger them in courses?

Christmas day I'll probably do goose this year. The family tradition is ham, but one of my kids doesn't like ham (or mashed potatoes--I suspect he's an alien).