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When December arrives, our hectic lives often seem like 28 hour days with impending holiday shopping, children coming home, family plans, and parties while still fitting in haircuts, dog grooming, decorating the house, and, did we forget, work! Why is it when our children return from school they want to have the privileges of family membership, but also want to be treated like a guest? So what's a cook to do? Plan ahead is what we suggest. Fill the freezer with ready-made soups and casseroles and keep the rest of the meal simple -- a big salad and fresh fruit for dessert. That way, the meal takes only a few minutes to put together and get on the table so that you are free to spend more time doing what you know you need to do before you collapse for the day.
For our first freeze-ahead supper, we suggest a soup that is easy to make, can be doubled or tripled with ease, and on a cold night, it makes home feel like the special place we all know it is.
We would serve this dinner buffet-style because frequently people come at varying times, due to previous commitments. The center piece, a large pineapple, is a symbol of hospitality, but when cut it becomes a fitting end to this Italian-style meal. Surround the pineapple with other assorted fruits (apples, pears, etc) and the cheese (we suggest reduced-fat cheddar, Swiss, jack, and mozzarella). All of the cheeses are made with skim milk, and wonder of wonders, they actually taste appropriate to their names. The trick to finding cheese that really tastes like cheese, yet low in fat, is to be a picky shopper, trying different brands and dogging your market to carry the best ones.
For the table, we have selected red and green place mats and Christmas candles. In our homes, we add decorations as the holidays approach, often including years of our children's special gifts or school-made decorations. These create a feeling of family continuity and embarrass the kids when they bring friends home in the nicest way possible...showing that they have a family which protects its history.
Second Meal
Our second freeze-ahead supper is based on a savory Shepherd's Pie, filled with beef, mushrooms, and herbs, then topped with a green chile spiked topping of mashed potatoes and a little grated Jack cheese. Since the pie has taken on a southwestern flavor, we suggest a salad reminiscent of the Cartwheel Salad we enjoyed several times at Lawry's California Center in Los Angeles, which we've arranged to look like the spokes of a wagon wheel. Colorful with sliced radishes, cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion, julienne beets, julienne jicama, and baked tortilla strips atop a bed of mixed greens, the salad is lightly dressed with a piquant vinaigrette. Keep the dessert simple, clementines and gingersnaps which you've purchased or made with our recipe when you baked your Christmas cookies several days before.
Since the meal is southwestern, use colorful straw or fabric placemats and casual pottery dishes. This is the time for chunky glassware and casual flatware. If you grow succulents or cactus indoors, use them as a centerpiece. Turn you radio to a Spanish-speaking station, and you're set for a fun, casual family meal.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
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