Prepping for Christmas

What is everyone else organised for christmas food?? I'm not a huge christmas fan but I wanted to do lunch this year coz my mum is a christmas nut and always does this huge extravaganza but theres so much clean up and its always all cooked on the day which means everyone is sooooo busy and since DPs family is gonna be here too I wana keep it simple and easy but really yummy (his mum hasn't discovered seasonings yet!!).

We'll be going through quite abit of drinks at christmas so I'm making up lemon drink, ginger beer and cordial and hiding it so DP and DS can't find it

I'm starting to make food to freeze too -
mini quiches,
baby meatball skewers,
herb frittatas (to top with salmon and cream cheese),
mini pizza bases,
I'll be mixing up sweet chilli mince and freezing it so I can easily put together the spring rolls when I want them,
doing the crumbed zucchini,
chopping and prepping veges like pumpkin then freezing in their seperate bags so I can haul them out and chuck'm in the oven,
prepping the hasselhback potatoes,
lime key and lemon meringue pies (just not putting the egg on top),
mini chocolate fruit cakes,
pikelets and biscuits,
white chocolate and cherry icecream bombe,
making up the christmas gingerbread house and freezing so I can just put it together on the day

I'm also gonna be mixing up the various dips come end of November (not that far away now).

We're having a dipping platter for a starter type thing then roast lamb, orange chicken drumsticks and a small ham for the meat with veges coz I figure thats easy and yum and hopefully quick to clean up. Having the lime and lemon pies and icecream bombe for dessert.
I'm just making a ton of little snack-y type dishes like the fritattas and mini pizzas and pikelets to snack on over those few days where everyone is too tired and lazy to cook anything special and also coz we've got toddlers running round and they snack continuously.

Anyway I was wondering what everyone else is doing?

Wow you are sooo super organised! How on earth do you find time to do everything - and your BD 5-7 times a day! Hahaha your a machine

Anyway - just wanted to share 2 things I do at Christmas dessert wise - SO yummy and SO easy.

Candy cane icecream
Get tub vanilla icecream and the red and white candy canes, smash the candy canes pour them into the icecream stir it in and put it in the freezer - so yummy, Christmasy and so easy!

Other dessert I do is just SO nice, its chocolate caramel mousse and all it is pretty much is a block of caramello chocolate and a bottle of cream! SO bad - but oh so good! I cant remember the receipe off the top of my head, but if anyone wants me PM me and I'll dig it out.

Exciting I LOVE Christmas!

You could buy some of that Lemon and Lime from Barkers (do you have that in your supermarkets up there) and then a couple of days before make it up - because it makes HUGE amounts of drink like 5+ltrs or something so that would go a long way and is cheap.

We're having a minimum of 9 people for lunch (could be closer to 20) and I'm only being organised coz I'll be like 7 months preggo and I totally know if I don't get it sorted now I'll be a mess! That and my in-laws still think I'm basically a worthless gold-digger whos got her hooks into DP so I'm in 'prove them wrong' mode! I MAY be over-reaching lol we're renovating our lounge and Tylers room and building a deck and organising christmas dinner for everyone and aiming to be debt-free all by christmas on top of being pregnant (and regularly BDing Dal ) so we'll see how well I do

Gosh there's some great ideas there babe. All I have is a frozen chicken in the freezer.

Funny that your IL's think you're a gold digger when you appear to be the thriftyiest person I've ever come across.

WOW go you..

Dont even talk about inlaws - ARGGGGGGGGH

have nothing so far but i will look into it..

Dal can you send me that dessert - mmmmmmmm sounds fab

Babe when my mum did christmas she and Nana used to make most things the day / night before.

Mostly only roasted the veges on the day, and used the electric fry pan for the roast.

Can do a great roast in the slow cooker too.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm i sounds fab..

my mouth is dribbling

I make my own fruit mince every year-chocolate, fig & ginger fruit mince. I have to make it by the end of october because it needs at least a month before you can use it. It's divine! Store bought stuff just doesn't compare.

I also make soetkoekies every year for Xmas. They are an afrikaans south african biscuit that literally translate as sweet biscuits. They are quite plain but so nice for dipping in tea & coffee. My Ouma (grandmother) has made them for Xmas every year since I can remember & now that we are here in NZ I continue the tradition. I make them in all Xmassey shapes & they always make me feel festive. This year I think DS is old enough to help roll out dough & cut shapes. It'll be great.

I love Xmas traditions-they make the season!

Wow what prep have I done? Baha aaaahhhh none! And I won't be expected to do anything but bring the baby lol oh and maybe garlic bread although it probably won't be eaten so be told to take it home lol.

We will be doing our usual West Auckland (DP's family) probably bfast. East Auckland  (my family) probably lunch then usually we go out to South Auckland which is our bestfriends family but they may be going to Wanganui which means we don't have to go. We regularly do big family dinners at my cousins house so its all easy to us the same people that are there will be there on Christmas day with maybe a few extras.

Babe - come help me!!!
we are having christmas here this year as I refuse to travel around when 7 months pregnant!
we did chriscos this year - and last year of it too
so will have a ham and chicken
and I know the inlaws will bring a couple of salads but no idea what else
the list of guests go,
me, hubby, bailey, aidan
neice
mum
mil, fil, bil,sil
possibably brother, neice, his bit and her 2 kids

I can;t start doing anything as we still don't have a oven that works grrr they finally rang yeaterday and said next flippen week! almost a month since we moved in here GRRR