Hosting Christmas Eve

My husband and I hosted Christmas Eve for the first time in our new home. There were 11 guests – both family and friends – for dinner and traditional holiday cheer. While I was excited to finally have a home to entertain in, panic quickly set in when I realized I didn’t have enough plates for everyone, let alone a dining room table. How was I going to pull off a dinner for 11 without all the entertaining necessities? I did what any young newly-wed would do in this situation… I called mom.

She suggested what I call a “Soup strategy”. Make tons of delicious soup, surround the soup tureens with overflowing bread & cheese displays, and serve it in large mugs. Then there’s no need for all the formal dining pieces that come with years of accumulation, and the preparation is easier to manage.

I borrowed a table, soup mugs, acrylic squares, and mini Crate & Barrel appetizer plates from my mom. I also went “shopping” at her house for more holiday décor – rummaging through her bins to find extra lights, more ornaments, table runners, etc. I’d say my mom’s house is the most affordable place to shop.

The Menu:
- Marinated Olives
-- No, I didn’t make these. Whole Foods has the best marinated olives on the planet. I take shortcuts wherever I can.
- Mixed veggies & spinach dip
-- I used only green, red, and white colored veggies to use them as my coffee table centerpiece (because I’m psychotic like my mother). I made the spinach dip – a yummy recipe that included pimentos and water chestnuts. Trader Joe’s also has really good frozen dips, which I would opt for if I was running out of time.
- Marinated mushrooms
-- This was courtesy of mom, thanks mom! Maybe she’ll share it with you if you say “please”.
- Roasted Red Pepper and Goat cheese tarts
-- Tip: never make a recipe you haven’t tried when you have guests over. Though it was delicious, it took a lot longer to make than I expected. I was elbow deep in goat cheese when the guests arrived.
- Various breads – French, walnut, ciabatta
- Various cheeses – Brie (of course), Gouda, Blue, and smoked cheddar
- Clam Chowder
-- I could use any of the hundreds of clam chowder recipes out there, but of course I used the family recipe:

¼ lb. bacon, diced
2 medium onions, sliced
3 doz. hard-shell clams, shucked with liquid reserved (This is nuts, just buy canned chopped clams—approx. six 6.5 oz. cans, unless you have endless amount of time)
2-3 Tbl. Flour
3 large potatoes, diced (3 cups)
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. celery salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3 cups whole milk
1 Tbl. butter

In large saucepan over med. heat, cook bacon til lightly browned; add onions and cook til tender, about 5 min. Chop clams. Add enough water to clam liquid to make 2 cups (I’ve never had to do this; I always end up with plenty of clam juice from the cans).

Stir flour into onion mixture til blended. Gradually stir in clam-liquid mixture and cook, stirring constantly, til mixture is slightly thickened. Stir in potatoes, salt, celery salt, and pepper; cover and cook til potatoes are tender, about 10 min. Add clams, milk and butter; cover and cook til heated through, about 5 min, stirring often. Makes 10 cups.

The “borrowed” table was draped with white linens and arranged with various platforms for the soup, bread and cheese display. In the center was a glass hurricane holding a red candle, held in place by cranberry-colored potpourri (from the Dollar Store – shhh, don’t tell). Surrounding the hurricane were branches of the leftover greens from our Christmas tree and a handful of pinecones sprinkled with fake snow. To get the table just the way I wanted it, it took me three nights, two calls to mom, and one bottle of wine.

On the platforms I arranged the acrylic squares which held the cheeses, each identified by individual labels. The breads were sliced and scattered around the cheese platforms and among the crevasses in the linens to give it a more natural feel. Soup mugs were placed on the spare table with napkins and spoons, and a small arrangement of greens & pinecones.

There was plenty of food, all of which was well received by our guests. While it was a success, it wasn’t as perfect as Mom does it…but it hardly ever is. And the next day, Christmas Day, would be a perfect example of that. She was creating a three-course sit down dinner for 13, and she didn’t need to borrow a thing.

--the daughter