Nothing says good eating like a down home Christmas dinner. Folks gather to eat just like it was Sunday dinner only more of it. If you want to add a kick to your Christmas dinner consider adding some soulful dishes to your menu.

Any southern family can tell you that dinner isn’t dinner without a little grease. For many southerners, especially in the African-American tradition, the main reason for dining together is fellowship. Families shared laughs and made important announcements and decisions over the dinner table. It is a sacred tradition in many families.

Soulful cooking came out of a need to share love with others. If you didn’t have two dimes to give to another, you could give them the gift of a home cooked meal. A satisfied belly was a happy belly. Eating our favorite comfort foods releases those “feel good” endorphins in the brain and satisfies our entire being.

Soulful cooking is just like that and at Christmastime everyone in the family who is used to soulful cooking will expect to get some for dinner. So, add a bit of soul to your pot this Christmas season when you cook.

Try a new twist on the traditional turkey dinner. Barbeque or fry the turkey for Christmas dinner. Fryers don’t cost much but it does take a fair amount of peanut oil to fill up the fryer. Be sure the turkey is good and dry on the outside before plunking him down into the hot oil.

A whole turkey is split in half and seasoned before placing it on the barbeque grill. The time for grilling will depend on the size of the turkey. A smaller turkey can be grilled while a larger one can be fried or roasted. If you plan on roasting a turkey inject with a marinade to add extra flavor to the meat. There are commercial marinades on the market or you can create your own with a variety of spices like cayenne, cumin, turmeric, diced onion, garlic, and oil.

Any greens cooked for Christmas dinner are seasoned with some sort of smoked meat. It can be bacon, ham hocks, or smoked turkey. The meat is simmered in the water first to release the flavor and then the fresh collard greens, cabbage, or green beans are added. It takes about an hour to cook fresh greens and they will reduce as time goes on.

Sweet potatoes aren’t the same if they aren’t in a casserole. Choose to top with marshmallows or not, as long as there are candied pecans somewhere in the recipe. This is a side dish but it tastes more like a dessert.

A soulful Christmas dinner brings back memories of childhood meals. Everyone can sit around the dinner table and reminisce about past meals shared together. Introduce your friends to a bit of soul this Christmas with some soulful additions to the Christmas dinner table.

Christmas dinner is a tradition in many countries. Families and friends get together to share a meal and have some fun. This year, if you are hosting the Christmas dinner, try a new approach to the meal. Turn it into a potluck Christmas dinner.

Potluck is an old term dating back a few centuries. It is a meal brought to a gathering to be shared with others. This is exactly what you will be doing with a Christmas potluck dinner. In centuries past, potluck meals used whatever was available but here, we want a bit fancier fare for our dinner menu.

First, the guests can come together to decide what type of menu you are looking to serve. Don’t worry if schedules are too tight for a family meeting. Use email, text messaging, and good old Ma Bell to straighten out the Christmas dinner menu.

Setting a menu in advance avoids everyone bringing a dessert and no side dishes for the Christmas dinner meal. A true potluck would involve everyone bringing something of their choice, but for variety’s sake, make a list first. As each household chimes in on what they will bring, add it to a list and send it out. We want to avoid duplicates if we can.

The main course of turkey or ham or what have you can be cooked at the host home. It proves easier to have the turkey already on site as opposed to transporting him all around town. Another family member can purchase the turkey and come over to cook it at the host home for the Christmas dinner.

You’ll need a place to set up the Christmas dinner choices. Most potluck meals are served buffet style so everyone gets exactly what they want to eat. Depending on the number of Christmas dinner guests, you may need a table or two set up for the menu items.

Place cards next to each dish explaining what it is. Most will be self explanatory but the place cards do help for kids and non-traditional meals. Label the desserts as well.

The dining room table can be set as usual for a potluck Christmas dinner. After the blessing, everyone can form a line to get their food. Ask the dish maker to bring their own utensils for serving so you don’t have to use all of yours. Afterwards, everyone takes their own dish home to wash.

A potluck Christmas dinner saves time and money. Each dinner guest is responsible for a portion of the meal so no one has to do all of the preparation.

It is one of the two times a year that families are guaranteed to get together for a meal. Christmas dinner with family is a big deal in most households. But, this year, plan ahead so that more time is actually spent with the family and not slaving over a hot stove.

Planning saves not only time but money when it comes to having a family gathering. At Christmas, most families are filled with good cheer and a longing to reconnect. Let the family Christmas dinner be the culmination of that celebration.

Here are a few tips to help that dinner turn out to be a delight instead of a disaster.

1. Find out who is coming. We are talking about family so most people will probably attend. But, there will be the person who has to work or is out of town and can’t make it because of the weather (it does snow in a few places around Christmas!).

2. Ask everyone to bring something. Obviously if they are traveling by plane that will be difficult, but for family members who are driving in or live nearby, it is okay to ask them to bring a vegetable dish or a dessert to the Christmas dinner. The others can pitch in on the preparations when they arrive.

3. Make side dishes in advance of the Christmas dinner. We all like to sit and smell the delightful flavors wafting from the kitchen but that’s impractical when serving dinner to a sizable group. Before you know it, the entire house would be overheated and there would be dishes piled up in the sink for someone to wash. Fix and freeze as many side dishes as you can. A few hours before the meal, take them out and warm them up.

4. Cook the turkey early. Turkey is the main course at most traditional Christmas dinners. Roasting the turkey early leaves plenty of room in the stove to fix smaller dishes together. It takes several hours for a turkey to cool completely, so by dinnertime, it will still be warm enough to serve without reheating the entire bird.

5. Serve dinner buffet style. Let everyone serve themselves. Have a communal blessing over the food and then whoever is hungry can eat. It is not the sit down at the table dinner we all envision from our youth, but it is more practical. Some people like to eat early and some will be watching sports on television.

Planning a Christmas dinner for the family is about the fellowship as much as it is about the meal. Use the above tips to share the cooking and spend more time reminiscing with family and friends.

Christmas is about spending time with family and friends to share the blessings of the season. One way to do that is hosting a Christmas dinner party for your friends. Here are a few tips when it comes to planning the perfect party for the holidays.

A Christmas dinner party is an elegant affair. People get a chance to dress up and mingle with coworkers and other friends in an adult setting. It is as much fun as it is formal.

1. Invite guests at least three weeks in advance. The Christmas engagement calendar fills up fast and you want to get your dinner party on the roster. Host a Christmas dinner party for your office department. For a dinner party that is purely personal, invite friends and their dates or spouses. Specify on the invitation that it is for adults only. This gives everyone time to find a sitter for their children.

2. Plan the menu. On the invitation ask if anyone has any special dietary concerns. There could be vegetarians in the group but here we are more concerned with food allergies or conditions such as diabetes. Plan the food courses accordingly so no one feels left out.

3. If everyone hasn’t responded a week out from the Christmas dinner party, contact them with a quick message just in case they forgot. For sit down formal dinners having an accurate head count is necessary to be sure there is enough food for everyone. As a standard rule of thumb, allot at least two pounds of food per person attending the dinner party.

4. Decide on cooking or catering. There is nothing wrong with catering a dinner party. Cooking can be an all day affair and no one wants to be stuck in the kitchen during their own dinner party. The host or hostess wants to mingle with the rest of the guests. If you decide to cook, keep the menu simple and opt for a buffet presentation instead of table service.

5. Set up the table and decorate a day in advance. This way, if anything is missing, there is time to go out and find it. Leave glasses until the last minute so they don’t gather lint and dust particles overnight. After setting the table, go ahead and clean up a bit especially in the common areas where guests will be mingling.

6. Lay out the food a half hour before guests arrive. If a caterer is handling the affair there are no worries there. For a home cooked buffet style dinner party, light the liquid fuel under the food pans half an hour before guest arrive so the food will be warm.

An elegant dinner party is a nice way to get to know coworkers away from the office or to relax with friends you don’t see much of during the year. Everyone has a chance to show off their best holiday clothes and share a few laughs.

The hardest time to stick to a diet is around the holidays. Everyone wants to sample the desserts and filling foods on the dinner table. This Christmas, choose healthier menu items for your Christmas dinner.

It is not uncommon for people to gain a few pound during Christmas. After a week of eating every scrumptious thing in sight, it’s a wonder anyone can move. This Christmas, you can help yourself and your family by slimming down traditional recipes.

Adapting Christmas recipes to healthier versions doesn’t mean that they have to taste bland. On the contrary, these dinner recipes can be full of flavor. It is fat we are trying to avoid.

Simple changes are the easiest and best to make. Some simple substitutions involve the most fattening ingredients. For example, use liquid oil and applesauce in place of liquid oil alone. Use margarine in place of butter and sugar substitutes instead of pure sugar. Many recipes have suggestions for healthy substitutions.

We eat too much and our portion sizes are out of control. Making simple substitutions lowers the fat content of our Christmas dinner dishes even if we eat a bit too much. For home made recipes, substitutions will go on feel and experience.

When making gravy for the turkey, begin with a can or jar of fat free turkey gravy. Add the turkey drippings from the baking pan to the fat free gravy. Season the food to taste. For thicker gravy, add some chicken broth and a few instant potato flakes to the drippings before adding it to the fat free gravy.

Mashed potatoes are a favorite Christmas dinner side dish to complement turkey and gravy. When making the potatoes, substitute half of the potatoes with cauliflower. Mash both together well.

Serve a soup and salad before putting the main courses on the table. A low fat vegetable soup like tomato and a simple green salad fills part of the stomach and everyone will eat less later on. Make available an assortment of low fat salad dressings for the salad.

Even the Christmas dinner turkey can slim down. Instead of preparing an entire twenty pound turkey, opt for a turkey breast instead. To maintain tenderness and moistness, marinade the thawed turkey breast before cooking. Remove any skin before serving.

One place we often fill up on empty calories is beverages. Instead of soda, serve punch sweetened with sugar substitute like Splenda®. Ice tea can also be sweetened with sugar substitute and lemons. Flavored waters are another option.

Christmas dinner doesn’t have to be fattening to be delicious. With a few healthy tweaks, many won’t notice the difference. This year, expand your repertoire of healthy Christmas dinner choices instead of expanding the waistline.

Sometimes we don’t want the big gatherings at Christmas. It could be us and our spouse. If you want to forego the lavish Christmas dinner and share it with a special someone, here are some ideas for a Christmas dinner for two.

Christmas dinner does work even if there are only two people involved. Portion sizes are smaller and you won’t stay in the kitchen all day, but laughs and good memories are still made.

1. You will save money. There will be less of everything to prepare when dinner is for two instead of twenty. If you still want leftovers, cook dishes in servings of four. This way, just enough is leftover for one maybe two meals so you won’t get tired of eating it.

2. Turn the Christmas dinner into a romantic meal. Add candles to the table and set formal place settings. Both of you can dress for the occasion even if it is in your living room.

3. Prepare a Christmas dinner menu in advance. It won’t be a big menu, but you can do it together. Fixing the meal together is also romantic. Talk over old times when you were dating or of Christmases past.

4. A Christmas dinner for two is not a solemn affair. We are talking about choosing to celebrate away from the large gathering of relatives. You can certainly visit family for dessert or at some other holiday event.

5. You can still eat turkey with all the trimmings. Cook a small turkey breast instead of a large whole turkey. Buying a bag of breadcrumbs to make the dressing should provide at least four servings of stuffing.

6. Order your dinner and pick it up. Most grocery stores provide Christmas dinner options for small gatherings even as small as two. If you still want to make your Christmas turkey breast, order the side dishes and desserts from the grocery store. Their menu specifies serving sizes and prices. Order well in advance so there will be no problems with your order.

7. Try something new. Since there is no one to impress, try some of those Christmas side dishes you’ve seen on Food Network cooking shows. Set up a taste testing for the two of you along with some wine to make the food taste better.

Christmas dinner doesn’t have to involve the entire family to be special. Spending quality time with our significant other at the holiday dinner table is a rewarding experience as well.

One of the best parts of Christmas dinner is the leftovers. The food always seen to taste better the second or third time you eat it. Here are uses and guidelines for handling Christmas dinner leftovers.

1. Clean out the refrigerator prior to dinner. You’ll need room for those platters and bowls of leftovers. Anything that can be removed should be removed to make room for the remnants of the Christmas dinner.

2. Buy plastic storage bags and containers. Storing food in the original pot or dish is not a good idea. For one, it takes up extra space. Secondly, it leaves too much dead space for liquid to collect. Food keeps better and longer in containers where the leftovers are packed tightly.

3. Never pack up warm foods. Wait until the meats and side dishes are completely cool before placing them containers to go in the refrigerator. This is another reason why it is better to serve food in bowls on the Christmas dinner table or have everyone heat their own plates at dinner time.

4. Slice any meat off of the bone before storing. It is easier to handle and produces less mess. The turkey carcass and the ham bone can be frozen for later use in soups and stews. Turkey legs and thigh meat can be sliced off the bone and diced up for turkey salad. Add a little chopped celery, seasonings, and mayonnaise for a lunch treat on bread or crackers.

5. Create a casserole dish with leftover Christmas dinner rice. Whether it is white rice or wild rice, add some chopped chicken or turkey, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and some shredded cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for about twenty minutes or until soup is bubbly and you have dinner for the next night.

6. Buy sectioned plate containers and fix meals. This avoids people dipping into leftover bowls over and over. Label each container with the type of food inside. If someone wants turkey and potatoes, they can grab that plate and heat it up without bothering any other leftovers.

7. Avoid wrapping any leftovers in aluminum foil. Foil is good for cooking but for Christmas dinner leftovers, it will begin to break down as it is opened and reopened by hungry people. If you must wrap something in foil, purchase heavy duty foil for that purpose.

Leftovers are great. They can be used for soups, sandwiches, dips, and more throughout the Christmas holiday. Remember that leftovers in the refrigerator should not be eaten after the fourth day. If you want to keep something longer, freeze it. These are only a few of the ideas and tips that can be used when working with Christmas dinner leftovers.

Preparing Christmas dinner for a group of people can be time consuming. With everything that goes into the Christmas season, adding dinner to the list can be daunting. This year, consider having your Christmas dinner catered.

To many, catering Christmas dinner can seem like a frou-frou thing to do. You’d expect that at a high society Christmas dinner but not for a down home family gathering. Actually, more and more people are opting for this type of holiday meal.

Catering a Christmas dinner meal saves time. That is probably the number one reason to have the Christmas meal catered. Hours are spent in the kitchen fixing food and washing dishes. By the time the guests arrive to eat, you are too pooped out to participate.

The Christmas dinner is about fellowship. It is hard to carry on a conversation if you are asleep. With a catered dinner, the caterers do the majority of the work while, you are allowed to play host or hostess and interact with the family.

Catering a Christmas dinner includes food and service. Caterers come in and set up the food station and bring already prepared food. If you’d like, they will also serve the food to the guests and replenish food that is running low. Afterwards, they are responsible for clean up.

When dealing with a caterer for Christmas dinner, contact them well in advance of the occasion. Caterers book up fast with private parties and corporate affairs. Discuss a budget with them. While you want the convenience of not cooking you don’t want to go broke trying to do it. Choose a caterer with the most services included in the price of the meal.

Stick with a simple menu. Adding several side dishes and meats will jack up the price. Choose one or two meats and maybe three side dishes. Chicken is one of the cheapest meats to serve. Desserts can be brought by the Christmas dinner guests.

Remember that caterers will be watching the clock. They get paid for the amount of hours they are there. So, serve dinner first and then everyone can lounge and talk over dessert since you provided that yourself. The caterers can clean up, wrap up any extra food, and clear out in a matter of a couple of hours. The rest of the Christmas evening can be enjoyed by you and your family alone.

Some catered Christmas dinners just involve the food. In that case, the price will be cheaper and you can set up the eating area any way that you want. The food arrives a few hours before dinner and you didn’t have to lift a finger.

Catering a Christmas dinner is a great way to save time on cooking. The family gets a great meal for Christmas without the hassle and stress of preparing it.

We all have a picture of Christmas dinner in our minds. It involves turkey, stuffing, gravy, and a host of other dishes. If you want to break with tradition, here are some alternative Christmas dinner ideas to try out on your family this year.

Just because it is Christmas dinner, doesn’t mean that we have to eat the same things each year. Branch out and try a few other dishes or some of your favorite comfort foods that aren’t necessarily a part of a traditional Christmas dinner menu. Dinner guests will like the variety.

If your guests are on board with this Christmas dinner idea, ask them to participate. They can bring a favorite dish of theirs to the gathering for everyone else to try. Instead of turkey as the centerpiece use the other poultry that is popular the rest of the year. Have a plate of fried chicken on the dinner table.

How about fish? We often think of poultry or ham for holiday occasions but fish is just as good and healthier for you. Serve up a platter of salmon or tilapia. For a down home feel, batter and fry some whiting fillets.

Seafood works well as an alternate Christmas dinner dish. A pot of clam or seafood chowder (New England style) will warm the cockles during the holiday meal. After a hearty bowl of that, no one will want a big heaping helping of turkey and potatoes. Serve the soup with those cute little oyster crackers.

If you have children, ask them to participate in the menu planning. Kids have their favorite foods as well. Christmas dinner revolves around good people and good food. So, have something that you like to eat on the dinner table. You may find a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in the midst of everything else.

Try out the other white meat. A pork loin is lean and juicy. It still goes well with mashed potatoes and a gravy or wild rice and green beans. Pork loin roasts for twenty minutes per pound so the oven won’t be tied up all day. If mashed potatoes are too heavy, try a medley of fresh roasted vegetables like onions, baby carrots, and red skinned potatoes.

Choose a theme for your Christmas dinner. If it’s seafood, or Italian food, or Mexican food, everyone can bring something to contribute to the meal. The food will be different than usual but the sentiment is still the same.

Alternative Christmas dinner ideas are fun to try out. If it doesn’t take with the folks, you can go back to a more traditional Christmas meal next year.

Tradition says that the centerpiece at a Christmas dinner is the turkey. For vegetarians, a turkey just won’t do. If you are vegetarians or have vegetarian friends attending your Christmas dinner, here are some ideas for vegetarian dishes to add to the menu.

There are different types of vegetarianism. You have traditional vegetarians who do not eat any meat or meat byproducts and then those who eat some dairy or seafood. Keep that in mind when cooking for them at Christmas dinner.

Add a few extra vegetable dishes, but watch the ingredients. Many people season their vegetables with some sort of meat. Forego that tradition this year and try some different spices to flavor the side dishes. Garlic is a good addition for asparagus and green beans.

Usually when a vegetarian is attending dinner, everyone brings a green bean casserole. While it is a good side dish, it isn’t a meal if five or six people bring a green bean casserole. Where is the variety? Other vegetables are great for Christmas dinner. How about a potato and corn chowder or a sweet potato casserole?

When it comes to the main course, you can still have turkey. If the vegetarians that you know eat seafood, add a pecan crusted salmon to the menu. It provides lots of protein and flavor. Salmon goes with green vegetables and any other side dishes you choose to bring.

Pasta is a dish that can be enjoyed by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Fettuccine Alfredo can be prepared using canned sauce. Have shrimp and diced chicken on the side so dinner guests can choose what they want to add to their pasta.

The point is not to make the vegetarian guest feel out of place at your Christmas dinner. Add menu items that everyone will enjoy but are also appropriate for any vegetarians in the group.

If the meal is a vegetarian gathering, fashion a turkey breast out of seasoned tofu to keep with tradition. Pair with cornbread stuffing and meatless gravy for added flavor. Tofu has the distinction of taking on the flavor of whatever it is cooked or prepared with.

Desserts are usually easier to manage. Remember to use soy milk in recipes that call for milk or try non-dairy recipes like a gelatin mold, cookies, or brownies. Another idea is to ask a few guests to supply the desserts for the Christmas dinner. Ask all guests to prepare desserts that don’t contain dairy or meat products.

Vegetarian Christmas dinner ideas help you prepare a feast that is friendly to those who don’t eat meat. While they understand that some people will be eating meat, be sure to provide them with good foods to choose from as well.