Christmas dinner for 2 - need suggestions.

[hedgehog]

[Warpy]

1. Cornish game hens

rice pilaf stuffing, honey glaze on the birds, veggie sides, favorite dessert, champagne.

I did this one and it's great. There are few leftovers to haunt you, maybe enough left on the bones for one chicken salad sandwich.

[Galileo126]

2. Warpy beat me to it ^^^^

If a dinner for two, I always go with Cornish hens. The last time, I made a strawberry dipping sauce. I think it had garlic and ginger, fresh and preserved strawberries, and some strawberry liquor. Another time, I used it as a glaze while the mini-birds were cooking.

[hedgehog]

3. We have lots of kirsch, and I do have dried sour and dried sweet cherries....

[Galileo126]

4. That would work!

I'm a fan of fruit and poultry/pork. I took a quick look on the googles, and there's lots of ideas for cherry sauce and Cornish hen. (Me, I'm a sucker for strawberries, hence my original suggestion.)

As an aside, I had a blueberry sauce atop beef ribs, which totally threw me, and which I totally loved! Never would have thought...

[Rebkeh]

5. Ham and freezer

Mine is a family of two as well. I've done the Cornish hens but I have found that a small ham works as well because it makes for great leftovers.

I also make soup with the leftover ham for freezing.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Spend a little more at a meat market and get a small beef tenderloin. That's the best!

[grasswire]

7. fondue is a good choice, still

it's kind of a sentimental meal. Trader Joe's makes a packaged fondue that I haven't tried, but it might be very good. Wine, a little salad of perhaps pear and greens and a nice vinaigrette, sprinkled with chopped toasted hazelhuts. A glorious dessert of some kind.

Actually, this sounds pretty good for New Year's Eve.

[SheilaT]

8. Warpy nailed it.

Many years ago, when I was an airline employee, and of course had to work the holidays, one year I made Cornish Game Hens for my dinner. I cooked them at home before I went to work, -- it goes without saying, I hope, that there was a wild rice stuffing -- and warmed them (and whatever side dishes I might have had. This was about 40 years ago so I no longer recall all the details) in the small oven we had in our break room.

I arranged that I and the other employee I'd cooked for would take a late dinner break. I think I might have had a bottle of wine, but maybe not. Anyway, all the other employees were jealous, and it was a lovely thing to have when working on a holiday.

Anyway, Cornish Game Hens are perfect for two.

Me, I'll fix an entire turkey for myself as I did last year, or as I intend to do for this Christmas when one of my sons is visiting, but not everyone wants to deal with the massive leftovers.

[hedgehog]

9. The Cornish game hens sound like the winners!

Thank all of you for your comments!

[dem in texas]

10. Beef Tenderloin or Prime Rib - Our traditional Christmas dinner

If you haven't roasted a beef tenderloin before, consult your cook book. it needs to be well seasoned and roasted on a rack in a hot 425 or 450 degree oven. Beef tenderloin is easy to cook but because of the cost of the meat, don't mess it up. Cooking it fast is the name of the game. Serve with big white mushrooms that are sauteed in butter and garlic powder and sprinkled with minced parsley. Have a little horseradish mixed with cream or sour cream to serve on the side. Make twice baked potatoes (can be made a day ahead and heated). A fresh veggie, such as green beans and a big salad. Finish off with a rich a fruit cobble topped with ice cream or a creamy pie with a mile-high meringue.

Any left over meat is great in sandwiches; if you have lots of drippings and feel like the extra work, make French dip sandwiches. Any left over twice baked potatoes are good warmed over.

Because of the cost of the meat, I Usually make a big prime rib as we are feeding a bunch of people, but cooked and served the same way. I have done the beef tenderloin before when feeding a smaller group. Yum, Yum!

!