Within a matter of days as opposed to months it will be Christmas. We have heard the sayings “it will soon be Christmas”. Now we realize where that came from many moons ago.

This day and age we are blessed with the resourcefulness of the internet. We can easily do a quick online search and knock up a menu or two in a matter of minutes.

Here are a number of places that you can find a pile of menu ideas and the associated recipes:

GoodHousekeeping.com has compiled a collection. 

Taste.com.au has an impressive listing of menus/ recipes.

The ever popular hostess extraordinaire Nigella Lawson’s Christmas suggestions are listed on epicurious.com.

BBC.com has a great Christmas menu planning guide here

I also suggest that you take a look at what FoodNetwork.com have to offer on this subject.

There are many more sites that offer resources for your Christmas menu planning. You can aim your search according to what style/ feel you are looking to incorporate into your Christmas dining experience.

BTW- A google image search using the search term “Christmas menu” will present you with “About 70,900,000 results (0.14 seconds)”. You can even get a few ideas of how to present your menu to your guests.

In a nutshell there are a number of items “that should be” included on a Christmas menu depending on what style menu you are looking to create.

A Christmas buffet menu could comprise of a selection of salads and appetizers, soup, mains and desserts.

Here a few possible dish items that you may consider to include on your Christmas buffet menu.

Appetizers and Salads

Crab Pâté / Duck Terrine / Salmon Pâté

Smoked Salmon with Pickled Onions, Horseradish Cream, Capers and Chopped Parsley

Pear and Fennel Salad with Orange Dressing

Marinated Seafood Salad with Lime- Lemongrass Dressing

Boiled Egg filled with Smoked Salmon Mousse

Sweet Potato Salad with Crisp Bacon and Chives

Salad of Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion and Crumbled Feta with Oregano Dressing

Green Mango and Green Papaya Salad with Dried Shrimps

Marinated Mushrooms with Candied Onions and Balsamic

Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato Salad with Rocket Leaves

Assorted Mixed Garden Greens

Soups

Lobster Bisque with Apple Compote and Paprika Dusted Croutons

Double Chicken Consommé with Vegetable Confetti

Seafood Chowder with Sour Cream

Wild Mushroom Bisque with Apples and Chestnuts

Main Courses

Traditional Honey Glazed Baked Ham

Smoked Duck Breast with Orange Sauce

Apricot Stuffed Lamb Loin with Rosemary Jus

Seafood Crepe with Garlic and Thyme infused Basil Cream

Roasted Potato with Herbs

Roasted Turkey with Traditional Condiments

Baked Crab Meat Stuffed Whole Reef Fish

Desserts

Bûche De Noël Vanilla

Bûche De Noël Chocolate

Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Dundee Cake

Christmas Panettone

Christmas Stolen

Fruit Mince Pie

Christmas Cookies

Christmas Macaroon

Champagne Panna Cotta

Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce

A Christmas set menu could comprise of a salad and/ or appetizer, soup, main and dessert.

Here is a sample Christmas set menu:

Amuse Bouche

Chilled Tomato “Shooter” with Griddled Tiger Prawn

Appetiser

Smoked Salmon, Baby Beetroot, Sherry Dressed Baby Spinach

and Toasted Sundried Tomato Bruschetta

Soup

Mushroom Cream with Semi Dried Olives and a Splash of White Truffle Oil

Sorbet

Watermelon Sorbet

Main

Roasted Turkey Breast and Glazed Ham with Chestnut Stuffing

Roasted Potatoes and Parsnips, Carrot Puree, Brussel Sprouts,

Braised Red Cabbage, Cranberry Compote and Pan Juice Gravy

Dessert

Traditional Christmas Pudding with Brandy Custard and Vanilla Ice cream

Please Note: The above mentioned menu items are by no means exhaustive.

What are you planning to have on your Christmas dining table this year? It could very well be a BBQ depending on your location and the weather conditions.

Feel free to add your favorite dish items. Are there any sites that you would like to recommend?

I will be looking out for your comments and/or suggestions.

Image Credit: blog.vegbox-recipes.co.uk

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You need to get into the habit of making healthy weekly meal plans.  You will be able to save a lot of money if you do.  You will also be able to make sure that you serve only the healthiest dishes to your family.  You will be able to take advantage of grocery coupons and sales.

Advantages to Planning Healthy Meals Weekly

In truth, there are many advantages to planning healthy meals weekly, but most people miss out on these advantages because they do not know how to do it.  They feel more comfortable doing a daily meal plan.  They are more at ease with eating whatever they can whip up at the last minute.

Perhaps, you have tried planning a healthy week’s meal.  Maybe you find it a bit challenging.  The truth is, creating healthy weekly meal plans is not at all that difficult if you know where to start.  Once you have got into the habit of making plans, you will find it easy and worthwhile.  Working out in advance what to shop and cook will save you a lot of time and money.

You will also be able to avoid processed foods.  You would not have to resort to buying fast foods as well.  Your children will eat only the healthiest dishes.

To make it easier for you, here are some tips on how to create healthy weekly meal plans.

1. Make sure that a dish can last for two days.  To save time and money, you can plan for five or six meals that can last you the whole week.  Make sure, however, that you would not end up wasting foods or throwing away leftovers.  Be inventive with your dishes.  There are so many things that you can do to a single dish.
2. Set a day when to make your plan.  Set it on the same day of the week.  Take into consideration grocery items that you still have or leftovers that you can still eat.  You will also find enough ingredients to make some pasta or casserole.  You will be able to avoid food wastage if you do this.
3. Keep a record of your healthy weekly meal plans.  This way, you will know which ones work and which ones don’t.  You will also get some inspiration from previous plans.  Take note of things that you can do in order to improve your planning.  You can take note of meals that your family liked.  If you invent a new dish, take note of it and write down the ingredients in your meal planner.
4. Be very organized.  Your meal planner should be categorized according to types of dishes.  For instance, you can group meat dishes together.  You can create a list of your pasta dishes.  You can also insert recipes if you want.  Use dividers for these categories, so you will be more organized.  Put bookmarks if they would help you.
5. Shop for healthy ingredients and food standbys like pasta, olives, frozen veggies, spices, tuna, rice and similar items.  Choose ingredients that will allow you to fix quick, healthy and simple meals.
6. Remember to plan ahead if you would like to try out new recipes.

Making healthy weekly meal plans is not that difficult.  You just need to learn how to go about doing it.

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The 99 dollar question is- When is the right time to change the menu? Well in all honesty there is no right or wrong answer.

Some establishments choose to change the menu seasonally, some choose monthly others choose irregularly.

The bottom line is – the frequency of the menu change is solely in the hands of the associated Chef, Restaurant Manager, and/ or Food and Beverage Director.

All in all as mentioned in an earlier posting in this very category within the chef 21 blog there are many factors and step involved in the menu planning process.

I am in fact currently compiling an ebook on the subject of “Menu Development”. The more involved that I get in the mentioned ebook the more intrigued I become.

Do you have any secrets that you would like to share? Feel free to leave your comments- you never know you might even get a mention in the forthcoming ebook.

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Planning is of the essence here. Menu planning is an art within itself. It is a skill that is developed over the years.

When I am dining out I have a habit of dissecting the menu that the particular establishment has on offer. As I read through the various menus that I stumble across I begin to analysis the structure and content.

I am sure that many chefs do the same thing

You could call that a self managed training course in menu planning.

As they say, by failing to plan you are planning to fail. It is certainly true when it comes to menu planning.

Over the proceeding postings within this very category in the blog you will find a number of hints, tips and ideas to give you the leading edge when it comes to initiating a methodically approach for your next menu change.

Whether it is a simple 3 dish menu or an elaborate 10 sectioned fine dining menu a similar mind set is required when it comes to menu planning.

You will be given a complete overview of the various types of menus.

In addition we will cover such areas as- mise en place lists, dish recipes, basic recipes, product specifications, market lists, store lists, wastage and spoilage, dish sketches, dish images and menu engineering etc etc.

The list goes on; the world is our oyster, who knows where our journey may take us.

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