Need "fun" food ideas

[LisaN]

Trying to figure out what to do for food for Christmas, nobody seems interested in doing breakfast, which we did last year and frankly was a lot of work.

Someone suggested we do something "fun" but I'm not sure what the heck that means, and figured I'd ask for ideas. Fondue will not work, everyone is dead set against it.

If possible, I'd like ideas that can be mostly done in advance.

Thanks

[blue room]

How many people? All ages or just adults?

[LisaN]

No kids, 7 adults no food restrictions, I know some people will not want to do anything but sit on their butts. I appreciate all suggestions.

[Michelly]

That can be tricky since what one person considers "fun" may not be for another.

I first need some info: how many people(approx)? their ages? kids, and their ages? booze: yes or no? any vegetarians or vegans, or anyone else with food restrictions? And does everyone want to have an activity, or just sit back and relax to recover from spending all night wrapping?

Now if you're talking just a meal, I suggest my Holiday French Toast which is prepared the night before:

HOLIDAY FRENCH TOAST serves 6

1/2 c brown sugar (packed)
1/4 c melted butter
1 1/2 t cinnamon, divided
2 small tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/4 c raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 loaf Italian or French bread, cut into 1" slices
3 eggs
3/4 c milk
1 1/2 t vanilla

Combine brown sugar, butter, and 1/2 t cinnamon in a 9x9x2" baking dish (use a 13x9x2" if doubling the recipe). Add fruits; toss to coat well. Spread evenly ove bottom of dish and arrange bread slices on top.
Mix eggs, milk, vanilla, and remaining 1 t cinnamon until well blended. Pour over bread, soaking bread completely. Cover and refrigerate 4-24 hours.
Set oven to 375 F and, if your baking pan is glass, place it into a larger pan filled halfway with very warm water to preheat. When oven is ready, remove pan from water, wipe, cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Optional garnishes and/or serve withs: melted butter, whipped cream, ice cream, maple syrup, chopped nuts, splash of brandy, whiskey, or rum...etc.
We eat it will a pile of applewood-smoked brandy which is fried while the french toast is baking.
One of our rules is that whoever cooks, does NOT have to clean up. For me, the cook, that's fun!

[wyogal]

Christmas pizza! Make ahead or buy crusts, let everyone do their thing! You can have a variety of toppings on hand.

[todao]

I like this idea. The toppings don't have to be savory. Things like nuts, figs and raisins work very well as "pizza" ingredients and a bacon pizza with a very light coating of crushed tomatoes and, when it comes out of the oven, topped with scrambled eggs could be interesting. Or perhaps cracking an egg on top and allowing it to cook during the last few minutes in the oven. If it's a late breakfast (e.g. brunch) you could serve champaign, a good quality lager, Tequila Sunrise, Mimosa or "Running Through the Grass Naked" as adult beverages. Apple juice and Orange juice for the kids ...

[Michelly]

You can make one savory and one sweet pizza.

[gilintx]

Not really sure what "fun" means in this context either, but DIY stuff often brings a crowd together nicely. I'm thinking make your own pizza, quesadillas, kebab, or even a taco bar. I know you expect a couple of people to not participate at all, but unless they expect you to do everything, you may have to live with that.

[penelopek]

How about a DIY ramen spread? We find those to be fun, and you can do all of the slicing beforehand.

[ForFoodsSake]

Make your own crepe bar, maybe? I like the make your own pizza suggestion above, too.

[TorontoJo]

How about Chinese hot pot? That was my family's Christmas day tradition growing up. It's fun and easy. The stock and the dipping sauces can be made in advance, the meats and veggies can be sliced the day before or the day of, and that's pretty much it. There no cooking involved, since the cooking is part of the meal. To make it really easy, just assign each guest an ingredient to bring. Minimal effort, lots of fun.

Here's a post and photos from a hot pot dinner I did at the beginning of the year:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/818842

[wattacetti]

To me that's a great idea, but the OP has already said that for her crowd fondue is out, and hot pot is too similar.

[DuchessNukem]

If some folks will be there for breakfast, then easy Christmas Breakfast Nachos:

Day before:
mince and mix red peppers, green onions, green olives (saute peppers and onions if desired)
shred cheddar cheese (or buy pre-shredded in bag)

In a.m.:
scatter tortilla chips on plates, lavishly sprinkle cheese
loosely scramble eggs, remove from pan, season
top chips with dollops of eggs then veggies (warm veggies if desired)
sour cream and hot sauce on side

[Emme]

i was also thinking dishes that people could customize... Paninis, Waffle Bar, Omelette Station, etc.

But, would fun be a Chopped/Iron Chef style competition? One of the 7 people buys the mystery ingredients, then the remaining six get paired off, and each pair goes head to head for one part of the meal - appetizer, entree, dessert - and the the shopper picks out the mystery ingredients for each course. OR, let one person be shopper, and split the remaining 6 into two teams, each of which prepares an app, entree and dessert... Now that would be fun to me!