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Holiday/Family question.
I know it's a couple months away but I'm trying to plan Christmas for the ILs. This is the first year that they won't be in the same house together and let's just say not everyone is welcome where my SIL and nieces are living right now.
Little background story, every year H and I go to his family's house early in the morning for breakfast and presents, we go back to our house for a little while, then head to my family's house for lunch, then back to our place and then back to the ILs for dinner.
Well, we were thinking of having them over to our house for breakfast and presents (it's more important for the girls then the rest of us because we're adults and we understand) and maybe dinner. That's all fine and good, we have no issue with that. My thing is the food.
Every year they have coffee cake (that is gross in my opinion, the recipe, not the idea of coffee cake) and coffee or hot chocolate for breakfast, and then for dinner, roast beef, some kind of potato and then Yorkshire pudding.
If I'm going to be hosting, am I expected to make their family recipes or can I make variations of my own. I have a coffee cake recipe that I really like and I made it Christmas Eve and brought it over to bake Christmas morning. Mine took longer than MILs so she baked it before hers. It would have been okay if she had followed the explicit instructions I had given her instead of essentially messing up the entire thing. Everyone else thought it was good except for H because the texture was weird.
I know it sounds a little selfish to want to make my own recipes but H loves my cooking and all three women are cooks in our own eyes, but this is going to be the first year that I will be making a big extravagant holiday dinner for basically the two of us. Should I just go along and make something that I'm not confident about putting my name behind it or should I do what H and I want?
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Re: Holiday/Family question.
I've so been there. I just told everybody what I was serving.
A few people said, "but what about our traditional unicorn tears pudding?" So I told them to feel free to bring it over and I'd find a spot in the oven to keep it warm.
make what you like.
if they offer to bring the coffee cake-fine, let them, but that doesn't mean you can't make one too.
Make what you want if your hosting. You don't have to stick to just what they have served in the past. Now would be a good time to start new traditions if you wanted.
If they offer to bring anything you can graciously accept. If asked what to bring just let them know what's missing from the menue.
With all the drama in the beginning...that's not where I thought this was going.
2 thoughts: First, I would assume whomever makes the coffee cake will still want to make it even if you're hosting. If so, I would not make a rebel coffee cake, but would make different foods to supplement the coffee cake. If you are expected to cook that coffee cake...couldn't you just make some alterations to that recipe to make it less gross to you, You can even claim "I didn't have this so I had to substitute". I bet if you posted the 2 recipes (yours and theirs) we could help you combine them
This! You are a grown woman with children, and her own home
MIL needs to realize this. Good luck.
If you are hosting, you cook whatever you'd like. If you want to do something completely new, go for it but it may be most thoughtful to let the guests know so they may bring one of their traditional dishes along.
Cook what you want.
We had the same "traditional" Thanksgiving family recipes from when I was a child. Let's just say my family is not a great group of cooks.
I started hosting Thanksgiving and made my own recipes. Similar to grandma's - - but cooked the way I like. It was MUCH better my way!
I personallty wouldn't serve the same Christmas dinner - - it seems very heavy with not enough veggies!
If anyone complains, tell them that next year they can bring a side dish.