Gathering over food

[Richard Chrz]

We are going to my mother in laws today for the annual Easter gathering, and I’m just blah about it.

My mother in law makes really good comfort food, so it’s not the food, that would be my parents, ughh, but, I’m torn on family gatherings vs holiday gatherings. I love a table full of family and good food, I’m just not into traditional hams, and turkeys etc… I’d rather eat a great slow cooked chuck roast and fixings. Or, the only way I ever agree to host a holiday gathering is that there is no meal served at the table, unless you would like to sit there, but food to be set out to graze on through out the day, and nothing will be traditional.

what’s your take on the traditional holiday fares vs. a Sunday gathering over food?

[tstalafuse]

I have found living slightly more than 3hrs away from the nearest family works best for us..

[Jim White]

You must have better family than I do. We have a two time zone rule for distance from mine.

[Panhead John]

I have a sister in New York, works well.

[Andrrr]

If we’re hosting we always put food out buffet style. Passing around dishes seems to be more trouble than it’s worth, especially depending on the number of side dishes.
As for tradition, I really enjoy the Thanksgiving meal although many here don’t so that will most likely always be the offering, but for all the other holidays I’m with you on serving whatever I feel like. I’ve told my wife that someday when we’re hosting Christmas it will be a large spread of smoked beef, turkey and pork.

[Dewesq55]

I'm smoking a pork butt tomorrow. SHMBO said it was ok.

[RichieB]

Thanksgiving is the only holiday celebrated. It's a 2 day phased approach. I know I've posted before. Italian, raviolis sausage, braciole and ox tails and the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I wouldn't have any other way.

[JeffJ]

I’m not a fan of Easter fare. I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner and for Christmas we have our own tradition of beef stew.

[hoovarmin]

I love holiday meals. But ours are a bit different. As I mentioned in another thread, we have a Lebanese feast on Easter. Luckily, it is a potluck, so I am only responsible for one dish. Tomorrow I'll be contributing pulled lamb shoulder with a mint chimichuri. But I do love making a meal for all my kids on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Day. I just wish they pitched in a little more. Lately, my daughters have stepped it up in that regard, so things are trending in the right direction.

[hoovarmin]

@Andrr I will tell you after I find out!

[gboss]

How did the lamb shoulder come out?

[hoovarmin]

gboss it was fantastic. I can't believe that I didn't snap any pics. The mint chimichuri was a game changer too.

[Skip]

Too many of my Wife's and My Families have passed away so usually the groups that get together are smaller so we eat at the table at a designated time. I sometimes miss the large groups of Family we used to have. Then we did it gazing sometimes and sitting at tables sometimes. Life changes.

[Bob K]

Truer words... My mom is the second of 7 kids and they all fruitfully multiplied. We had a houseful at every holiday with all the aunts & uncles, cousins, spouses, Seemed like a hassle when i was in my 20s, but i do miss it now.

[randy.56]

I'm doing Tri tip for lunch, cheese potato's salad, one of my sons his wife and grand son. He is 2 and a half so easter egg hunt is in store.

[Troutman]

It seems as though the tradition of having a family gathering around one big table, has gotten to be more tradition than reality these days. In the old days, we used to have traditional family meals around one table at every holiday and occasional cremations in the backyard during the summer. Sadly those days, and most of my family are gone. We mostly graze in our house, to be honest I kind of miss the old traditions.

Cherish those family memories while you can, they are fleeting my friend.

[Finster]

^^^^ this.
The older generation is the one that kept it all together. They are all gone now, and so are the big family get togethers..

[Oak Smoke]

Our traditional holiday meals at mom and dads were served at the big dining room table and about 3 card tables in the living room. It was sad but someone had to die to get promoted to the big table. Our meals were the traditional turkey, dressing, ham, ugly stuff mixed in jello, and a desert table that anyone would have loved. Now that all the people at the big table have passed on we still have a traditional Thanksgiving, although much smaller. Our go to now for Christmas is either surf and turf or tamales with an entire Mexican spread. I lean toward the ribeyes and lobster myself but get out voted once in a while.

[Troutman]

Funny, I’m cooking, ribeyes and lobster as we speak

[Old Glory]

I love the traditional holiday dinners. We rotate holidays. My sister does Thanksgiving but they ask me for my stuffing and to cook a bird.

We host Feast of the 7 Fishes on Christmas Eve and Easter Dinner. Both traditional sit downs. Though there is more wine flowing on Christmas Eve than Easter. I also do a Roast for my In-Laws on Pre-Christmas when we celebrate my son's BDay.

My other sister does Christmas but that is more of a buffet style with a Yankee Swap. Same sister has a pool she hosts a few pool parties each summer. I usually have to take over cooking duties from my BIL because he would burn water. He can build furniture and fix your brakes but can't cook worth a damn...lol.

So I guess we do a mix of both. I like both, but I grew up with traditional sit down holiday meals so I like keeping that alive. After I get too to cook old I'm not sure if the next generation will carry it on.

[barelfly]

Christmas and Thanksgiving are our family dinners. Christmas Eve is the eat all day, pick and eat festivities, which is excellent because we start eating at 11am - carne adovada, posole and all the goods that come with!

tomorrow, I believe will be a eat as you choose style meal.

We have a small family, just my side of the family, so parents, grandmother, sister and nephew, and then my wife and I - tomorrow will be the first holiday where both of our kids are out of town….that will be weird, but…comes with time.

but, to answer, it’s a mix for our small family. And both are fine for what we do, but I do not like to sit at the table for hours. I just can’t sit like tat, I need to be up and about!

hope you enjoy the day!

[JCBBQ]

IDK, I love a meal around the table. Thanksgiving is the only really traditional meal where everyone knows what’s on the menu - and it’s always at the table. But we have a “Wednesday Dinner” every other week where my nephews and families or any family on the east coast come. Great opportunity for me to experiment. We always sit at the table. I love that.

[jgreen]

We usually do the large group dinners, but I get to cook so it is what I like. My wife would make the dinner groups even larger if she could.