Strawberries, I'm sure youll be fine. Your MIL will be happy to have a break from hosting and cooking
Go with flavours that you know everybody will enjoy. Then it all depends of how much time you want to spend in the kitchen on Christmas day. I prepare as much as I can the days before (things like chocolate truffles, candied orange peel, panforte).
Our menu varies but we always cook a turkey which I stuff on the 24th. I make a stuffing influenced by my French roots: sauteed chicken liver, onion sauteed in butter, bread soaked in milk, pork mince, lots of herbs (parsley, tarragon, thyme...), salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and brandy or cognac.
I place the turkey(coated in EVO and bits of butter) in a hot oven quite early- our boys are usually up at dawn anyway
- and roast it for 30mn on 230C, then on 200c for the rest of the cooking time (all depends of the turkey size). I keep the turkey moist by basting it with a mix of chicken stock and white wine. If it's a 5kg turkey I end up covering it with some foil so it doesn't burn. End result: a very moist and tasty turkey
Frozzie and Andiesenjie, I prefer serving my chestnuts on the side, cooked in the turkey juices. Not everyone enjoy chestnuts and the ones who do can then have more!!
