December 21, 2015 – Happy Holidays, ALDI fans! Chris Nease here of Celebrations at Home. If you’re hosting Christmas dinner, you’ve come to the right place today. I’m sharing a beautiful tablescape to inspire you, plus a fantastic menu and recipes in partnership with ALDI.
This year I took a more neutral approach towards Christmas decor and decked our halls out in black and white. It’s a color combo I’ve been wanting to do for a few years, and I’ve loved having it this season.
You may notice too, that I’ve consistently used it in my other holiday entertaining posts for ALDI in my Easy Cocktail Party and Creating a Gourmet Holiday Meal.
This table setting is a mix of black and white with lots of natural greenery that adds a pop of color. I’ve included some delicious menu items and recipes made with ALDI ingredients that will make your holiday meal absolutely fabulous.
Christmas Dinner Party Plan:
The place settings are very simple but still layered with details. Paper place mats and cards from Red Stamp look lovely with basic white dishes and twig cutlery.
A wide ribbon in black and white stripes stretches the full length of the table.
As an alternative to a traditional floral centerpiece, I created a natural table runner of greenery that surrounds candles in birch-looking holders. A mix of silver dollar eucalyptus from the store, and evergreen tree trimmings from the yard are overlapped and laid down the center of the table.
To add interest I placed glittered pine cones, gold (spray painted) antlers, and decorative nests.
The final detail is votive holders placed with a single white rose interspersed throughout the runner.
Details added to each place setting are a single feather which reflects the nests in the centerpiece and a mini chalkboard tag as place cards.
A delicious holiday meal includes a Specially Selected USDA Choice Bone-In Ribeye Roast* from ALDI (see recipe below),Lobster Macaroni and Cheese (add some surf to your turf meal), and a fantastic seasonal Squash and Baby Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing.
For dessert, you can make something from scratch and/or include a Belmont Supreme Cheesecake Sampler from the freezer section at ALDI.
This holiday meal plan is perfect for Christmas day with the family, or for a special dinner party with friends. It would also be a terrific plan for a New Years celebration at home too!
Red Wine Barbeque Ribeye Roast Recipe
Ingredients:
6 pounds Specially Selected USDA Choice Bone-In Ribeye Roast*
2 tablespoons Carlini Vegetable Oil
¼ cup Stonemill Essentials Iodized Salt
3 tablespoons Stonemill Essentials Ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Stonemill Essentials Paprika
3 sprigs rosemary, minced
2 large onions, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 large carrots, chopped
5 large russet potatoes, diced
750 milliliters Winking Owl Cabernet Sauvignon
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500˚.
Pat roast dry with paper towels, rub surface with oil.
Combine salt, pepper, paprika and rosemary in a small bowl. Rub 7 tablespoons of salt mixture thoroughly over surface of roast. Place roast in a roasting pan and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, toss onions, celery, carrots and potatoes with remaining salt mixture. Remove roast from oven and reduce temperature to 350˚. Place vegetables around roast. Return to oven and cook for 2-2½ hours or until internal temperature reaches 130°. Remove roast and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, bring wine to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, continue cooking until reduced by half. Whisk in barbecue sauce, continue to cook until desired consistency.
Squash and Baby Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons Carlini Pure Olive Oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1/4 teaspoon Stonemill Essentials Iodized Salt
1/8 teaspoon Stonemill Essentials Ground Black Pepper
Carlini Canola Cooking Spray
6 strips Specially Selected Center Cut Bacon
1/2 tablespoon Countryside Creamery Unsalted Butter
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup Southern Grove Dried Cranberries
1 cup Southern Grove Sliced Almonds, toasted
2 cups packed SimplyNature Organic Baby Kale
Dressing:
2 tablespoons Tuscan Garden White Vinegar
1 tablespoon Burman’s Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Baker’s Corner Brown Sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°.
In a small bowl, combine squash, 1 tablespoon oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and toss until well coated. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Transfer squash to baking sheet and roast about 10 minutes or until tender but crisp. Reserve.
Place bacon strips on foil-lined baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes or until crispy. Crumble bacon and reserve. In a small bowl reserve 1/4 cup bacon fat.
In a small sauté pan, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until caramelized, reduce heat to low after 10 minutes and stir every 5 minutes or as needed. Reserve in a large bowl.
Add squash, bacon, onion, cranberries, almonds and kale; toss to combine.
For the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, mustard and brown sugar. Slowly drizzle in bacon fat and remaining olive oil until emulsified. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
*Available while quantities last. All products may not be available in all stores. Prices subject to change.