This year my boyfriend and I cooked Christmas dinner for my family. It’s been a busy December and we didn’t have much time to brainstorm a menu, but I think we came up with a good, and somewhat traditional, dinner.

The beef before baking, shrimp cocktail on the table, the main course

This menu was fairly easy to time. We started the tenderloin first so it had time to rest before going into the oven. The soup could be prepared ahead of time, and the blue cheese and bacon added just before serving. The vegetables were simply roasted with the beef, and the puddings went into the oven as we were eating the main course.

Here’s what we made:

• Shrimp cocktail
• Potato soup with blue cheese and bacon (recipe)
• Beef tenderloin with ancho and fennel seeds (recipe)
• Sides: Garlic mashed potatoes, Roasted carrots, Roasted asparagus
• Individually baked lemon puddings (and a surprise dessert from mom)