December dinners

Burns literally stink, hate them.
Deviled eggs, finger rolls, swedish meatballs. Plus chips & dips. That is it for now. Of course toddies.

1st time in 20+ years I will not be doing stuffed shells. Jim is pouting. 16 years tonight.

Hello again from Germany!

We had a very nice spread for dinner Christmas Eve, with the big meal due today - a turkey going in the oven this morning.

An array of nice cheeses, patés, meats - and deviled eggs - paired well with several crusty breads. Salutations with sekt, prosecco, and several Rhine valley varietal whites made up a festive background for opening gifts.

Yummy
Sherrie I'm making stuffed shells today, but not the massive amounts you did.
Nice VV
Last night we had beef tenderloin over thinly sliced potatoes with butter and garlic. And asparagus. I only cooked half of the tenderloin, so will make the other half today or tomorrow.
Merry Christmas!

I love fried bologna Sherry!!!.. Hope you feel better Celeste!!!

Last night was baked mac n cheese with ham and chicken parm.

Tonight will be all Italian....rigatoni, meatball, pork, pepperoni, braciole....can't wait!

just made me really hungry Ronnie.. drool!!!!

Good morning and Merry Christmas.

I picked up a "Farmhouse Feast" from Bob Evans yesterday and took it to my inlaw's house. My MIL will warm everything up and 7 of us will enjoy Christmas dinner there about noon today. Turkey, ham, sides and desserts.

Rib roast today, mashed taters, peas, broccoli casserole, rolls
Christmas cookies, apple pie and pretzel salad

Merriest of Christmases.

Heading off to church soon. No Sunday school this morning.

Yum....sounds like wonderful Christmas feasts.....just came back from breakfast at the farm....NY bagels, cream cheese & lox all brought by my NY stepdaughter, Nodine's apple smoked bacon from Goshen & farm fresh eggs......will be eating at the Mayflower Inn around 2....doubt if it will be better than breakfast!

I'm now stuffed with roast beef, yorkshire pudding, rolls, corn and mashed potatos. Had cookies for dessert. We washed it down with some local wines.

I had sweet potato gnocci with hen of the woods mushrooms & sprouting broccoli...that was good, but I missed out on dessert because they were so slow at the inn....I wanted to get home before dark & feed the dog, so my son had my chocolate nutella cake....hope he enjoyed it!

Christmas Breakfast:
   Eggs Benedictine
   Orange Juice
Lunch:
   Fish chowder
Christmas Dinner:
   Pork loin with sage and pistachio nuts
   Buttermilk mashed potatoes
   Brussels sprout "hash" with shallots and bacon
   Garden salad
   Nut bread ring
   Amaretto cheesecake
   Estancia Pinot Noir

We split the cooking duties...she did the meat, cheesecake, chowder and bread (with King Arthur's help) and I did the sides and breakfast.
Yum!

Mmm stuffed shells were so good, usually use part skim ricotta, used whole milk ricotta, and more ricotta than mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano. Yummy.

Wow, sounds great, vv!

Yum, all!

We had manicotti with meat sauce. Was great.

We were pooped Christmas Day with the 7 yr old and the not quite 3 yr old going round and round and round. Who would purchase bows /arrows and guns and wee hand held stealth objects that shoot marshmallows?? And can't even EAT -- coated with J&J baby powder....... I gave them the reminder that there are people starving all over the world who would appreciate these marshmallows...whatta world...whatta world. Gram is a deadhead Christmas morn.

Anyway, the day consisted of breakfast with fr toast, bacon, ham, rolls juices, etc.

Lunch was leftovers from the 'eve - lasagna (this time along with pieces of the traditional meats that went in the tomato sauce (pork and beef ribs, sausage, etc) I added a thin layer of sauted sweet red peppers to the lasagna - no mixing just a single layer-- it was good a great surprise. It sure was hard to find PollyO in NC this year. Mussles and shrimp in wine garlic sauce, a white beansoup ( sans the usual small pasta) deviled eggs, glazed ham, fresh cranberrries with lemon and orange, chopped baby green and romaine salad with fresh mango and apple and dried cherries - balsamic dressing ( 'cept for the SIL who had thousand island) rolls, sweey potato mash with bananas, Dessert was cheese cake (factory) and chocolate cake and struffoli. Grownups had coffee and wine (STILL not used the fancy espresso maker) and kiddies had milk or Welsh's sparkly juice. A real mish mash of stuff. We started with the thick bacon white bean soup and so it was downhill from there. Those brussles would have been perfect. I love brussle sprout hash. All that fiesty food not so good for midnight mass!

Hope you all had a good one!

Sounds great!

Can't believe you're a deadhead, though.

Sounds like everyone had a wonderful dinner for Christmas....my problem is no leftovers, so I'll have to cook for tonight....am thinking about making pasta fagiola.....

Don, do you have a recipe for the brussel sprout hash? I'd like to try it.

Jumper:
   I found several recipes on line and combined them. Here is one version (Many variations possible--you can use pancetta instead of bacon if you wish):

Don’s Hash of Carrots, Brussels Sprouts and Shallots with Bacon

ingredients
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• shallots or green onions, chopped to make about 1/2 cup
• 2 medium cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 10 oz pkg frozen Brussels sprouts, sliced
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided or 3 tblsp olive oil
• ~10 oz carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch thick pieces
• 1 or 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ~1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to your taste)
Directions
Cut sprouts in half lengthwise, then slice lengthwise into 1/8 in. strips.
Brown bacon in a medium large skillet over medium high heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Add a little extra-virgin olive oil or butter to the pan. Add shallots and garlic to the pan and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add rest of oil or butter plus Brussels spouts and carrots and coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook veggies 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften, then add broth. Bring broth to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with cooked bacon bits.

Sounds awesome Don

That does sound yummy!

thanks Don, will have to try this one!

Oh I put on a puss when I saw those marshmallows fly. Christmas grouch.

That is what the white bean and bacon soup was-- the pasta fagoili base!

Sometimes just fry thin thin strips of bacon til crisp and toss with well drained steamed brussels, butter, salt
and pepper. Small amt celery seed and even smaller amt fennel.....then whip like potatoes... Into a hash.

Your dinner sounds great, Rosie. For some reason, this year, the mention or sight of struffoli gets me teary eyed when I remember the family around the table, mixing, kneading, rolling, cutting and frying them. I called my daughter and said "Maybe if I start making a batch, I'll get over the feeling of missing everyone". She wisely said "don't do it alone because you'll be missing them more". We plan to have the younger generation all around the baking table when we get together for New Year's Eve, even though this is not the traditional holiday to make them.

I had a moment of the same sort...kinda. :) My Mother, Grandmother and SIL of the house always got together and made peanuts for Christmas. It's a tedious process and no one does it anymore. I have been doing it basically by myself for the last 3 years. Last year I said I wouldn't do it anymore, but there I sat this year peeling skins off blanched red skins , drying them and frying them. DS, youngest of the group helped me last year and this year and it dawned on me that when I'm gone he will be the only one who knows how to make the peanuts. ^_^

OH, Pork roast marinated in portobello mushrooms and spices cooked on the rotisserie. Fresh green beans and garlic in a butter sauce and baby red skinned potatoes sauteed in a wine/herb sauce. Loaf of french bread and applesauce on the side. ^_^

Oh, yum!

A Thai restaurant finally opened up in the city to the north...went today for Pad Thai.....very good food....but service was awful.....

Roses- it can be a new tradition. -- struffoli for the New Year.

As I get older, it is easier for me to get choked uo thinking of holidays from times past. Holidays when my father and several brothers and sisters were still with us. Like many young folks-- I thought those things and people were so near and dear would be there forever. Never can hear Auld Lang Syne without shedding a tear or two.

Pixie, tHose peanuts sound great! So good that the tradition will live on in your son.

Can someone send me some food? I have no energy!!!
Hubby's working late


Teri!!!!! I made that maple syrup salad again...work of art I tell you! Family members are now requesting I make it

Leftovers

Met some friends from GA who are in town and another couple for breakfast.
Pecan pancake, turkey sausage and fried apples for me. Mmmmm.....

This was my dessert when I was in the city a few weeks ago. Was TGIFriday's.

That was always my "go to" dessert when we went out anywhere. Brownie sundae...YUM

Did you ever have their oreo one??? Haven't been there in years

That was the Oreo one!

All that food looks wonderful!

Oh yeah....that is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does anyone eat chicken French?
It is a meal choice for the wedding, and my sister asked what it was. I looked it up and found it isn't common outside this area.

I tried and burned my tongue. ^_^

:-)

So what is it actually? I never heard of it. Are they choosing it?