Monday December 19, 2011
...for loving!
When you focus on others, the season takes on the right tone! It's not about how decorated your house is, or how many presents you may give or get, or how many parties you've been invited to. It's about LOVE.
In our house, we show love through food - treasured family recipes that take you down food memory lane, new recipes that reflect where we are currently, and nibbles and cookies from friends and family. All provide that important centerpiece to the holidays.
My menu this year:
Christmas Eve: Lobster Risotto, Fried Flounder, Baccala Salad and a big green salad. Cookies and Baked Chocolate Pudding for dessert. And of course, assorted Christmas cookies. We are small group this year.
Christmas Day: Rib Roast, Turnip and Potato Gratin, Broccoli with garlic and browned butter, and a big green salad. Gluten-free Yule Log and Gingerbread Cake. And of course, assorted Christmas cookies.
What's on your menu?
Sunday December 18, 2011
The chickens know that daylight is at a premium right now and they cling to every last morsel of sunshine before they reluctantly come home to roost. What is most striking to me is the color of the light just before the sun sets - a true gift of nature!
Friday December 16, 2011
Nostalgia is the word for the holidays.
When I was a little girl, my Mom threw a party for me and my friends - "Come Carol with Carole". My Dad would print up the songbooks for all of us to use and we would head out into the neighborhood and ring people's doorbells, wait for them to answer and then launch into a Carol. It was so much fun. We didn't want money or applause; we were spreading the joy of the season.
We ended up back at our house for cookies and hot chocolate. The cookie platter was full of pignolis, biscottii, sugar cookies, snow balls, cream puffs and more. Oddly, the biscotti and pignolis were harldy ever eaten by us kids. And I bet the adults were secretly happy.
I am glad I am an adult now! I made pignolis last weekend and was so happy to make something that Jim could eat too as they are gluten-free!