We have the same meal every Christmas Eve, because it is just perfect! Not too difficult, things can be made in advance, and it is oh so good! Off to the Maine coast we go to get Glidden Point oysters right from the grower, pick up our lobsters that we have pre ordered and then a quick stop at the grocery store...and we start to cook.
The menu:
Leek saffron broiled oysters
Baked stuffed lobsters with crab meat
Caesar Salad (you are on your own)
Chocolate molten cake
and lots of Champagne(on your own again)
Christmas
Christmas
Xmas Dessert with Jamie Oliver
My son Ethan and I once tried to cook our way through Jamie Oliver’s
Italy—he was going off to school and had some delusional fantasy that
there would be a kitchen in his dorm (not!) and that he would be able
to cook for his friends and his girlfriends and somehow simulate some
of the cuisine he was accustomed to... It was great. Everything we
made was perfect. I don’t even like swordfish and Jamie Oliver’s
swordfish is one of the best things I’ve ever had. He thinks “fruit is
lovely”, he uses words like “drizzle” and you sort of feel like he’s in
the kitchen with you.
So, I was really excited when Jamie Oliver’s new book “Jamie at Home” arrived in the mail. And it’s xmas and it’s chaotic and I haven’t had time to even begin to cook my way through it. But I’m really pleased that they’re allowing us to excerpt some of Jamie Oliver’s new recipes.
We’re going to try his recipe for Orchard Eve Pudding at our Xmas dinner.
Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
Happy Holidays! One of our favorite quick appetizers are these Italian Stuffed Mushrooms. They usually show up on the holiday table because they are so easy to make and serve.
You can even throw them together early in the day and bake them off right as guests are arriving.
Having a hot appetizer that is so easy to make is a godsend on party day. I often double the recipe because they disappear so fast.
I hope you have a great day, have to get back to cooking as I am going to be making my Lobster Bisque, it’s just not Christmas without it.
The Twelve Books of Christmas
It’s the holiday season and along with sipping cocoa by the fire, it’s the perfect time to cozy up with a good book. We thought we’d take the time to share some classic titles for your twelve days of Christmas. Maybe we’ll introduce you to a new title or two.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – Probably the epitome of “Christmas Classic,” this story has been parodied countless times and always drives home an important moral lesson.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss – Dr. Seuss makes us feel like we can spread the joy of the holidays to the grumpiest of people and reminded us that even if all the presents disappeared, we can still celebrate!
The Elf on the Shelf by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell – If you’re a parent of tiny children, you probably have embraced this new Christmas tradition of inviting one of Santa’s elves to help keep an eye on what’s going on around the house.
Our Best Christmas Present
When our Mother was diagnosed with cancer many years ago, once we regained our balance, my sister and I plotted and planned how we would make that Christmas, her last, be the best Christmas of her life. That being such a bold plan where else could we spend that bittersweet holiday but in the countryside of France and where else but in the festive Champagne region? This was our present to our Mother and we wanted it to be grand. The night before we were to leave Maine we opened up a bottle of her favorite Champagne and handed her a glass with an envelope. Tears poured down her cheeks as she viewed the tickets to Paris, her favorite destination in the whole world with her two daughters. We promised her that she would drink Champagne everyday, but that is all we revealed of our surprise dream Christmas together.
The next day we headed to Boston in a thick snow storm leaving behind our hopelessness and entering into a happy, magical fantasy for the next 10 days. No doctors, no treatments, no stress or sadness gnawing at our bones – just great food, champagne, and love in copious amounts. Having made the reservations so close to our departure the four of us were forced to sit in pairs. My mother and sister were seated ten rows ahead of me and my boyfriend. The noise level on the plane grew louder with laughter in the rows ahead of us. I mentioned to the flight attendant that she sure had a wild crowd to tend to that night. She laughed briefly and rolled her eyes. After an hour I headed up the aisle to check on my mother and sister, to my delight and horror they were the source of all the loud laughter fueled by too many glasses of Champagne. The plan for her to relax and enjoy herself again was working already.
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