I just didn't get around to making anything special this year. Not much spirit after the election.

But for dessert I'm having a cup of coffee & the last of my Brussels Mint cookies. They used to be a standard Pepperidge Farm cookie then they were discontinued & then they brought them back, but only for Christmas! They sell out fast so I start looking for them around Thanksgiving.

Is shrimp toast just toast with shrimp on it?

Is shrimp toast just toast with shrimp on it?

++no, it’s more complicated than that. I once made it myself and said never again.

Trader Joe’s has frozen shrimp toast but even that has to be heated up a particular way or it gets doughy.

Hey, as long as they make a semi respectable version of certain dishes, I’ll happily buy them. Put Chinese dumplings and paleek paneer in that group.

Brown-sugar glaze on heated spiral ham. To 145 at 325 oven.

Yellow Harvard beets

Mashed butternut squash

Mac and cheese

I'll make spinach stroganoff, an old standby. Had the fancy dinner yesterday, I'm into being a slug today.

When I was the grants officer of a small NGO, I was the one to inform recipients of their good fortune. That was fun.

We're in the OBX in Nags Head and have a seafood dinner planned.

Appetizer
Raw oysters on the half-shell with lemon, horseradish, cocktail sauce and small toasts. Champagne.

Entree
Fresh grouper dusted with flour then sautéed in olive oil, butter, white wine and capers.
Roasted red potatoes with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary.
Creamed spinach.
Pinot Grigio.

Dessert
Mixed berries.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, dear NJCher! May the new year be bright.

Hasselback potatoes, asparagus strawberry salad and sweet potato pie with whipped cream. It's almost ready!

Potato chips.

Christmas cookies and milk before bedtime.

Good Evening

Just returned from a Chinese Restaurant we’ve been going to on Christmas Day for the last 5 years. We don’t feel like cooking after the large traditional Polish Christmas Eve family feast we had last night. I had steamed veggie dumplings and steamed snow peas, water chestnuts and tofu with black bean sauce on the side. My wife had steamed broccoli with shrimp, garlic sauce on the side. We shared, of course. Was delicious but wish they served brown rice. Cheers!🎄

and ice cream later, choco too.

Awaiting kid's visit; they're visiting 'other' grandparents, so they're gonna be TIRED!!!

Borscht made w roasted beets vegetarian
Store bought pierogis imported from Chicago
Carrot cake and leftover Christmas cookies

made with the leftovers from last night's party, with a microwave bearnaise sauce. The sauce worked out pretty well, and a lot quicker than constantly whisking it in a double boiler. With leftover beet salad, and a chocolate for dessert.

slathered inside and out with an herbed butter, green bean casserole, baked potatoes, creamed corn, salad, cheesecake factory rolls, and sparkling apple cider. Too full for dessert.
Just me and hubby today, tomorrow off to visit daughter and her family.

Beef Wellington
Roasted carrots and potatoes
Braised leeks
Deviled eggs
Popovers
Key lime pie

I couldn't look a turkey in the face & I REALLY don't like Ham, (I hate the stringy bits that get in between my teeth), So, we went Spanish Basque...
Grilled Garlic Lamb Sirloin Steaks
Slab Fries
Marmita, (Basque Bean Stew)
Full Mezclun Salad with Spicy Pickled Beets
Fresh Sheepherder Bread, (Homemade, of course, lol)

Because the dinner was rather rich, we had a light & not too sweet dessert
Mama's Ambrosia, (Clementines, Grated Coconut, Sour Cream & Mini Marshamallows)

As a Christmas Gift to the Hubz workmate & friend, I made him enough food to last at least a week. He's STILL working at {{82 YEARS OLD!}}, is legally blind from closed angle Glaucoma & has hearing loss from working on the flight line in Vietnam DURING the war. He lives alone here & we didn't want him to go to buy premade junk from a grocery.
I deboned, brined & applied a spiced compound butter that had diced Purple Shallots, Onion, Leeks & Garlic inside of the breast. I then diced fresh Sage, Flat Leaf Parsely, Thyme, Rosemary, 1.5 dried Lemon Peel, Rosemary & Marjoram. I then rolled & tied it. I basted it in melted Compound butter and roasted it until it was golden brown.
I made gravy of the drippings & added wild mushrooms.
His dinner(s) were about 3 lbs of Turkey breast & gravy
Smashed Potatoes
1 Garlic & Black Pepper Baked Chicken, (Frozen)
1 Garlicky, Spicy & Sweet Baked Chicken, (Frozen)
1.5 lbs Green Salad
Honey Cornbread Muffins
Black Eyed Peas, (We make ours with celery, Onion, Garlic, Red Bell Pepper, Crushed Red Chili, Diced Smoked Pork Jowls, Chicken Bouillion, Diced stewed tomato)
Homemade Rum Pecan Pie.
HE WAS SO HAPPY & we were tickled and pleased to do it for him...

I guess you can understand why I couldn't stomach the thought of another piece of poultry, let alone TURKEY! lol
I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, Happy Hannukah & Happy New Year's to each to all of you...
PS: I had Cherry/Cranbrerry Juice & Baby had Chilled Matcha Tea with Yuzu, Kaffir Lime Leaves sweetened with Honey.

What you did for your husband‘s coworker and friend. You really went to a lot of work and considerable creativity was involved. There is nothing like home made Christmas dinner. You deserve a big group hug for that.



The RG and I never did turkey or ham. Always lamb.

I have something a little weird to tell you, though. I was driving in my car and something floated into my mind. It was of mixing different alliums together.

The thought went like this “someone is going to tell you that they mixed garlic, shallots, onions, leeks, etc. together.”

Well here it is.