The Unwelcome Gift - The Flu
Since my wonderful hubby came down with the flu during our Christmas break, all of our activities ended up being a bit more low-key than expected. We still made most of the food that we had planned, but a few things got put on the back burner or not made at all, since we already had planned so much, and we were down one eater. He was feeling well enough to brave a few things at dinner on Christmas Eve. This is the tradition so that we don’t spend all of Christmas day in the kitchen. As you can see here, he was looking some better, but he was certainly nowhere close to 100% for several more days. The flu is evil!!!
Prepping the Meal
His mom and I spent a good bit of time in the kitchen prepping all the favorites. There are some things that are a “must” for the Barnes men, or it just hasn’t been Christmas. See the delicious selections…and drool along with me…
Next up are a couple of casseroles that tend to rotate in and out of the “must have” list, but they are both amazing!
Is It Ready Yet?!?!?
We went the semi-homemade route this year for the bread, but it’s hard to come closer to homemade than Sister Schubert’s frozen dinner rolls. We picked up a nice big bag at Costco for much less than you will find at the local grocery store, not expecting to have 1/4 of our crew knocked down for the count. Here’s a shot of them with butter on top before they went into the oven to brown. Mouth-watering goodness….
Usually, James is in charge of the deviled eggs (again, Granny’s recipe), but since he was sleeping for most of our holiday weekend, I gave it a whirl. They turned out quite tasty, but the paprika somehow thought that it was in charge when it came to sprinkling nicely on top of several. Pardon the paprika dust, but feast your eyes on these delicious beauties…
Here’s a view of a full plate of food, complete with the turkey and some homemade cranberry sauce. If you have never made your own, I would highly recommend it! It’s SOOOO easy to do, and tastes so much better than canned. Since the acid tends to react with the metal can, that metallic taste is a huge missing factor on the homemade. Delish!
On the table with our food was this festive arrangement. The bowl belonged to my grandmother, and for the most part, just had some decorative rocks in it. James got creative this year, and I think it turned out lovely!
Family - The Best Part
All the food is wonderful, but one of the best parts of the holidays is getting to share it with loved ones. I snapped a couple of quick photos of his parents across the dinner table. One day, we will likely post some of the recipes shared above, but for now, you’ll just have to transport your mind into your perception of the aroma of our Christmas home.
