We do traditional American for Thanksgiving and then traditional Puertorican for Navidad. That is: arroz con gandules(spanish rice w/pigeon peas), roast pork, pasteles(the carribean version of tamales---instead of corn, the dough/masa is made out of finely grated Yucca or finely grated green bananas and some other tubers that aren't common here(yautia---aka Malanga, aka Taro root). They are then wrapped in banana leaves after they are filled with a meat mixture(usually pork). You thought tamles were a pain in the butt to make!!! Even with the food processor I spend 4 hours just making the masa---ever peel green bananas??? The other sides are usually potato salad, pan con ajo(garlic bread), and for dessert arroz con dulce (a concoction similar to rice pudding---very sweet and made with coconut cream), and tembleque---a custard made out of coconut milk, sugar, and cornstarch that is cooked on the stove and then poored into a dish to chill and sprinkled w/cinnamon. In Puerto Rico they drink coquito(like egg nog, only has coconut milk in it and usually rum). Yummy---unless you don't care for coconut. It is a lot of fun for my kids to learn about the Christmas traditions there. They get gifts from relatives here on Christmas, and more gifts from relatives in Puerto Rico on January 6th---Three Kings Day. Sorry I wrote a novel about our Christmas traditions. Tyffanie

I hosted a large-ish family group yesterday and also kept life low key today. Went to Pilates this morning, then came home and after a nice long chat with my daughter we put away most of the dishes and serving pieces from yesterday. Snacked on some leftovers, finished the last 2 episodes of Orange is the New Black which I just discovered, then more leftovers for dinner, and now off to read a bit then early to bed. No shopping, no maniacal clean up, not much except relaxing! I won't say I resent it, because I do it every year, but sometimes I do think that since in my family there are only 2 of us (stepmother and me) who always put on these major holiday gatherings-boy, does everyone else get off easy! I had about 20 family members here yesterday and although I did appreciate several of the guests who pitched in to help, as hostess it was just an incredibly busy and hectic and intense experience to manage it all. In a debriefing call tonight, my stepmother, who is a retired professor of occupational therapy and thus very tuned in to effective work systems, commented that in a sense, hosting these parties is almost like turning your home into a restaurant...except there isn't a staff! Since I always think that somehow if I planned things right I would be able to effortlessly run these shindigs, this perspective really made me feel better about how exhausting it always is. After all, if I had a hostess to get everyone greeted and seated, and chefs to get all the food prepped, cooked and plated, and waiters to help take out and bring back the food and beverages, and dishwashers to clean it all up,...life would be ever so much easier wouldn't it?! Ah well, it was a very nice gathering and I've still got tomorrow and all of next week for me time. Which I *will* be taking, thankyouverymuch. Might go see The Wolf of Wall Street tomorrow and American Hustle is on the agenda too. Some shopping once the stores calm down a bit. Some reading, some relaxing, can't wait for my holiday to really kick in! Ann

Might be easier if we list the next course to be posted. :) OK, so we need a veggie. How about the Cauliflower dish Trudy posted from Food and Wine? Roasted Cauliflower with Green Olives and Pine Nuts ACTIVE TIME: 10 MIN TOTAL TIME: 40 MIN SERVES: 4 Roasting cauliflower caramelizes the florets, making them supersweet. Tossed with crunchy pine nuts and salty olives and capers, this dish is perfect with roasted chicken or steamed fish. Ingredients 1 pound cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons pine nuts 1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon drained capers Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish, toss the cauliflower with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is lightly browned in spots. Add the pine nuts, olives, parsley and capers, toss and roast for about 10 minutes longer, until the pine nuts are lightly toasted. Serve warm or at room temperature. Source: Food and Wine (posted by Trudy on CF) Next vegetable, please?

The guitar heros went over just fine. They didn't even use it yesterday, they were into the Wii games. The DD playing got, it for the son who was setting on the sofa on the left. DD's DH's parents have the Wii system and they've always loved playing that at Mammaw and Papaw's, so they got themselves (the kids) one for Christmas. LOL Big kids. Well, SIL and his Dad play golf all the time. DD get hot when she sends DH over to his folks to pick up some folding chairs or something, and it takes 2 hours to go 1 mile and back. I love the picture of my Mom and Lily too. Full circle. Leslie