No gorgeous table pictures here! The table cloths (unironed and wrinkly) were thrown onto the tables about 30 minutes before we ate. One of these years I'll get the table decorated in advance :) I'm always a little too ambitious with the menus. Roast Goose with Chestnuts, Prunes and Peach Brandy (the gravy was fabulous) and a Roast Turkey breast with make-ahead giblet gravy, individual mince pies, Pommes Duchesse potatoes, two stuffings, pots de crèmes for dessert, and more and a few things I never got to, too. This year was just about perfect! Very happy day, because I had a crowd to feed. Loved seeing the pictures. Mlweaving_Marji - definitely know the feeling when the kids AREN'T there. Isn't it nice when that day is over, when it's like that? (P.S. I've been eyeing the brussel sprouts recipe too).

I made our Christmas meal yesterday, since I am stuck at work today. Turkey tenderloins, chicken dressing, cranberry sauce (from the can) Mac and cheese, collard greens. I brought some to work with me to eat later, along with the absolutely sinful dark chocolate dipped pretzel sticks SO gave me for Christmas. I assume he will eat some later if he gets hungry while I am here at work. I made a pan of brownies this morning while I was getting ready in case he wants something sweet afterward. The dogs got the ham hocks from the collard greens for their Christmas present. My sister hosted some of her husbands family for Christmas Eve. A couple of his sisters, that's all. They always have tons of finger food for Christmas Eve and I made some of them for her and delivered them the day before so that I could have Christmas Eve all to myself and SO. Homemade salsa, olive bread thingies and sausage stuffed French bread. She said her kids did NOT want to leave Santa cookies. They left him cheesy olive bread and chip dip. (I guess they wanted to get a leg up on the other kids of the world. To be fair, I would rather have olive bread and chip dip than cookies any day)

Our Christmas Eve dinner is the family get together on DH's side. We had it at his brother's house. I took a whole ham, studded with cloves and glazed (I get my hams from my butcher who wins prizes for his hams and they are soooo good). I also made the desserts- brownies for the chocolate fiend nephew, a coffee cheesecake, and meringue nests with lemon curd, whipped cream and raspberries. MIL brought her trifle, which I love because I love trifle and DH doesn't- this way I get trifle without having to make a whole one just for myself, and MIL likes to be able to contribute something. Hostess made nibblies to start. I have to say, I wasn't a fan of any as her cooking has increasingly become "healthy". She subs healthier ingredients and leaves out what she considers unhealthy, and the results are usually not great. (For other SIL's birthday on Boxing Day, she made a tiramisu with ricotta instead of mascarpone and no sugar, claiming that there was sweetness in the liqueur. There were no takers for the large amount of leftovers.) BIL's gf brought half peaches stuffed with ricotta and basil and wrapped in pancetta, broiled in the oven- these were great. Main course was turkey roasted by another SIL, with jus (DH commented afterwards that there was no gravy and I said, there was jus in a jar there- he thought it was ham jus), and the ham. Usually we have bread sauce with turkey but I guess SIL didn't feel like making it. We also usually have carrots, brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes but this year the hostess made her strange but OK Czech potato salad (no discernible dressing and includes chunks of carrots, peas and I think pickles), a nice grilled corn, avocado and tomato salad and a green salad. Nephew of the SIL who brought the turkey and his wife brought a large container of cooked jumbo shrimp. The company was convivial and a good time was had by all. Other SIL and I both brought a bunch of plastic takeaway boxes so we could divvy up the leftovers and everyone went home with their favourites.

I use the entire fennel bulb, fronds, and the stems. Stems minced like celery in miropoix. Stem ends saved in a bag with leek tops, celery root ends, carrot leafy tops, onion root ends, and all sorts of veg scraps for stock. I need a veg stock for a vegetarian appitizer that i will make probably tomorrow. One supplier leaves on the celery big leafy tops. Like a free bunch of parsley but has a par-cel flavor. If you shop farmers markets or CSA, do let them know you want all the extra foliage. So much food waste cut off and left in the fields. Carrots will last longer in your crisper without the leafy tops, but can be saved for stock or blendered into humus or falafel.... I used to do a holiday shopping every year. A bit of every veg, a dozen or more. Special occasion vegetables. One big fennel bulb, a bunch of leeks, usually three, a few varieties of sweet potatoes, radish...but now stock year round consuming less protein per ounce, more veg. Leeks and fennel are not expensive here. Seafood risotto is good. Again, my family is confused by any risotto. Dad, after grazing all day on charcuterie, cheese platters, appitizers,...sat down for dinner, looking at the stovetop, confused, "rice for dinner?". "it is good but that is it?, rice?" 😂, Good grief, he ate/grazed all day long. Best to not surpise family with unfamilar recipes. 😜. We have made fishermans stew for years. Usually summer beach home family reunions but i know it is well received.