A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Christmas Eve Traditions: Mushroom, Goat Cheese, & Spicy Chicken Sausage Lasagna

 Newlywed bride Sarah made this incredilble looking lasagna for hubby Sebastian and put these photos up on Facebook--is this not beautiful looking and scrumptious sounding? I'm going to give this one a try as soon as I get through this work stretch. 

Although I will be working Christmas Eve, I love the tradition of other friends of ours, Janell and Jerry, who always have lasagna on Christmas Eve with just their kids and then get together with all the family members on Christmas Day. I've always loved their tradition. It feels right to have your immediate family home on Christmas Eve for a cozy meal and small family night and then let the holiday bloom out the next day in all of its family-ness.

Just in case I get next Christmas Eve off...this is what Gene and I will be eating.

 

Last Minute Food Gifts: Cookie Dippin'

I'm down to the wire. After making two huge batches of Ghirardelli/French vanilla cocoa mix and pomegranate winter comfort tea and I-forget-how-many batches of chai-spiced pretzels and curried almonds and cashews....I'm almost out of goodies and there are still so many people I wanted to share with! Sigh.  But since I have to work the next three nights, sleep during the days, and take the nieces and nephew's presents over to my sister's house Friday afternoon but wanted to take goodies there too... What's a girl to do?  Improvise! 

This blog's not called "A Fridge Full of Food...and nothing to eat" for naught. I grew up at my mother's side in the kitchen and she was the Queen of pulling something good to eat out of her....cupboards!  I had some Wilton candy chips, a few dark chocolate chips, and a bag of leftover caramel chips (from Halloween for caramel apples).  Gene found a box of 'Nilla wafers in the back of the pantry and ran to the store for a few packages of sandwich cookies.

Food Gifts: "Christmas Crack"

My cousin, Colleen's new recipe for the holidays is this toffee recipe. When I asked if I could blog it and said "It looks aMAzing!"  She replied "It IS amazing! I heard about it a few years ago, and for some reason I got an itch to make it for this family gathering. It's a pretty big hit!"

Yum!

Christmas Food Gifts: Curry-Honeyed Almonds

I only have one thing to say about these:  Gene asked when I was making more.  That says it all! 

Christmas Food Gifts: Ghirardelli/French Vanilla Hot Cocoa Mix

A few weeks ago I got really annoyed by the commercialism and non-stop bombardment of "Buy Buy Buy!" that constitutes the retail version of Christmas that I vowed on Facebook that I would only give small, home-made, heart-felt gifts. This cocoa mix is one of those gifts. 

When I was a kid, we were very poor but our Mom was very creative in the kitchen and for the same price of a few packets of Swiss Miss Cocoa that we could inhale in under a half hour (five kids!) she could make gallons of home-made cocoa mix.  This is one of my favorite memories from childhood winters-- endless comforting cups of cocoa.

It's a new day and, like everything else that was cheap when I was a kid, the "cheap" has wafted away in the wind BUT the beauty is that the warmth, the comfort, and the memories are still there.  I've updated the recipe to be with a better quality cocoa, less fat and carbs, but it's still one of my favorite winter things.

Christmas Food Gifts: Winter Cold Pomegranate Comfort Tea

Does anyone else remember Tang Tea mix that was very in vogue as a food gift about 20-25 years ago?  Anyone else a little horrified by the amount of sugar that was in it? Okay, maybe that was just me.   I've updated the tang tea recipe with sugar substitutes and added a "liquid vitamin" component that makes this hot winter tea even more comforting especially during cold and flu season. I need

I to make more. I've already gone through one of my containers of mix and haven't given to all my giftees yet. Oops!

Christmas Food Gifts: Chai-spiced Pretzels

A friend, Dianne, gave me some yummy nummies similar to this that got my little brain working overtime and my hands experimenting in the kitchen.  I love iced chai tea in the summer but there is nothing better than those spices warmed in a cup for winter or baked onto pretzels for anytime.

The other night when I made this final rendition of the recipe I knew I had it when our friend, Corbin, ran by the house and he, Gene, and I ate handfuls and handfuls of these.  They were definitely a winner so I sent home a bag of these, along with home-made cocoa mix, and other treats, with Corbin for his family.

Then I sealed up the rest so Gene and I wouldn't make ourselves sick on them!  I'll be making these again and again: to give away, to serve as an appetizer, for weekend movie nights, etc. I used two different kinds of pretzels: the sourdough chubbies and the waffle pretzels.  While the chubbies should win my heart from the name I just assigned them, the waffled ones are my fave because of all the yummy sugar and spices that get caught in the holes.

EPIC FAIL: Martha Stewart's Bacon Jam

I made a pledge on Facebook that I would concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas this year by only giving small heart-felt gifts this year.  Why Facebook?  I was using the theory on myself that if I announced it to everyone I know then I would keep myself accountable to my pledge and NOT wimp out and suddenly go on a huge shopping spree out of last-minute desperation.  Believe me, my friends live to give me hell so they were/are still watching me, ready to pounce, and that's what I love about them!

True to my word, I have knitted and sewed and crafted and now I've started cooking.  I decided to take some old recipes that my mom made when I was a kid for food gifts and update them.  I also picked out a couple of new recipes that intrigued me.  The first of those is this bacon jam from the Martha Stewart web site. The web site says to spread it on bread as an appetizer. In my mind I could also see it served over cream cheese with crackers, or as a meat chutney to go top of ham or beef, maybe even as a filling for phyllo appetizers or baked on top of brie.  It's an intriguing recipe.  The combination of ingredients looked to produce something sweet and savory and wonderful, a unique gift, as well as an appetizer for our family Christmas get-together. I still believe that, but in this case, either the bacon or the crockpot decided to go all Stephen King on me and produced this malevolent mess.

Speaking of giving me hell,  I'm just waiting for Auntie Miranda to speak up.  I'm known for not being a Martha Stewart fan. In reality, I love her ideas, but something about her bugs the crap out of me when I watch her show. Shudder.  It's the same thing that makes me turn the channel when Sandra Lee comes on.  In theory, I like them both and their ideas, for different reasons of course, but watching them sets my teeth on edge. I don't know why, it's just a personal thing. 

Give Peas a Chance: Split Pea & Sausage Soup

 

Brain:  "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

Pinky:  "I think so, Brain, but if we give peas a chance, won't the carrots get jealous?"

 

I've always thought that split pea soup couldn't be split pea soup without chunks of ham in it until the other day when I had no ham in the freezer but did have a roll of light country (sage) sausage.  I may never use ham again!  The sausage and all of its seasonings added a depth of well-roundedness to the soup that the ham just doesn't quite make.  Viva la sausage!