Christmas Dinner Menu

I hope everyone has been enjoying the December festivities so far. It's been a pretty low key December for me which I am happy about - it's been nice to have less to do. I think the weak economy has cut party budgets so instead of big fancy parties I've been seeing friends for drinks or the movies. Gift exchanges were very minimal with friends and in my family we draw names so we only have to buy one adult gift (maximum $50 is the rule) - the children each get gifts, but nothing extravagant. I prefer a scaled down holidays because the focus is on the people and relationships rather than the stuff.

Food is one area where I like to put some effort in because for me it's enjoyable and is a key part of any celebration - the sharing of meals (breaking bread) bonds people together, and therefore promotes the relationship aspect of the holidays.

I  hosted my family's Christmas lunch, but it was a smaller affair than Thanksgiving was. I didn't attempt anything fancy because we wanted to keep it simple and casual.

APPETIZERS
Lumpia (Filipino egg rolls made by my Mom)
 - a favorite with everyone in the family, even the non-Filipinos so everyone is happy to have it again; one of several items repeated from our Thanksgiving menu.

MEAT/MAIN
Grilled ribeye steaks seasoned with just a little salt and pepper, then topped with course red Hawaiian sea salt when it came off the grill
Prawns, red bell pepper and potatoes "stew" (made by my Mom)

SIDES/SALAD
Salad of mixed baby greens, avocado, cucumber, feta cheese, toasted sliced almonds mixed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Brussels sprouts with bacon
Brown rice (my father likes to have rice with steak)
Roasted fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes & carrots w/ garlic & garden herbs tossed in olive oil

DESSERT
Ginataan (a delicious Filipino dessert which my Dad made)
 - a thick coconut milk base soup with tubers (taro, sweet potato), mochi balls, plantains and jackfruit
L.A. Burdick hazelnut chocolate orange cake (sent by my good friend from the east coast)
 - a wonderful flourless cake with a thick coat of hazelnut chocolate

DRINKS
Red wine - Carmenere (brought by my sister)
Mineral water
Coffee/tea

Yes, another repeat from Thanksgiving, fingerling potatoes and sweet potatoes tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs from my garden. It's so easy and everyone loves it, why not? I roast them in the pan for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.


The Brussels sprouts dish is one of my favorites. I didn't add the chestnuts (as I did for Thanksgiving) because I couldn't find the pre-roasted package from Trader Joe's. I remember buying the last box in November and I guess they didn't restock it.



Don't boil the Brussels sprouts... I see many recipes which require you to cook/boil them before cooking on the pan but it just gets overcooked. Just cut them up in quarters and sautee them in olive oil and the pre-cooked bacon. I also add about a quarter cup of water because the moisture helps to cook them faster. Once the Brussels sprouts start to brown, they are pretty much done. Just add a little sprinkle of salt and black pepper once it's all cooked, but remember that the bacon is salty so you don't need to add much salt at the end.

Hazelnut Chocolate Orange Cake from L.A. Burdick of N.H.

My very sweet friend who lives on the east coast came across this cake while reading about it in the New York Times article Guide to Mail-Order Foods several weeks ago. She knows my husband and I are chocoholics so this was truly a lovely and thoughtful gift, and everyone at the Christmas table thoroughly enjoyed it. The orange and hazelnut cake was generously frosted with gianduja - one of my favorite flavors which always makes me think of Italy. Thank you Dear!  :-*

Thanksgiving: Desserts

 Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Bread, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I knew that my mother was stocking her fridge with lots of pumpkin and pecan pies and that we would eat at the meals on the other days of the weekend. So I had to come up with some other dessert ideas.

The Pumpkin Bars taste like a pumpkin cheesecake in between a crumbly crust with rolled oats and walnuts, topped with white chocolate chips and white/milk chocolate chips.

The Pumpkin Bread was made using a recipe posted here earlier this month, only without the zucchini.

The Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies were for anyone who didn't want to have pumpkin.

 Coconut Tapioca Pudding

I also wanted to have a dessert with an Asian influence so I served Coconut Tapioca Pudding in individual glass bowls topped with chunks of fresh persimmon fruit. The combination was delicious and I was happy it worked out.

Chocolate from Europe and the USA

Everyone in my family loves chocolate so I set these bowls out so everyone can have their chocolate fix.

Thanksgiving: Flowers for the table

Thanksgiving flowers
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

I like to keep my floral centerpieces simple because I don't want it to take up a lot of space on my table. It does end up off the table eventually to make room for the food so having a small arrangement also makes it easier to move away.

I almost always use this vase (by Finnish designer & architect Alvar Aalto) because it allows for a minimal flower arrangement. It's my favorite vase because the shape of the vase can stand alone as a decorative piece even without flowers. So placing a lot of flowers in the vase would cover its beautiful and interesting design.

These cute flowers are called "Button Mums". I usually put Gerbera Daisies in this vase but they look too spring/summer. But I found these cute chrysanthemums with a nice golden yellow color, more appropriate for autumn.

 

The Aalto vase was created for the luxury Savoy restaurant in Helsinki that opened in 1937. It has won awards for its design and is showcased worldwide in galleries and museum collections, such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York and is manufactured by iittala of Finland.

Thanksgiving: Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Believe it or not, the most favored dish by most was the Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon. I don't have a recipe but it's really easy. Here's how I prepared them.

PREPARING
After removing the Brussels sprouts from the stalk and washing them, cut them in quarters. Set aside.

Cut the cooked chestnuts in quarters. I cheated and bought the pre-cooked ones from Trader Joe's. Set aside.

Cook some bacon until it's about 90% done and then slice them up into small pieces. Set aside.

COOKING
Heat up some olive oil in a large pan and cook the bacon until it's 100% done. This will allow some of the bacon fat to mix in with the olive oil.

Add the Brussels sprouts and cook on medium-high heat for about 12-15 minutes. I added a little water to help it cook a little faster. Add the chestnuts when it's about half way or 3/4 of the way cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the bacon is salty so be careful not to add too much more salt. Once the water evaporates the sprouts can be cooked until you see the nice brown caramelization.

I had intended to add shallots but forgot to buy them, next time I will.

I love the way that Brussels sprouts looks on the stalk. They seem to taste better/fresher when you can buy them this way. I was surprised to see them this way at my local Trader Joe's.

 

Thanksgiving: Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Even though we were already having the traditional mashed potatoes (the one thing my husband made from peeling to the final product, with lots of butter and perfectly salted), I wanted to add some roasted fingerling potatoes (red, white and blue colored) which are super tasty.

Adding sweet potatoes and carrots added a nice autumn orange color, and along with the blue potatoes it just added a nice splash of color to the entire meal, not to mention a nice splash of taste.

I chopped up fresh herbs from my garden - rosemary, sage, thyme and marjoram. Mixed in olive oil along with a little finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper. I prepared it all the night before and just put it in the 400°F oven for about 40 minutes until they were crisp on the outside. I did stir it about half way through so it can brown more evenly.

Herbs from my garden

Living in Northern California many herbs can thrive well into the early winter. Rosemary is not affected by the cold weather but even if I lose a few leaves of the other plants in December/January, by March I have fresh leaves again.

My father used these same herbs to season the turkey he made for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was quite tasty - but you only tasted it if you were lucky enough to get one of the outer slices of turkey meat.

Back to the potatoes... here they are in the pan ready the night before because I knew I wouldn't have time to prep them the day of. Actually, it worked out well because they "marinated" over night and really infused the potatoes with flavor.

The only caution I would give is that all of these potatoes cook at a different rate so the textures varied. The blue potatoes ended up a bit dry and tough - pretty to look at but not the tastiest IMO. The sweet potatoes cook quickly and did not crisp - they were on the soft/mushy side, but I didn't mind and they tasted great.

Thanksgiving: The Menu

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

I cooked dinner for my family this year and as usual, whenever I make a big meal, I plan a big menu and end up dropping a few things at the last minute. I always run out of time, no matter how well I prepare and also, we just don't really need that much food.

Here's the menu I planned and the words that are striked out are the items that didn't make it to the table.

APPETIZERS
Bread & crackers
Crudités: carrots, celery, red bell pepper, cucumber, walnuts, olives, cheese cubes, falafels
Dip 1: Hummus
Dip 2: Bagna cauda mixed with sour cream
Dip 3: Cottage cheese mixed with crumbled feta cheese and chopped greek oregano
Spread: Cream cheese with smoked salmon & chives
Persimmon slices with bacon & goat cheese
Lumpia (Filipino egg rolls made by my Mom)

MEAT/MAIN
Turkey, stuffing & gravy (my Father made it)
Stuffing 2: with wild rice, mushrooms, apple sausage and walnuts
Pork chops grilled w/ rosemary served with persimmon chutney on the side

SIDES
Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts
French green beans tossed in olive oil w/ fried onion
Organic greens salad with avocado, cucumber, feta, toasted almonds, O/V
Mashed potatoes
Roasted fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes & carrots w/ garlic & garden herbs tossed in olive oil
Cranberry sauce
LaBrea multigrain bread

DESSERT
Persimmon crisp w/vanilla ice cream
Pumpkin cheesecake bars
Pumpkin bread w/ walnuts
Coconut tapioca pudding topped with persimmon fruit
Chocolate candies


I was inspired by my November 12th post where I found the photo of my persimmon-themed dinner from 2 years ago. And while our Thanksgiving dinner did not have that theme, I thought that using the persimmons to decorate the table would be nice. Everyone in my family likes the fruit (especially my parents), they're very pretty, and they add a nice splash of autumn color against my green tablecloth and white and black/gold rimmed china.

Obamas' first state dinner is vegetarian

President and Mrs. Obama hosted their first White House state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The full article can be found on the Associated Press' web site.

"The menu – created by Guest Chef Marcus Samuelsson and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford, with the First Lady is respectful of the Prime Minister's dietary concerns, being a vegetarian, as well putting an emphasis on healthy eating from the Obama White House. White House Pastry Chef William Yosses and his team created the desserts."

Some of the herbs and lettuce served came from the White House garden which Mrs. Obama helped to plant - that's pretty cool.

Here is the menu:

Potato and eggplant salad
White House arugula with onion seed vinaigrette
2008 sauvignon blanc, Modus Operandi, Napa Valley, Calif.

Red lentil soup with fresh cheese
2006 Riesling, Brooks "Ara," Willamette Valley, Ore.

Roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra or green curry prawns, caramelized salsify with smoked collard greens and coconut-aged basmati
2007 grenache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, Calif.

Pumpkin pie tart, pear tatin, whipped cream and caramel sauce
Sparkling chardonnay, Thibaut Janisson Brut, Monticello, Va.

Petits fours and coffee
Cashew brittle
Pecan pralines
Passion fruit and vanilla gelees
Chocolate-dipped fruit

Persimmon-themed Dinner

When we got the last huge bounty 2 years ago (every other year seems to be the cycle) I had some friends over and prepared a dinner with a persimmon theme. It was a hit!

1st course: sushi (no persimmons).

2nd course: salad with prosciutto, organic greens, a round slice of persimmon (like a flower) and pistachios w/ oil & vinegar.

3rd course: macadamia & panko crusted salmon w/ spicy persimmon chutney - baked garlic shiitake mushrooms on the side and brown rice lightly fried in a little coconut oil, with tofu and pine nuts.

Dessert: vanilla ice cream with fresh persimmon chunks and toasted almonds, served with green tea.

Panko macadamia crusted wild salmon

Panko macadamia crusted wild salmon
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

One of my favorite ways to prepare salmon is to bake it with a crust consisting of:

- panko crumbs
- chopped macadamia nuts
- black sesame seeds

First whisk an egg with a little salt and garlic powder in a small bowl. Slice the fish fillet into individual servings. Dip each piece in the egg mixture, then roll in the crust mix and bake on a lightly greased (olive oil) pan at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. (I know wild salmon is out of season now but it's available frozen.)

I always make a big batch so I have enough for lunch and dinner the next day. When it's cold it can be served over a bed of organic baby greens (dressed with EVOO and balsamic vinegar) to make a delicious salad. Yum!

Quick & easy dinner

Dinner
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

When I buy precooked food (like the falafels from Costco in this photo), I feel like I'm cheating and not really eating a healthy meal. When I combine it with other healthy food (steamed broccoli is easy) I trick myself into thinking it's OK.

The third item on the plate is a mix of brown rice, quinoa and lentils that I cooked in a rice cooker the night before. I sauteed onions with ground lamb, seasoned it and added the rice mixture. And the tasty red tomatoes adds color and nutrients and makes it look more appetizing.

It really was super fast and easy to make and delicious too.