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!  :-*

Blue potatoes

Blue potatoes
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

On the outside they look like a deep purple color. Why are some dark inside but some are white inside? It's interesting and beautiful. Nature is a remarkable thing.

I used these potatoes to make an omlette with red bell pepper and onions. I was so hungry I forgot to take a photo of the final product. The primary colors of red, yellow and blue made it nice to look at and fun to eat.

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.

Roasted fingerling potatoes

Roasted fingerling potatoes
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Yellow, red & blue potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and a little bit of fresh rosemary from my garden. Toss in olive oil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

I'm confused about whether potatoes are healthy are not. I know they're high in starchy carbs which can lead to weight gain, especially for people like me who don't tolerate carbs as well as others. But I also know that they have a good amount of vitamin C and I always leave the skin on which has all the nutrients and fiber. Are they toxic because they're in the nightshade family of vegetables? Is potato really a vegetable? I suppose it's all about moderation. Well... I cooked the potatoes so I guess I have to eat them! Yum!