Happy New Year's Eve. I'm sure that you are as glad as I to do away with the old and welcome the new. 2020 was a tough year for all of us.
And even in the midst of the turmoil that was 2020 I still was so very, very blessed in so many ways. I thank God for those blessings and I praise Him for the promise of this New Year.
Today is the 4th day of the 12 days that we celebrate Christmas. I shared my menus for the first and second day of Christmas with you in this post.
Surprise your family and friends with the addition of this Shrimp Chip Dip on your appetizer buffet this New Years Eve.
Happy 2nd Day of Christmas. In our household we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. We start celebrating the birth of Christ with Advent as we await the birth of Christ. Then we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus, on Christmas and for the following days up until January 6th when we celebrate the Epiphany, also known as Little Christmas, the day the wise men came to pay homage to our Lord.
Due to the Pandemic we have been having small gatherings this Holiday Season instead of our usual large parties. I have so missed having all my family gather for Brunch with Santa this year. I missed not hosting our Choir Christmas party. I will miss not having a house full of family and friends on Christmas Day.
But we have still had some very nice, small dinners, where social distancing is possible. The season kicked off with Thanksgiving with 7 of us at two tables served buffet style.
We then had my sister, Dawn and her husband Tom over for dinner that started with these delicious Crab Puffs.
Adapted from a recipe by Libby's.
Calories
237.47Fat (grams)
8.76Sat. Fat (grams)
4.84Carbs (grams)
36.90Fiber (grams)
0.45Net carbs
36.45Sugar (grams)
29.73Protein (grams)
3.66Sodium (milligrams)
169.47Cholesterol (grams)
68.13I was provided with two bottles of L'Ecole wine for tasting purposes. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions are my own.
We had the Teen's Godparents over for dinner the other night, in fact it was the same night that I participated in a Zoom Meeting with the folks of L'Ecole Wines. I had decided to serve a Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin with a side of Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Mash and corn. I opened a bottle of L'Ecole Semillon to pair with this dinner. It was heavenly.
Using an Instant Pot for bean soup has become my new favorite thing about this small kitchen appliance. No soaking, no precooking and perfectly prepared, soft, creamy beans every. single. time! This navy bean soup is paired with smoked turkey and was an amazing way to use up my Thanksgiving leftovers. I might smoke some turkey legs just so I can make this soup again.
Feta cheese, dredged in bread crumbs and fried to a crispy golden brown in lemon scented olive oil then drizzled with honey and thyme is a wonderful addition to a cheese/charcuterie board or as that star on a plate of it's own.
This soup is so dang comforting and delicious. Each bite is like a spoonful of stuffed cabbage in broth. All the same ingredients and wonderful flavors without the work. You're Welcome.
Start your Holiday gathering with a little nibble to get the appetite started. Shrimp, wrapped in bacon, seared and set upon a dollop of guacamole before being drizzled with a tequila reduction is sure to whet everyone's appetite and leave them begging for just one more bite.
Welcome to the December 2020 edition of Fish Friday Foodies........
One of our Christmas Traditions is to make a Birthday Cake for Jesus. This festive wreath cake is perfect for celebrating the birth of Christ.
Creamy, spicy crab dip surrounded by golden brown puffed pastry for an elegant and tasty appetizer for your next socially distanced gathering.
This delicious and beautiful salad is perfect to grace your holiday table. Seasonal citrus combined with the flavors of Italy on a platter is a great way to eat the rainbow.
We spent all last week decorating the inside of the house. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. I hope St. Nick doesn't trample the carolers when he arrives.
These amazing shortribs were made in the Instant Pot. They were fall off the bone tender and perfectly seasoned. Served over egg noodles and paired with a great bottle of Dracaena Cab Franc, it was a perfect comfort meal to help us through this pandemic.
Bite size little brownies topped with a fun little cherry on top. Perfect addition to your cookie platter this Holiday Season.
Starting with Sourdough Pizza dough mixed with leftover turkey and cranberry sauce, seasoned with Italian Herbs and two different cheeses. This pull apart bread is a fun and delicious way to get rid of the very last of the leftovers.
And while you can see that it didn't release very nicely from the pan, it was absolutely delicious and took care of all the remaining Thanksgiving leftovers in my refrigerator.
Who says that ice cream is only for the summertime. This Eggnog Ice Cream is perfect during the holidays. I enjoyed mine curled up on the couch with a Christmas movie on the television.
I don't know about you but I cannot wait for 2021. More specifically, I cannot wait for 2020 to get the hell outta town! So when Cam of Culinary Adventures of Camilla invited us to join her in sharing the Sparkling Wines of Italy I couldn't think of anything better to celebrate than the end of this horrid year.
Advent is here. Each evening during dinner we have been lighting the first of the Advent candles. This reminds us that Christ is in our midst and that He brings with Him Hope. In the following weeks leading up to Christmas we will be reminded that He also brings Love, Joy and Peace.
My Advent wreath is this beautiful cross in which I place three purple and one pink candle. Each week of Advent another candle is lit to remind us of the promises listed above. The pink candle is reserved for the 3rd week. This represents JOY and is the turning point from repentance towards celebration.
I am happy to be joining in a celebration today with other like minded individuals who believe that Cabernet Franc is more than just a blending grape. We are all meeting up this evening for twitter chat at 8 pm to discuss this grape and it's emergence as a stand alone wine.
I started my celebration last Saturday when I shared a pairing of Palazzo Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley. I paired this wine with Pan Seared Duck Breasts with a Pomegranate Reduction. The wine was lovely and the pairing wonderful. You can read all about this bottle and get the recipe for the duck at my first Cab Franc Day post.
I received product from Melissa's Produce for use in this recipe. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions and content are strictly my own.
This delicious sauce is the perfect accompaniment for your roasted Turkey, Chicken or Pork. I served it up on Thanksgiving where it was a huge hit. It keeps well in the refrigerator for two weeks and was perfect for dressing up a simple roast pork tenderloin.
These muffins are not only delicious but you can feel good about giving them to your family. Packed full of protein from the nut butter and potassium from the bananas it is a great way to start the day.
This quick and easy skillet dinner using leftover Thanksgiving Turkey is chock full of the flavors of the Southwest. Nobody will realize they are eating leftovers.
I received samples for the purpose of tasting and reviewing wine for Cab Franc Day. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions are strictly my own.
Did you know that there is a day set aside to enjoy Cabernet Franc wine? It's true. This traditional blending grape from the Bordeaux region is gaining notoriety for being a stand alone grape in wine that is deep, dark and lovely. We celebrate this wine on December 4th each year.
I know that the celebration is still a week away, however, I wanted to share this wine with you and invite you to pop open a bottle of Cab Franc and join us on December 4th at 8 PM ET for twitter chat as we discuss this interesting varietal.
I smoked our Turkey this year. I have never done that before. It turned out lovely. The only problem was that I'm used to using the pan drippings to make gravy so there was no gravy available this year.
I received product from Melissa's Produce for use in this recipe. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions and content are strictly my own.
More like a cake than a bread this moist delicious loaf will have you coming back for piece after piece.
This recipe is adapted from one provided by Real Food, Mostly Plants for the Melissa's Produce Family Baking Challenge......
These cookies are made with pre-packaged hot chocolate mix and then studded with chocolate chips. The are very rich and decadent.
I was inspired to make these cookies after reading The House with a Clock in It's Walls......
We will be celebrating #CabFrancDay on December 4th where we feature Cab Franc as a stand alone grape instead of a blending grape. I thought I would continue the theme throughout the month and decided to invite the Wine Pairing Weekend Group to join me in sharing the food pairings that we have discovered that pair well with this lovely wine.
I am showcasing a wine from our very own, Lori of Dracaena Wines. So go out, grab a bottle of Cab Franc and meet up with us on Twitter Chat on December 12th at 11 AM ET following #WinePW. We love when visitors pop in and tell us all about their experiences with our topic.
If participating with a blog post please stop by the event page and post your information.
Melissa's Produce is hosting a Family Baking Challenge for the next six weeks. It is an opportunity for families to bake together and be entered into a drawing with a chance of winning some great prize packages.
This fun spin on a Caesar Salad is a great side or starter for your holiday parties.
Well....many of us might have to dig deep to find things for which to be grateful for at Thanksgiving in this 2020 world.
It is hard not to get the doldrums and I have been having my fair share of the blues. So today and each day up to Thanksgiving Day I am going to think of 5 things for which I am grateful this year.
This creamy, comforting soup is perfect on those blustery cold days. It goes together quickly and easily and makes a great lunch or light dinner served with a salad and some crusty bread.
