chriiiiiiiiiiistmas all oooooooooooover

So many favorite things! Christmas! Family! BRUNCH!

We went to my aunt Kathy’s for Christmas brunch, which has become an annual tradition. On Christmas Eve, Tom, Kathy’s husband, came up to me and said in a festive yet slightly threatening tone, “Kathy cooked all day.” Kathy is a huge blog fan, so obviously I felt HUGE pressure to feature her delectable delights in a quality post. Kathy, I hope this meets your standards. Ma’am!

The holiday ambiance pervaded every detail of the house…

And the theme of the day was BREAKFAST CASSEROLE. Guys, I live for breakfast casserole.

Number one:

 

Eggs, bread (Kathy told me about it and it was something sort of artisanal and European… can I remember? No. Fail.), gruyere cheese, spinach, and slow roasted tomatoes on top that seriously melted my face off. SO exquisite.

Next:

French toasty, pecan strueusely, eggy creamy crunchy licious.

I sort of just kept ripping pecans off the top and stuffing them in my mouth.

Bagel fixins’: cream cheese, capers, smoked salmon, and smoked oysters (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I sort of live for smoked oysters, as does my sister).

Malindi, in her usual “Go big or go home” fashion, decided to grace her bagel with a whole trifecta, with cream cheese, oysters, and salmon.

And then was like… “Nope, needs some more cream cheese.”

There were bran muffins, which I guess the rest of the family thought sounded suspiciously healthy, but I went to try “just a bite” of one and promptly went “FIGS!” and snarfed the rest in roughly twenty seconds. This was apparently an Ellie Krieger. Hunting down the recipe!

In the dessert department, fruitcake. My grandma aways made fruitcake, which unlike most fruitcakes actually tasted awesome because it was devoid of that frighteningly colored, cloying candied fruit and just featured dried fruit. And a WHOLE lotta booze. My aunt Dena made it this year.

 

Another sinful grandmother tradition that Kathy continued: the PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE!

My first plate:

That represents about a fifteenth of what I actually ate.

I kept trying to throw back the tea to keep my mouth distracted, and as a result I had approximately five mugs of green chai.

And… my body weight in breakfast casseroles, stollen (unpictured but diviiiiiiiiine), etc. etc. etc.

And then Kathy brought out another breakfast casserole.

Possibly the MOST DELICIOUS, with sausage, caramely onions, and red pepper. So obviously I had to eat a ton of it.

 

Kathy you WIN.

Kathy ended up with a totally punk-rock kitchen accessory.

My absurdly artistic and talented cousin Kate made several of us aprons and despite taking seriously hundreds of tries, there was not ONE PICTURE where either my aunt Dena, my cousin Lara, or myself was not blinking/grimacing. Bad news, man.

Anyway, the apron really is gorgeous.

 

And the pattern? Little kitties!

So being a child of divorce and all, I spent Christmas in sort of continuous motion. There was church in the am, then a brief respite at our house with just my mom and Malindi and I, then brunch, then it was back on the road to my dad’s sister Jeanie’s house.

Somewhat idiotically, I brought an appetizer. Because, obviously, that is the thing to do when everyone has already eaten their body weight in proper meals.

Start over!

This was a good one, though. Roasted Red Pepper Bagna Cauda.

You begin with roasting a head of garlic. So there’s that.

Tender, fragrant, and oozing garlic juice. Whoa.

When you roast garlic, the flavor totally mellows and it gets brown and sweet and spreadable and you squeeze it out of the cloves. It is fun!

 

Give your red peppers a broil til they’re blackened, and they are JUST so perfect and sweet plus their skin slips right off for dippability.

 

I brought over the dip, along with some broccoli florets for dippage (red and green! Christmas colors!) and I had a token taste but my heart just wasn’t in it. SO MUCH FOOD, guys.

 

And then, one last car trip, back to my dad’s house where my stocking was a positive trove of edibles. And somehow my appetite returned and I don’t even want to talk about how quickly I demolished the Reeses Tree and the Russell Stover (?! their stuff isn’t even good! What is with me?!) marshmallow Santa.

Highlights was definitely weirdness from Asia (clearly Santa has an in in Taiwan.) Fake Pocky and chrysanthemum tea!

amor… amor amor

(Are people familiar with the Julio Iglesias song cited in the title of this post? It is phenom. We sang it in my freshman year Spanish class).

So life is sweet at the moment. Mi vida esta dulce.

I am, following an hour and a half talent show which my third through fifth graders (which was, unsurprisingly, RIDICULOUS in every sense of the word and involved several stage dives), a woooooooooeful goodbye with Steve at the airport, and some entirely unhealthy eating (fudge for lunch, cookies for dinner…), on BREAK!

I get WINTER BREAK! Nothing compared to the leisurely weeks of college (in 11 days I’m back at work) but I’ll take it.

As for the rest of my life, in case the absurdly cheery tone of my blog posts hasn’t let you on, it is rather marvy. Case in point being last Saturday, in which Steve spoiled the bejesus out of me.

Amor #1: Musical theater! We saw OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooklahoma at Arena Stage. It was awesome.

Amor #2: Mexican food. We bounded into Oyamel for some blissful tapas.

Beginning with a PITCHER of margaritas. Which Steve insisted on ordering. Despite the fact that HE was driving. So… I drank… a lot… of margaritas.

When there are margaritas, there must be chips and salsa. Ohhhhhh the salsa.

Note that tie in the background.

Amor #3: Boys in suits :D

Now let’s discuss the food situation.

Ensalada de chayote: Mexican squash salad with crumbled queso fresco cheese and crushed peanuts, in a hibiscus dressing.

 

I got all obsessed with chayote squash earlier this summer when I prepared it for the first time for a Mexican feast. Stuffed into poblano peppers, it is bliss. It’s entirely different in salad and still super tasty. I was all over that vinaigrette, though I’d forgotten it was hibiscus. I had hibiscus juice in Thailand! 

Next, some unbelievable beauty in the form of some feng shui ceviche:

Ceviche de cayo de hacha con limon y chile: Bay scallops with key lime, powdered ancho chile, bood orange and Siembra Azul blanco tequila.

So fun! The waiter came out with a tiny little tequila spray bottle and sprayed that on top. Then you picked up the lime half, sucked off the unbelievably sweet and fresh and tender scallop, and squeeze the lime to get a shot of juice. So fun, so tasty.

Crazy alert:

Chapulines: the legendary Oaxacan specialty of sauteed grasshoppers, shallots, tequila and guacamole.

Steve was the one who insisted on eating… insects.

I have to say, it was mainly just a novelty thing. It was in a super flavorful sauce, and that was really all you tasted. The grasshopper was… we’ll just say crunchy.

Some serious Saturday night drinking too many margaritas food:

Papas al mole: Jose Andres’ favorite potato fries in a moe poblano sauce of almonds, chilis, and a touch of chocolate, topped with Mexican cream and queso fresco cheese.

I mean do I have to tell you this was good? How could it not be?

I got this the last time I went to Oyamel, and I got it again. I cannot not order plantains. I don’t know how. [sidebar: click on that link and marvel how my photography skills- and camera- have improved!]

Machuco relleno de frijol con salsa negra: Plantain fritters stuffed with black beans and a chipotle chile and piloncillo sugar sauce.

And finally, THE MOST DELICIOUS THING EVER.

 Sopes de calabaza frita: traditional corn flour cake with sauteed winter squash, tomatoes, chiles, and house made requeson cheese

First of all, BEAUTIFUL. Second of all, EXQUISITELY DELICIOUS. The topping was this unbelievably warm buttery rich succulent flavorful whip of loveliness, and then having the beautiful crunchy pomegranate seeds on top?! Dear God, how can I make this?!

The night continued with more awesomeness. We wanted to see the White House Christmas tree, but apparently they turn it off at night… like say if you got there at one in the morning, the lights would not be on.

But, in the extremely practical state of mind I was in, I figured that I was in front of the President’s house, and thus there were likely all sorts of listening devices being employed, so I took the opportunity to give what I thought was a very candid and thoughtful discourse on the current unfortunate tax cut capitulation situation.

And that was that :D

It was so fun, though, dressing up, going to the city, going to the theatuh, eating at a fancy restaurant.

Amor #4: Getting to take a break from our grubby job with its below-minimum wage pay and get to be grownups.

But the nice thing with us is that we can also have a very fun time at a hole in the wall. Case in point being Pupuseria Dona Azucena. Having a powerful hankerin’ for pupusas, we hit up this place in Arlington, recommended by Yelp, and ate our body weights.

We begin with that nectar of the gods, horchata.

Yeah, horchata, you’ve earned yourself an Amor #5.

   

This horchata was special, though! Typically when I’ve had it, it’s tasted like cereal milk. Which is obviously awesome. But I think the traditional preparation involves ground corn/grain, as this seemed to. It was grittier and somehow tasted… a little smoky and a little chocolatey. It was SO GOOD.

Then we had an impulse order when we saw this on the menu:

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

What arrived were some gorgey gorgey fritters in the most wonderfully bittersweet caramel.

The outside was MEGA crisp (cutting them up with plastic utensils was a fun little challenge) and the inside was flufflicious.

What MADE IT, though, was the hot porridge you dipped it in. SO WEIRD, right?! Yet somehow, despite the fact that the stuff was really bland on its own, something about its heat activated and enhanced all the flaors in the fritters, and it was this… amazing scientific thing. SO YUMMY!

Already packed to the gills, we watched the pupusa fixin’s arrive: the spicy red sauce and the all important curtido, the wonderful tangy cabbage and carrots that perfectly balance the corny richness of the pupusa.

   

I dug into my usual order of the cheese and loroca, a flower that grows in El Salvador that reminds me of… like a green onion and an artichoke’s baby? Kinda sorta?

Pupusas are the bomb. And this one had a good cheese to corny crust ratio. I am all about the corny crust. When it gets all blistery on the griddle… and the cheese oozes a little bit… ohhhhhh yessssss.

I got one pupusa and Steve, in our usual ratio, got three. So that was nice cause then I got to try the squash (yummy) and the frijol, which was so beany and delicious and melt your face off good.

Then I decided that dammit I wanted a picture of us. Steve’s roommate David was happy to oblige.

“Smile and say David!”

Amor #6: You know who you are.

recipe rebel

So I had my big frenzy of lunch preparation, but hadn’t actually made any dinners.

So let’s talk about me and food magazines. Much like when I read my subscription of Vogue, I turn to them for pretty visuals and vague inspiration, but ultimately what is in their pages often has little to do with what is on my plate.

Despite that every month I dog-ear at least 5 pages, determined that this will be the time, this will be different, I will make them.

Well here was my chance! I pulled out some recipes and followed them!

Ish.

We begin with an Eating Well recipe, Mediterranean Couscous Cabbage Rolls.

Well, says someone reading the recipe… there doesn’t seem to be anything about a steamer. Or lentils. Or Asian cabbage.

Well fine. I don’t believe in boiling, so I steamed the cabbage… And then, loath to waste water or nutrients, I simply reserved the steamer water and used it to make my couscous!

As for the cabbage, it was the absolute beaut we had purchased at the farmer’s market. And the lentils… just felt right. I love those little beans.

Okay okay fine, and I didn’t have any feta. But had lots of olives, and love them, so I added extra. And er had no mint. So parsley sufficed.

Aaaaanyway, the cabbage was not particularly the right shape for stuffing. And steaming rather than boiling it meant it was still pretty rigid. Nonetheless, if I do say so myself, I made a rather beautiful assembly line.

Aaaaaaand I followed the recipe for the tomato sauce exactly (well, except using canned tomatoes rather than chopped… so I just squeezed them in with my bare hands, which obviously felt awesome).

The recipe’s most admirable feature was the methodology that allowed you to cook stuffed cabbage QUICKLY. The secret is in the skillet. Nestled all together, covered with a lid, they cook remarkably quickly. And the tomato sauce sure is scrumpsh.

I am a stuffed cabbage roll. I am rather leaky and ugly. I taste soooooooooo gooooooooooooood.

Ate this for many many many meals. God bless the leftover.

Had Steve over for dinner later in the week. Late night (I felt a serious need to hit up the gym after work after a morning meeting that involved three kinds of cookies and two kinds of fudge), and Malindi was on her way out but thoughtfully prepared appetizers for herself and Steve. And as I requested, photographed the mini pizzas.

With a carrot grimace, for whimsy.

I set out to make some wholesomeness, in a recipe that I really did basically follow (except extra cauliflower and kalamata olives instead of green): the highly droolworthy Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Olives from Cooking Light.

Fabulous flavor combination. Sweet butterly cauliflower, awesomely chewy chickpeas, salty olives.

Oh roasties roasties!

I made it with some kale, since I am the person responsible for teaching Steve that kale

1. Exists and is
2. Delicious

And my mother my boyfriend and I sat down for an adorable family dinner.

I tried my best to cater to the boy appetite, serving the chickpea thing that’s meant to serve 4, rounding it out with leftover salmon…

But let’s be real, it was a losing battle. Part of it was that Steve had biked over… from more than five miles away… in the snow… with leftover sandwiches from work.

So he had the above dinner for kind of an appetizer… for about 3 feet of ham sandwiches.

2 brunches

My Sunday brunch: french toast with Steve and Lauren.

Dear First Watch: your portions are MASSIVE.

Which was fine, since Steve was there and I just gave him like a slice and a third of that.

Dear First Watch: I appreciate the yummy and colorful fruit. And the blueberry syrup!

 

Went home to hang with the fam. Offered to make them french toast and my sister, the girl who I thought didn’t cook but has been rockin’ some stuff lately, informed me, “No, we’re having egg salad sandwiches and soup.”

And sure enough, she whipped up some hardboiled eggs (after a little delicate suggestion from me to start them in cold water…) and made a gorgey egg salad.

As well as the thoroughly creative additions of pickled green tomatoes (!) purchased at the farmer’s market (they are sooooooooo good!). Plus farmer’s market bread.

The finished sandwiches were thoroughly stunning.

Accompanying brunch, as has been accompanying every meal for us skinny chicks in this cold, cold time of year, was a plethora of hot tea. We are slightly (but pleasantly) out of control.

Observe:

 

Particularly exciting are these new Trader Joe’s holiday selections (Rich and Rach, every time I see a lemur I think of you).

 

The Vanilla& Cinnamon Black Tea is as scrumpsh as it sounds, and the Candy Cane earns its name. The pear, alas, is lost in the Ginger-Pear blend.

Speaking of Trader Joe’s, my sister bought this and I cannot stop eating it:

      

Dangerously sweet and delicious.

Speaking of dangerously sweet and delicious, we held our monthly program for children at the apartment complex my agency partners with. The theme this month was Winter Wonderland, and we had the little ‘uns decorate gingerbread houses (well okay they were graham crackers, not gingerbread, but you’d best believe the joy was there).

Erin went above and beyond the call of duty and spent her own funds on goodies for the kids. My boss took these iPhone pictures of all the festivities.

The fixins:

Why are those weird sugar gumdrops so COMPLETELY IRRESISTABLE this time of year?!

Most of the kids did a great job on their own (well actually we had several houses collapse due to candy overload but it’s like “Bummer… now you have to eat it!”) but we had a few who were really little (kindergarten age), so each of us adults partnered with one.

I was with one little girl (note my purple striped sleeve in the background) and she made the most awesomely bizarre looking gingerbread house.

I started calling it the Tim Burton House, because it was completely ramshackle and falling down; held together with black (!) icing; and completely randomly decked out in candy. With Twizzlers draped over the roof.

It. Was. Awesome.