I had a bunch of cooking plans on Xmas Eve, two pages in my little notebook. Continuing using up cookie leftovers and CSA box produce, sourdough bread plans (my sourdough has gotten way too big, BTW, even though I’ve only been feeding it half cups of flour & water. I might have to actually discard some of the discard, I’m running out of things to make with it), making food to give away, and our traditional foods for the holiday.
Al & Emma were coming over early afternoon, and originally the plan was to hang out in the garage with space heaters and drink mulled wine and eat some appetizers. But it was too cold, so instead I packed up the apps for the kids to take home: sliced salami wrapped Farmer John’s provonello cheese on a toothpick, deviled eggs, coleslaw, a box of cookies, a lemon tart “kit”, tart shells & a jar of lemon curd. I boiled eggs for the deviled’s and pickled a few with the beets. I carried the lite brite tree out to the garage, and we drank the mulled wine and chatted and exchanged gifts, and they almost left without their bag of food, but Al reminded me.
I went back in and kept cooking. On Christmas Eve we always eat pizza and watch silly holiday movies, so I roasted squash for a pizza topping. And I made meringue and used some to top a few lemon tarts for us and baked the rest in small mounds, that I froze on Christmas morning for future Eton Mess, when there are strawberries.
Little lemon tarts
We ate our deviled eggs and salami cheese wraps and veggies and chips with caramelized onion dip, and started watching the Downton Abbey season 6 finale, the last regular episode, which is of course Christmas. And two hours long, even though there’s a huge jump in the time frame from June of 1925 to New year’s eve 1926. I felt like I was just a little late on everything and had to keep having Mark freeze the playback while I ran downstairs and put stuff into, or took stuff out of, the oven. The pizza, one with red sauce, pepperoni, purple onions, fresh tomato, and mozzarella, and the other with roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, and Gruyere, was ready by about 7:30, so we were able to eat it and still have time for leftover cookies and I finished the mulled wine for Love Actually.
Christmas morning I lit the lite brite tree that I’d brought back in from the garage, and texted a picture of it to all the kids for Merry Christmas, and made the trifle while I was still in pajamas so it could chill until dinner.
It was still pretty cold, but we were going to go for a walk nevertheless, one of Mark’s long loops, because we’re tough Midwesterners. I had weird dizzies starting while I was brushing my teeth. Everything went sideways and I had to hold on to the sink. I think it’s a combo of red wine, dehydration, and sinus – or else I am pre-diabetic. So I just went around the block and came back inside and hung out on the couch with the cat and drank 5 pint glasses of water by the end of the day, when it was time to get up and make dinner. I think I am OK. I felt so good at the beginning of cookie season with the increased activity level and increased sugar consumption jacking up my metabolism, surely my body would not betray me so devastatingly, and lose its ability to process sugar. Surely. Knock wood.
When Mark got back from walking, we had sticky buns for breakfast, and started opening presents. Some things of note – I got the ALA R.E.M. READ poster from 1990 made into a giant puzzle, and a Chicago L map shower curtain, and a fancy coffee grinder. Mark bought us a 2021 state park sticker that we can put on one of the cars. I got him a ukulele, from Old Town School, and promise of virtual lessons when he picks some out.
We face-timed with Ethan and Megan M. in Denver, and John and Megan G. in Chicago. Later I called my brother. Their cookie box was the Christmas miracle, arriving on their doorstep in Seattle by noon on the Eve; Ethan & Megan’s and John & Megan’s boxes are still in some USPS limbo, even though John & Megan’s only had to get to Chicago. Rach’s box to the Hudson River Valley has not arrived as yet, either, and also one I sent to friends in Takoma Park MD is still in transit too. All the rest of the 24 I shipped on December 15th have arrived.
Christmas dinner was Giuliano Hazan’s (Marcella’s son) smoked salmon pasta and a big salad and sourdough baguette. I tried to go light on the pasta, because we adjourned to TV watching and did a Crown, and then were were thinking about watching Soul or Wonder Woman 1984, but happened by Bridgerton, and watched episode 1 of that instead, while stuffing ourselves completely on trifle and leftover cookies and fruit cake with hard sauce. I mean, Regency romance with a woman of color showrunner, narrated by Julie Andrews, and the promise of happy ever after, how perfect for Christmas night 2020.
Today – Boxing Day – I feel better, and I made it through the 10,000+ step walk OK.
I had a healthy(ish) breakfast, and planning curative vegetable soup for dinner tonight. And drinking lots more water.
Merry Christmas to all!