Christmas Eve 2012
Christmas Eve with my Dad’s side of the family is chocked-full of even more culinary tradition than Christmas Day. The traditional italian Seven Fishes always make an appearance in one form or another, but the star of the show is always the crustaceans.
Lobster cooked in a spicy marinara sauce.
And nothing says Christmas Eve in our family without a big-ass pile of King Crab Legs. I’ve always enjoyed the crab far more than the lobster and this year was no exception.
I do my best to make sure the food is the star of my site, but I was so grateful to be able to spend Christmas Eve with my family and enjoy a meal with them, that I couldn’t resist posting a photo of our elongated dinner table. In fact, it was this very table that insprired me to write this Christmas Euphiction piece a couple years ago.
I hope you all are enjoyed your Christmas Eve, both your menus and your families.
And remember… the food abides…
Christmas Two-Days-Early
Merry Christmas from the Food Dude!
Yesterday my family had our annual Christmas Celebration (two days early to accommodate schedules). The day was filled with food, drink and Christmas cheer and you really can’t ask for anything more than that.
Our gathering totalled almost 30 people and we had a menu to match.
Spinach Balls with Honey Mustard as an appetizer.
Another appetizer of Fried Risotto Rice Balls. These were phenomenal.
And we’re italians, so an Antipasto tray is of course, a staple…
Dinner was Porchetta, Lasagna, Eggplant Rollatini, Stuffed Baked Chicken, Roasted Red Potatoes and Green Beans.
Porchetta was not something we grew up with but as of late it’s become somewhat of a staple at large family gatherings.
My brother made these roasted reds and I have to say, I’ve rarely had potatoes done this well.
On to desert. Making homemade struffoli has been a family tradition since before I was born. For those not in the know, struffoli is basically just deep-fried pasta with honey. As simple as that sounds it’s actually very complicated because it’s very easy to screw up if you’re imprecise. It’s usually done in the weeks before Christmas and made in large batches which is never a problem because struffoli stores very easily.
Cannoli nachos. Yes, you read that right. Cannoli nachos. This is a giant edible shell loaded up with Cannoli filling served with triangles of fried pastry dough for dipping.
As I’ve said before, food is always an important part of our holiday festivities and traditions and I wouldn’t have it any other way. What are some of your culinary holiday traditions? Let me know in the comments below!
Again, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and always remember… the food abides…
Pumpkin Mousse
Pumpkin Mousse
Apparently some folks saw the Thanksgiving Day post the and the desert caught their eye because I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the Pumpkin Mousse. This recipe was given to me by a friend right after Halloween and turned out to be my go-to desert for the holiday season. People tend to devour it everywhere I bring it, so I take that as a good sign.
1 (16 ounce) can of pumpkin
1 (1 1/2 ounce) box of sugar free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container of Cool Whip Free
Pumpkin Pie Spice to taste
Combine each ingredient in order. Chill for 2 hours. Serve in individual desert cups or in a large serving bowl with ginger snaps for dipping. I chose to lower the fat and sugar content by using healthier ingredients, but feel free to use the full versions if you so choose.
If you give this a shot, let me know how you feel about it in the comments section. Special thanks to my friend Meghan for passing on the recipe!
And remember… the food abides…
Tampa Food Dude 