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…