I am going to say what you are not supposed to say at Christmas. This was a crappy Christmas. No, we did not encounter any kind of catastrophes. Instead of fun in the snow, enjoying all the grub the holidays have to offer, and playing with Christmas toys, we sat on the couch sick, sick, sick. No Christmas movies were available unless we wanted to pay $3 for them because Comcast Cable Company is run by many greedy mongers. We did not go to church for services with family. We had a ton of family here, but whenever I do that, I run into my ability of never being prepared. I was caring for a sick toddler all day.
Christmas Eve is always such a conundrum for me. Both mine and my husband's family are very demanding when it comes to time with us. Everyone maintains that we should all be together on Christmas Eve and running around like chickens on Christmas day. Of course, we all love the fare. Traditional New Mexican Christmas Eve cuisine consists of hot posole with chile colorado and tamales are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Let's not forget biscochitos and pastelitos, which I did not get to enjoy. Although the constant running around stresses me out, we did not get to do it this year due to illness and I was heartbroken. Unlike most Americans, who gain weight during the holiday season, I lost weight on a diet of ibuprofen, hot tea, and disappointment.
I did have some successes though. I baked lots of sweets to cheer us up and I am proud to say that I made the best batch of gluten-free sugar cookies I have ever tasted. I also made great fudge too. I have always been too busy multitasking that I could not devote the stirring time to the fudge and since sugar cookies have never been my favorite, I bake them last and typically burn them. Not this time. But my biggest success was the lentil kale soup I made to nurse our illness served with a delicious and buttery gluten-free brioche. Not traditional Christmas or New Year foods, but a great substitute for the black eyed peas and corn bread. Lentils swell and Kale is green. Here is to a healthy and prosperous 2011!
No comments:
Post a Comment