Another Christmas in M's hometown Minnesota with his family. This year, we happily volunteered to cook for both eve and Xmas nights. A traditional meal would be super easy but somewhat mundane and not suitable for this group. Us: A food loving couple who also eat a lot. Sister: A very dedicated hardcore vegetarian but no raw onion for her. Father: A seafood-allergic meat affectionado and no onion as well. Grandma: A tiny appetite holder whose palette is used to a simple, classic American meal. Mother and Aunt: No special dietary restriction—wonderful.
In my book, it's too risky to try a new recipe when you are cooking for guests. So we squeezed our vegetarian options we could do right for sure.
Christmas Eve—"Tricolor Table: Basil Genovese Pasta with Grilled Chicken (no chicken for Sister), Tomato and Mozzarella Caprese Salad" It was a good pasta except we could have added some crunch to Sister's pasta.
Christmas Night—"Heavily Happy: Swedish Meatball with Gravy, Mac & Cheese (trying to mimic our favorite DuMac&Cheese from Dumont Burger in W'burg Brooklyn), Mushroom Ragu, Baked Asparagus, Roasted Beets Salad with Blue Cheese and Mustard Dressing, Green Salad with Shredded Carrots"
It didn't really have a concept at all, but everyone had something to eat. The only vegetarian-unfriendly dish was the meatball. Maybe next year, we shall not serve two pasta dishes in a row...
M's mom is super talented in decorating the house. She cut a tree from the yard and sprayed in gold. Voila! A lovely, original Christmas tree. It gives more space for gifts and fits nicely in the den after the Christmas days.
Santa is coming this year! His parents got me a sock, too. It hung among the family's traditional socks.
One of my favorite things to do in MN is shopping. But I'm not talking about Mall of America. I love shopping at super markets, specifically Byerly's. They always have a nice variety and plenty of stuff. It's never too crowded. Stores are very clean. And staff is very nice: They don't seem pissed or reluctant as many NY store clarks. They got a live music band, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment