Christmas Dinner

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I sure had a nice time. I haven't uploaded all of my Christmas Day photos, but stay tuned for those. What I did take pictures of to share was our dinner.

We made Ree's Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Drizzle from The Pioneer Woman. I made the drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sugar, reducing it by a little more than half. It was pungent, tart and sweet. I tossed some dried cranberries in with it too. They were crunchy from roasting in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper.

After all the holiday baking I did these past few weeks, the fireman and I decided to take it easy and make a simple meal. We bought 3 racks of ribs, which he precut and we threw them in the oven for a couple of hours, then finished them on the smoker to give them flavor.

He cut and roasted these brussels sprouts. I made the glaze after I made my Stuffed Mushrooms. They could sit until it was time to cook them. I used bigger button mushrooms and they were divine!

He enjoys cooking, too.

I do realize our kitchen looks horribly outdated. It's the last thing up for remodeling. Stay tuned in about a year for a total kitchen overhaul.

When we talked about rolls, I was all about to say, "Oh, I'll make rolls." and start listing the different roll recipes I have that would be awesome. Then I stopped and said, "NO! I'm not making rolls, let's grab split top rolls from the store."

The fireman made the twice baked potatoes, scooped out the centers and stirred them up with loades of sour cream, butter, bit of milk, bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese. He refilled the skins and rebaked with the mushrooms and brussels sprouts.

So, this was our spread. After the kids got ahold of it. There are twice baked potatoes, my stuffed mushrooms and ribs. Lots and lots of ribs. Plus rolls. Oh, and the brussels sprouts.

We had sparkling grape juice for the kiddos, wine for the adults and did not fancify the table at all! It was easy and simple. But you know what? We sat around that table and chatted for nearly an hour.

 Of course this was after we all ate our weight in doughnuts that the fireman brought home from work Christmas morning. I seriously ate like 4 doughnuts, and 2 of them were astronomically sized. No joke. Can't honestly say that I felt good after that, though.

The next day the fireman and I started a few days of the Dukan Diet Attack phase, just to take off those few holiday pounds that we both put on. So, you can expect to see more healthy menu options again on this site.

It was a good Christmas.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and had great family time as well.