~Thursday, December 24, 2020~
Christmas Eve-Day 193
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE everyone. It’s hard to believe Christmas is already here and as I reflect on what a crazy year it has been (in so many ways), it has been one of opportunity for Jeff and I to rekindle our spirit of adventure and live more in the moment. It is so refreshing to try something new, and freeing in a way, to let go of the routines in life that can confine us. Although most of us would like to write off most of what happened in 2020, our road trip is definitely one for the books and we are forever grateful that we’ve had for the most part, a pleasant, safe journey thus far. The hardest part is being away from our dear friends and family, especially during the Holidays. Since most people are opting for spending Christmas without their families this year due to the pandemic, it makes our decision of being away from ours a little easier, due to our travels. We are certainly thinking of you all!
What is Christmas Eve without some Holiday yummies? Let the cooking commence!
Jeff and I came up with a delicious menu for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think the Christmas Eve dinner will be much more involved. But first, Jeff had to finish a movie he had started the night before…...one that is oh so pleasant to watch during this happy, festive time…….”The Patriot” with Mel Gibson. So uplifting, don’t you think? O.k. I guess we’ll be listening to Christmas music the rest of the ENTIRE day to put out the heartache. What a whirlwind day of cooking (check out our video in the video section of our website). There, we reveal what ethnic menu we decided to take on and managed to do well with our 2 kitchens. One thing I will reveal is my mission to make a delicious dessert……. peppermint/chocolate brownie cookies. Since we have a family tradition of cookie baking every year with my mom, my sister, and our daughter (when she can make it), and knew that would not be happening this year, I had to make something in tribute to that. We made this recipe a few years ago, but this year was a challenge to find. I couldn’t remember where the recipe had come from, and didn’t think to ask our daughter Hannah, but found out after I’d just finished making them, that she was the one that had it. Whew, at least someone in the family kept it. It is THAT good!!! 😋😋😋
What really made our Christmas Eve was getting to talk to our family. We scheduled a FaceTime call around 10:00 p.m. our time (8:00 p.m. their time). It turned out to be a perfect time to chat since we had a late dinner (in true Latreille fashion). We must have had a 90 minute Christmas Eve visit and it was wonderful!! Love you guys! Then it was time for those dreaded dishes. We just got here Tuesday and the gray tank is officially full. Dish cleaning absolutely did it in, with all of this cooking we’re doing. So I guess we know what we’ll be doing Christmas morning? 😝😩At least we have electric and water hookups!
In between the Holiday wrapping and watching our second Holiday movie “Home Alone”, I still had enough energy to whip up another traditional favorite….Egg Shirley Casserole. My mom, over the years, always made some form of a special Holiday breakfast. And this one was always our family favorite. It’s always best to make it the night before, and just throw in the oven the next morning; one less thing to tackle those usual hectic Christmas mornings. The only thing we won’t be doing this year…..Beignets, AND we’re in the south (true beignet country). Every year, I would make these after our present opening, and our kids would deliver them to our wonderful neighbors. They looked forward to it every year and we looked forward to handing them out! Maybe next year in our new neighborhood.