The Feast

Christmas Feasting.  The one day of the year that a person should without guilt indulge in the bounty of the table.  A meal that is full of traditional fare dating back to the 1800's to the newer family favourites.  Full of expectancy, we get up in the morning to prep the bird and start to make desserts, and cook the whole day through getting ready for the moment when the turkey is carved.

  This year was no different, yet it had its challenges.  This year we celebrated with my mom and dad, my sister and her husband, my sister in law Carrie,  and our little family.  My mom provided the bird - a fine grain fed turkey, bean salad, homemade cranberry sauce, a jello salad, and her famous nuts and bolts.  I requested the bean salad - a wonderful blend of beans, mushrooms, celery and a vinegary marinade.

My sister has hostess (28 weeks pregnant with my first sweet niece) provided the appetisers, and side dishes.  My favourites included the seafood surprise dip, and tzaziki and crispy bread.  She also had a really nice punch with our supper.

Me: well I brought all my hoarded baking, and my job was to make dessert.  I was thinking early on I would make a cheesecake, but in the past few weeks I had made too many things with cream cheese in them.  So I decided on the favourite ---pie.  Alas I was the one with the challenges.  My sister doesn't bake so she had no flour and doesn't own a rolling pin.  Well, I had to press my pie dough into tinfoil pans ( I had forgotten my pie pans) and improvise a few ingredients.  My dad was so looking forward to the cherry pie....but I couldn't roll a top crust.  So pumpkin and pecan it was.  The pumpkin turned out alright, but my pecan did some weird separation of the crust and filling.  My syrupy filling went underneath.  So I was sadly disappointed.  Thank goodness for Costco's cream puffs!!!  Saved dessert. The meal ended with a nice glass of port.  All in all it was a fabulous meal.  One of our best.  But I was sad about my desserts.  Oh well. Next year.

I hope you all had a belt poppin' good meal this year and were thankful for the bounty that we have here in Canada, even if the syrup went under the crust on your pecan pie....