Recap of Christmas 2014

I'll admit it was really nice not to travel for the holidays this year.  We are usually the ones traveling the northeast circuit between Rhode Island and upstate New York and now that we are in North Carolina, it poses the extra challenge of having to drive up through DC and New York City.  We decided awhile back that we wouldn't travel this year, not knowing how I'd feel this late into pregnancy.  I'll admit that I'm starting to feel uncomfortably large and the fatigue I've heard a lot about is kicking in.

Since Thanksgiving was so late this year and we were in Jamaica, the weeks leading up to Christmas flew by.  We managed to put up our Christmas tree and some decorations around mid-December, and added all the holiday cards from our friends and family to the fireplace mantle as the weeks passed.  By the time my parents arrived the weekend before Christmas, we were fully in the holiday spirit and even had a few Christmas Pandora stations programmed on our phones.  We'd occasionally rock out to them while cooking or hanging around the house.

Our Christmas Tree

The day my family arrived, the temperature in Raleigh was about 70 degrees. It certainly did not feel like Christmas at all with us in shorts and a t-shirt.  But it didn't take long for the weather to normalize again. By normal, I mean daytime highs in the 50s and lows overnight in the 30s.  It certainly is nothing to complain about.  We spent the week enjoying the weather with long walks in and around the parks, building our appetites for hearty holiday meals.

Speaking of meals, on Christmas Eve we enjoyed bacalhau - a Portuguese tradition - and opted for a non-traditional Christmas Day meal of roasted chicken and vegetables.  Since we have a farm share, we tried to continue eating according to the season through the holiday week, using the meat and vegetables we received.  

The Miller Family on Christmas Eve 2013

The Clementes + Colin on Christmas Eve 2013

One tradition from Colin's family that we attempted this year was to make his Aunt June's cookies.  We tried making them a few years ago when we lived in NYC after Aunt June gave us a cookie press and her recipe.  Unfortunately, the cookies did not meet our expectations at all the first time around.  This year, Colin opted to try again and though they didn't look that great, they actually tasted pretty good.  It wasn't until after we made the cookies that we received a letter from Aunt June that we might have to add a little extra liquid!  I guess that means we will have to try again next year. They say third time's a charm, right? 

Colin's attempt at Aunt June's famous cookies

Another highlight of Christmas was checking out a house in the neighborhood that had a very large light display choreographed to holiday music.  We managed to record and upload a portion of the 15-20 minute show.  Later in the week we found a few other light displays, but we all agreed that the first one we saw on Christmas Eve was the best.

Without our lead vocalist and main band member, my brother, we didn't play as much Rock Band as we usually do and instead played some dominoes.  I generally felt less up to the task of hosting and sightseeing, but we went out a few times to go shopping, get our hair done, and walk around downtown Raleigh.  I was really looking forward to checking out Vidari chocolate factory, but they weren't making any the weekend after Christmas, so the self-guided factory tour was a major bust!  It is when we host friends and family that I remember how much more difficult it is to show people a good time in Raleigh than it ever was in NYC.  Too bad we didn't have our 4 bedroom house there!

I can't believe how quickly the week passed and that we are now already a few days into 2014.  I knew  that the big holidays in November and December would pass quickly, but it feels surreal that our daughter is due in less than 6 weeks!  Stay tuned for an update and photos in the next post.

What was the highlight of your holiday?

Do you prefer to travel or host?

Hosting Our First Christmas!

This year, my family decided they would come down to North Carolina to spend the holidays with us in our new home.  Since June, we've been furnishing the house slowly and we don't yet have all the rooms complete, but we are furnished enough to entertain guests.  With my mom, dad and brother set to arrive mid-day on Christmas Eve, Colin and I worked vigorously to prepare ourselves for their arrival.

Throughout the week, we went grocery shopping, prepared the meals and desserts that could be made ahead of time, and cleaned the house.  I took a day off with the intention of doing my last minute Christmas shopping, and finished so quickly that I spent most of the day cleaning.  On three consecutive evenings, Colin made the three desserts for our holiday meals.  He decided that every dessert would have a "healthy" component to it, so he made pumpkin cheesecake, beet brownies, and lentil cookies.  I will admit that all three desserts were a huge success, and the beet brownies were divine!

On the eve of Christmas Eve, while Colin made lentil cookies, I made Eggplant Parmesan - the Italian portion of our Christmas meal.  I don't know about you, but Colin and I find that it always tastes better the day after it's made. In addition, it allowed us to have more time with the family on Christmas Eve.  When my family arrived, the house was mostly in order, snacks and lunch was set out, and Colin and I had each taken Darwin out for a walk or run.  Our goal was to tire him out so he wouldn't be too crazy for our guests.

With my mom serving as my sous chef, we had the traditional Portuguese Bacalhau (codfish) dinner, Eggplant Parm, and all the sides on the table by dinnertime.

Colin and I busted out our fancy wedding cake cutter to serve the Pumpkin Cheesecake 

After dinner, we went to the evening Christmas mass and
managed to get a great family photo in our holiday getup

No one can wait for Christmas Day to open gifts in my family, so we decided to exchange presents after church.  The evening was spent rocking out to Rock Band.  It has become a holiday tradition - and I must admit we are rather good!  I usually play the drums, while Colin, my dad, and my brother alternate on the 2 guitars (my dad prefers the bass).  My mom is a rock star on the vocals!  Colin and my brother are the best all around players because they can actually sing (unlike me).

After a long day (especially for my family - who had been up since 5am), we all retired for the night.  I went to bed with a fair amount of anticipation for Christmas.  I planned a complex meal for Christmas Day that would test my cooking ability.  The menu was based off of a cooking class I took a few weeks ago - creamed onion tart, pork tenderloin, and au gratin butternut squash.

Knowing this was a heavy meal, I planned to serve it at lunchtime.  Thankfully, my mom helped a great deal and served more as my co-executive chef than my sous chef.  We managed to have everything finished around the same time so it was all hot when we sat down to eat.

The butternut squash did not come out quite as delicious as it did in the cooking class I attended, but the creamed onion tart and pork tenderloin did not disappoint.  With no complaints and everyone eating hearty portions, I'd consider my cooking a success.

After two and a half days of cooking, I was exhausted.  I don't know how people host dinner parties on a regular basis.  It was exciting and fun to plan the meal and wasn't too bad while I was preparing it, but I felt like I spent all day in the kitchen instead of spending time with my family when I finished.  

At least we had lots of leftovers after those two days.  I didn't have to cook a meal again until Wednesday (we had to take my family to our favorite pizza place).

Stay tuned for details on how we spent our holiday week in the next blog post!

What traditional holiday meals do you make?

How do you host a dinner party so that you spend time with your guests?