After noon-time, it ceases to be Christmas to me. So much preparation goes into to the launch, that after the magical morning time, it winds down quickly--or maybe that is me. I write this after having a pleasant afternoon reading my Les Halles cookbook (A. Bordain) and visiting winkie-land for a needed rest. Over the last three days, I've made untold dozens of cookies to give to family/neighbors and prepared for Christmas breakfast.
Normally, I do no cooking of Christmas meals. I go to my stepmother's (and previously my mother's) for Christmas Eve dinner, and on Christmas, we go to Mark's parents. However, because my MIL is suffering from osteoporosis, I offered to have Christmas breakfast while she was eating with us on Thanksgiving. I'm glad she agreed, for she's too frail to do Christmas dinner. Therefore, we had a fair amount of cleaning to do as well as prep for our breakfast. It was fabulous! We had Blood Mary's, sausage/grit casserole, homemade pecan rolls (yeast!), fresh orange slices, and pan fried potatoes.
I made the pecan rolls the day before. Yeast rolls need two risings. The initial rise which you punch down and then form your end product and a second rising prior to cooking. If you want fresh rolls in the morning, you have to refrigerate to impede the rising. The rolls were already in the pans and ready to be taken out of the fridge for the second rising. They were incredibly yummy, and I'll make them again. Trust me, everyone loves homemade yeast breads. Every undertaking has one of those..."why did I do that?" moments. Sectioning oranges provided that moment this year. I've never sectioned an orange in my life until last night. I did a whole bag of navel oranges. My fingers were soggy and wrinkled, but I had a bowlful of beautiful sections without a hint of pith or membrane. Effort was not greater than or equal to the reward. Strike that off of any future lists!
My Dad and my stepmother (my mother is deceased) were there along with her grown son who always visits for Christmas. My MIL and FIL came. I also invited a neighbor who was alone. We enjoyed our meal and pleasant conversation. It was a perfect Christmas.
I hope that your celebrations were equally enjoyable.
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