Family, Friends, and Food

I’ve been cooking a lot this year. More than usual. When our daughter stays at our house, I like to fix her a decent lunch before she leaves for her twelve-hour shift as a nurse. When I invite friends over, it’s usually for a meal. On holidays, I cook more. And I indulge. M.L. came for supper tonight and HH bought a 4-pound ribeye roast. (He loves them. So does she:). I used Sunny Anderson’s (on the Food Network) recipe for a coffee brine and rub, and I can recommend it. I didn’t grill our roast, used the oven, but boy, was it good. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/sunnys-grilled-brewed-awakening-rib-roast-with-sunnys-1-2-3-horseradish-sauce- M.L. brought a homemade cherry pie, so we did our pre-holiday meal proud.

I really wanted to participate in Staci Troilo’s virtual cookie exchange this Thursday, but couldn’t pull it off in time. Instead, my sister and cousin are coming on Saturday to bake cookies with me and have supper together. I haven’t made a list of what we’ll bake yet, but there HAS to be peanut butter cookies because they’re both Jenny and Mary’s favorites. And we have to make my favorites–Nancy Fuller’s recipe for Molasses Ginger cookies. But two kinds of cookies aren’t enough for the holidays, so I’ll have to add a few more. https://stacitroilo.wordpress.com/2021/12/09/virtual-cookie-exchange/

The kids can’t make it home on actual Christmas day, so they’re coming on Sunday and leaving on Monday instead. I’m making beef tenderloin, a big ham, and a few sides. Mary’s bringing her cheesy potatoes, and Holly’s making a yule log for dessert We don’t get too crazy trying new recipes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter. We all look forward to tradition those days.

In my eighth Jazzi and Ansel books, Jazzi loves to cook, too, and invites her family to a meal every Sunday. But for the first time since she moved out of her parents’ house, she doesn’t have to host the Thanksgiving meal. Walker and Didi invite everyone to their house instead, and everyone’s bringing a dish, having a carry-in. Jazzi only has to make two turkeys, a ham, and pumpkin rolls. Ansel asks her to add deviled eggs. I don’t know about other houses, but there are deviled eggs at every one of our holiday meals. And they go fast.

After their Thanksgiving meal, Jazzi and Ansel don’t have to work on their fixer-upper until Monday, so they spend the weekend decorating their house for Christmas. They’re hosting it, as usual. And sleuthing–as usual..

Whether you have a tiny, intimate celebration, a small get-together, or a large crowd to celebrate the holidays this season, I wish you much happiness. These days, HH and I usually stay home on New Year’s Eve, alone, and celebrate the new year as a couple. And that’s wonderful, too. Happy December!

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