Meals from December 2003

2003-12-01 And Then, Turkey Soup

Thankfully, we still have Thanksgiving leftovers tonight. We made a turkey stock Saturday and Robin enjoyed a little soup with Sunday’s lunch. We hadn’t planned on including it in the cookbook, but it was so good, we make it again tonight!

2003-12-04 Is This Chicken?

“More chicken, please… Is this chicken?”

“No, it’s fish!”

“Oh… Can I have some more fish, please?”

Even though everything tastes like chicken to our son, tonight’s chicken (fried fish) rated as great chicken to his palette. Ours too!

2003-12-05 First Snow

December 5th brings our first snow of the season. Instead of writing up a dinner, it seemed appropriate to do our breakfast – our wintry oatmeal. This is the same oatmeal that Robin and the kids share every morning. It’s that good – and that easy!

2003-12-06 St. Nicholas Day

A tradition that we inherit from Chris’s side of the family is St. Nicholas Day, otherwise known as “Elves’s Day”. The night before, the children dutifully placed their Christmas lists in their stockings. Sometime overnight, Santa’s elves retrieve the lists and leave a small gift or two along with a little candy.

2003-12-07 Craving Waffles

Robin had a craving for waffles last night. Since it’s bad luck to ignore a pregnant woman’s craving we have them for dinner tonight. And if we’re having breakfast for dinner, we may as well go all the way…

2003-12-08 Cheese Quesadillas and Turkey Mole

Truth be told, we still haven’t finished Thanksgiving leftovers. Obviously we’re not eating them out of the refrigerator anymore – we froze some of the turkey last weekend. And we’re glad we did – a decidedly sick little girl puts us all in the mood for comfort food with minimal effort.

2003-12-09 Soup (Yeah, It's Turkey Soup)

That Thanksgiving turkey is still yielding dividends as it serves as the base for tonight’s soup. We’ve been careful not to over-employ the turkey in our dishes of late, lest we begin to get “turkey burn-out”. Most of the flavors in this dish come from the veggies and beans.

2003-12-12 Huevos Rancheros

Chris had huevos rancheros for lunch. For dinner, we all have… huevos rancheros! This is a very simple meal to finish off the week.

2003-12-15 Chicken Cutlets

This meal was prepared with artistry by the kids. They did suffer some help from Robin. Helping with the preparation of the meal makes dinner even more a family affair. As added benefit, it even encourages the kids to eat, which is always welcome.

2003-12-17 Peppercorn Steak Before Shopping

Christmas shopping was on our to-do list tonight, but it’s not our highest priority. How could it be when there’s dinner to be eaten. Especially, when it’s a dinner with a centerpiece like peppercorn steak. Fabulous!

2003-12-20 A Visit to Santa

There was much Christmas themed activity today. We started with a brunch and a visit with Santa at the club to which Grammy and Boppy belong. That was immediately followed by a Christmas ballet recital. A brief rest was followed by dinner – a nice little ginger lentil soup and some potato croquettes.

2003-12-24 Christmas Eve

With kids of three and five (and another on the way), this shapes up to be a special Christmas for our family. Our daughter has been saying for weeks that she couldn’t wait for Christmas to arrive. The day has finally arrived and with it, much family, which, after all, is what makes Christmas so very special.

2003-12-27 Dinner with Erin, er, Grammy and Boppy

We thought we’d see if Erin would like to come for dinner. Grammy and Boppy were heading to the beach today for their annual New Year’s celebration. Sarah and Eric had company. We thought Erin might like some company and a mac & cheese dinner.

2003-12-31 New Year's Eve

As in any household, ours was filled with both happiness and sorrow this past year. No matter how the year past unfolded, we very much enjoy closing it out with any family that we can. Eating good food, drinking fine drink and playing Simpsons Clue.