Happy December!
December is my favorite month because really the entire month is filled with celebrations. But before I get into all that, I need to post a bit about Thanksgiving ( better late than never!).
This Thanksgiving was the most special one I've ever had, mostly because Gian Luca and I live far from my family and friends it was so nice going home to see them. And even though it had been five months since we'd seen them, everything thing felt as though we never left which made me realize that, no matter how far away we go, our hearts are always connected to those we love. I feel so thankful and blessed to have so much love around me.
Since this is a food blog, I have to say that I've never met a better chef than my mother.
My aunts in Italy are a close second, and my brother Luciano who owns his own restaurant isn't too bad either, but still my mom takes the cake (and makes it too). So, of course, on holidays she really shines. And even though she and my dad recently moved into a new house, and this was her first Thanksgiving cooking in a new kitchen, she really out did herself.
My mom is used to cooking for restaurants so serving a family is easy for her. While some people stress over Thanksgiving preparations, she enjoys every minute of it. Fourteen people had dinner at our house that day and everyone left with doggie bags filled with enough food for the next few days.
She made:
Bread: Cranberry Walnut loaf, Corn Bread, and Rosemary and Sea Salt Breadsticks
Appetizers: Sauteed Shrimp Scampi, mini Crabcakes in Filo dough
Salads: Radicchio and shaved fennel salad with a white wine viniagrette
Entree: Turkey and gravy
Sides: Twice Baked Potatoes, Candied sweet potatoes, Sausage stuffing, String beans with garlic and fresh mint, Sauteed Broccoli rape, homemade cranberry sauce
Desserts: Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Blueberry Pie, Chocolate chip cookies, Biscotti di Prato, Ricerelli di Siena, Amaretti Cookies
My Aunt Angela brought a delicious Grape and Gorgonzola Focaccia and my sister- in- law Christine brought over my favorite, a coconut custard pie. My cookies were a big hit as well.
Needless to say, we were all stuffed by the end of the day.
I promise some recipes soon, especially the rosemary and sea salt breadsticks which have been a family favorite since the 80's.
What a feast you had - everything looks and sounds delicious.
ReplyDelete...la mamma รจ sempre la mamma....
ReplyDeletesono d'accordo con te nel dargli 1° posto in cucina...^_^
anch'io adoro il mese di dicembre.... lo trovo pieno di calore... anche se da noi fa un freddo......^_^
I love those phyllo cups. I've made similar appetizers in them, they're so fancy. I'm kinda eyeing that rum raisin cookie recipe too, and thinking about making them. I just did a delicious fruit bread recipe with dried fruit soaked in apple cider. That might work for those cookies too. I am not a rum fan. At all.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments ladies!
ReplyDeleteKate- I am not a rum fan at all either, but the taste is so subtle in these cookies that it is barely noticeable. I'm sure you could substitute apple cider or some other liquid to soak the currants in as well.
Have a great day!