Christmas Eve & Christmas Day 2013

 We had such a good Christmas this year. George was only 5 months old last year so he wasn't really aware of what was go on. He really, really likes lights so that was super exciting for him. Music is also something he really gets into so we had some sort of Christmas music going almost all the time. 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Nathan gets half of the day off and this is what the afternoon looked like.

Dual phone conversations

Late that afternoon we went to our favorite coffee shop for hot chocolate and a snack. George still won't drink hot chocolate.

Christmas Day

We knew that stockings would be George's favorite since he gets really excited about taking things out of bags.

Nathan went all out on my stocking this year. I was in desperate need of a grapefruit knife and spoons.

 

Carrot pecan pancakes, grapefruit, eggs with Canadian bacon and spinach, coffee and eggnog for breakfast

Then a nap for George while I prepped lunch

Favorites for the day: daddy's pliers and

these large stacking blocks

Christmas dinner! We decided to go Italian this year. 

Cavolfiore alla Fiorentina

(cauliflower with tomatoes and black olives)

Anatra in Porchetta

(duck in the style of porchetta)

Which means duck stuffed with sausage, garlic, sage and rosemary then wrapped in bacon

Funghi Trifolati

(sauteed mushrooms with parsley and garlic)

It was freezing cold and cloudy but we decided to go for a little sledding in the afternoon. 

 

George would sit in his sled for hours if we weren't freezing and tired of pushing him around. 

Tiramisu

I'm not much of a dessert person until it comes to tiramisu and ice cream. Finding good ice cream in Statesboro isn't usually a problem but making tiramisu comes with its challenges. Lady fingers are the source of my 2 year long struggle to make this amazing dessert. None of the grocery stores carry them! (we only have 3) I just found them last week online at www.igourmet.com for a very reasonable price so I think that I will just go ahead and order them. Here is my recipe for tiramisu:

Tiramisu

6 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated suger
1/3 cup brandy
1/4 cup Marsala
1 pound mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3/4 cup extra-strong cofffee
24 Italian ladyfingers (not the soft kind; cookie-like)
4 ounces semisweet chocolate; finely chopped

In bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar until light, about 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup each of brandy and Marsala. Transfer to double boiler over gently simmering water; whisk for about 7 minutes or until thickened. Let cool. Beat cheese until smooth;fold in egg mixture. Whip cream; stir one-quarter into cheese mixture. Fold in remaining cream. Combine coffee and remaining brandy and marsala. Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture to lightly moisten them Arrange the ladyfinger in 11x7-inch glass baking dish; spread with half of the cream mixture. Repeat layers. Top with chocolate.
Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Let thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.)