Usually at this time of year, we have our annual Eggnog & Dessert Party, where I bake some things and we invite our families over to indulge. This year, with my dad being sick we weren’t able to do that. And usually, for Christmas Eve we have Eric’s family over for a big dinner. But, again, with things being what they were this year, we had to celebrate a bit differently. So, for Christmas Eve we went and visited my parents for a little bit, and then came home and Eric made us a spectacular meal – just the two of us.
First course was Butternut Squash Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce. This was absolutely delicious. I could have eaten nothing but this and been happy.
Second course was Crab Cakes. Full disclosure – I don’t eat them, so this was Eric’s. But, you can’t have Christmas Eve dinner without some seafood.
The main course was Baked Chicken with Garlic, Olive Oil and Italian Bread Crumbs along with Fried Zucchini.
And our accompaniment for the meal was Messina Hof’s Muscat Canelli 2005, which was really good.
We completed the meal with Eric’s dessert request. He wanted more of those Chocolate Salted Cake Balls I made last year. With eggnog, of course.
It was all so delicious. And it was actually kind of nice to just have a quiet Christmas Eve to ourselves. And I didn’t spend two hours in the kitchen afterwards washing dishes. Plus, the added bonus is that I actually have photos to share of our dinner! I always forget when we have company, so at best I usually share only the dessert photos because I make that ahead of time! So – bonus!
And for Christmas Day, Eric made another scrumptious meal. For starters, we had Tomato Basil Bisque.
Then we had a gorgeous steak and fresh asparagus, which is one of my favorite meals. Eric’s actually the one who introduced me to asparagus, and now I can’t seem to get enough of it!
And then for dessert, Eric’s second request – Chocolate Espresso Angel Food Cake. I’d made this once for him year’s ago, and he wanted it for Christmas this year. It’s really a delicious cake. And I sprinkle powdered sugar over it when serving.
We had a quiet Christmas, but it was very nice. We watched a ton of movies, like Polar Express, Jingle All the Way and It’s a Wonderful Life (which I’d never seen before!). Focusing on each other instead of the hustle and bustle of the season, was a nice change.
