Poor pitiful Val, the much-put-upon chef of Christmas recent-past.
We didn't get home from the house of my sister the ex-mayor's wife on Christmas Eve until 11:00. Then I had to have OUR Christmas dinner ready to serve at 11:00 a.m. the next day, because of Genius's plans.
Here's my plate of Christmas dinner:
Let's start at 12:00 and go around. Delicious spiral honey-baked ham, roasted carrots/onions/potatoes, a blob of mayo, because I didn't have a squeeze bottle, and I spooned out a bit too much, Sister Schubert's Rolls, and a slice of Nutty Oat Bread with cheddar cheese, for making a ham sandwich, and potato salad, and a deviled egg.
There's my large bowl of 7-Layer Salad, the layers all akimbo. In the background, some round slices of Oberle Cheese, a local product that is creamy with a garlic flavor, some Ritz crackers for cheesing, a bowl of black olives I haven't raided yet, and a slab of Kerrygold Butter that was intact when I started filling my plate. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, the feeders didn't wait for the cook before digging in!
Here's the deal. The Pony was working the next day, and didn't want to take any leftovers home. Hick ate his lunch at the Senior Center the next day. I ate some leftovers on Tuesday, before going to the casino that night. Then Hick had Senior Center lunch and played bar bingo Wednesday, and I was too sick to eat anything. Here it is Thursday now, and we're nearing the end of safe leftovers.
All that work for naught! Except for the feeding frenzy for 15 minutes on Christmas day.
Hi Val, I hope you and The Pony are feeling better. Your Christmas lunch/dinner looks perfect. Your 7-Layer salad looks so good that I think I'm going to make one soon:)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the 7-Layer Salad, but my stomach wanted nothing to do with it after my sickness started. The Pony is not off his feed, but he's been ordering food rather than cooking or going to pick it up. Had pizza and garlic knots, and then hamburgers. I have a stuffy head, burning eyes, and nagging cough. Other than that, I don't feel too bad.
DeleteThe meal looks wonderful. Sorry you got so ill.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It's what the eaters asked for! I am just waiting for time to pass to get over this cold.
DeleteOh, I feel your pain. Yesterday, what with finally feeling human again, I hit the refrigerator to see what I could salvage from earlier bought groceries. I saved the lettuce, the broccoli had lost its will to survive, and the red grapes are on a lifeline, at the moment. (it's likely many will not make it) This always happens to us. The times we end up sick, are right after groceries have been purchased and neither of us want to eat or have the strength or will power to cook for the other. (we are usually in different stages in our sickness, it seems) Your dinner looked lovely. Can your ham be frozen for future ham and bean soup? If there are lots of roasted veg, maybe freeze and later mash together with some egg and a bit of flour and make fried vegetable patties? I hate having to throw out food, but then my furry beasts are of the feline variety, not the canine, so not much help there. Hope you continue to get better. We are doing much better, but the cough still rears its ugly head, when you least expect it. Ranee (MN)
ReplyDeleteI hate it when that happens! Had I realized that Hick would be eating so little of the leftovers, I would have frozen those roasted vegetables. They are good when thawed for another time. Now the dogs will get them, because it's been a week since I made them. The dogs will love it! All that bacon fat soaked into them during roasting.
DeleteThe ham will be good a few more days, I think. The hambone is already frozen for a pot of Great Northern beans. I will cut up some of the major portion of the slices to add. Might freeze some in slices for Hick later, when he's not tired of ham.
I hate a surprise cough! Today one strained something under my liver area, and I have to clamp a hand there when I feel a cough coming on. My stuffy head continues to be my biggest annoyance.
Love me some spiral ham, not so fond of hardboiled eggs staring back at me. There are never enough opportunities to use the word akimbo!
ReplyDeleteThis ham was especially delicious, when I could still taste it before my head congestion. A couple more days and the flavor should return. Those eggs might have a way of making you talk, if you are feeling guilty about something! Akimbo has been absent from my vocabulary for too long.
DeleteWe're having ham and leftover mashed potatoes from Christmas dinner tonight! I made a loaf of Banana Bread and the bread machine and I made a loaf of Pumpernickel today but I doubt either will find my tummy tonight. Your meal looks delish!
ReplyDeleteYours sounds good. As good as it can to a cloggy-headed, nose-stopped-up Val. My kids like the instant mashed potatoes that come in a pouch. So easy to make, but we already had two kinds of potatoes.
DeleteI envy your banana bread. My grandma used to make zucchini bread, the next best thing, and freeze it to hand out all through the year.
No leftovers here, I ate Christmas lunch at the twins house. With their parents and three older brothers I suspect there weren't many leftovers there either. If you had frozen any leftovers right away, they would still be good and you could thaw and reheat when you are well.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how there would be few leftovers, with three older brothers!
DeleteOf course I didn't plan to waste food. Just as I didn't plan to be sick when we got home from the casino on Tuesday night. We had every intention of eating leftovers Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, except that I was sick, Hick was gone for lunches and one supper, and I didn't have an appetite, nor the energy to freeze things, being sick and all. And my favorite, the 7 Layer Salad, doesn't freeze well.
That is a shame to not be able to eat all that good food. I was thinking not much of it would freeze well. But, then do you want to eat possibly tainted food after frozen.
ReplyDeleteIf I could see into the future, I would have packed that food away for freezing on Christmas night! Hick did end up eating all but 4 of the deviled eggs, and dropped off some to The Pony on Wednesday. The Pony was not off his feed, even with his sickness.
DeleteThe ham will be fine in freezer. Most of it will be boiled with the beans for a couple hours, anyway. It's the 7 Layer Salad that I mourn for. The potato is not a special treat, and I make it often enough. Also the roasted vegetables are easy to make again. The dogs will feast on the veggies.
No leftovers here. We were in sunny Florida, except that it rained every day we were there. I earned our meal by slaving away in the kitchen making pies and macaroni and cheese. I made two huge casseroles of the cheesy stuff, but scooped out a huge section to hide in the fridge for the favorite grandson. I used a pound of macaroni and over 2 lbs. of cheese. No milk in the daughter's house, but she did have heavy whipping cream. I made two pies, someone sent inividual cheesecakes from a bakery, two ore cakes showed up and another pie. I had brought along 6 batches of cookies. My daughter made mashed potatoes with cream cheese and whipping cream and what looked like a pound of butter! Prime Rib and brussel sprouts, yeast rolls and salad. A feast fit for a king, gout included with a heart attack on top!!
ReplyDeleteI'll take those mashed potatoes! My heart will sign a release.
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