I came from a family that prepared with little variation a Christmas Eve menu based on long-standing traditions consisting of Lutefisk, Swedish meatballs, boiled potatoes, wild rice casserole, and a cheesy vegetable bake along with an elaborate relish tray and massive platters of traditional cookies and candies for desert. My mom labored for countless hours over the course of several weeks to make that desert happen, and it was truly a sight to behold. I would eat the Lutefisk mostly just to make mom happy - few things aren't palatable when drenched in drawn butter - and also because it earned me the right to openly snicker at those around the table of weaker constitutions who opted for the meatballs. My wife's family (in her words) tended to "jump around" where Christmas Eve dinner was concerned, and their meal varied form one year to the next and included split pea soup, beef ribs, big steaks, and (for several years running and much to my newly married amusement) mushroom, shrimp, and beef fondue with a variety of cold salads - eric liked that one. That meal also ended with an amazing variety of cookies and candies. BOTH families served lefse on Christmas Eve, but oddly enough never in my life has a single bite of that substance entered my mouth. Coming from fairly different points of view and mostly disinterested in the observation of ridged traditions, my wife and I always face a bit of a conundrum in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and tonight at the dinner table she and our sons and I had "the talk." "So, what do you boys want for dinner on Christmas Eve?" she asked. I groaned and got up from the table only to be humorously reprimanded, and as I sat down next to the fireplace and fired up my laptop, she cleared the dished while the boys offered their input. Ry has been advocating for steamed crab legs for a couple years now while Ty remains focused on Cornish game hens which we reminded him would be happening on Christmas Day. I offered my usual long list of (to me) hilarious suggestions like Haggis (Scotland), Carp (Poland and Croatia), and Sheep Heads (Iceland) among others. I still hope one day to do a big seafood boil for dinner, and as I clicked around online during the conversation, this blog both piqued my curiosity about scungilli AND gave me a new idea - "7 Fishes" sounds great. After an initially gratifying reaction of horror and disgust to my more "unconventional" suggestions, they collectively chose to ignore my transparent attempt at derailing the conversation, and after a 10 minute discussion, we decided to peruse the lighter, more "hors d'oeuvre-y" approach that has been so popular in the past. What it "boils down to" is crab bisque, miniature baked ham and cheese sandwiches (made with "interesting" bread, NOT lunch meat, and gooood cheese), a huge platter of raw veggies and dip, big salads, and another as of yet undetermined side dish...or two. I'll likely also grill up a small number of bacon and duck roll-ups because I LOVE standing outside in the dark on Christmas Eve grilling with a beer while zoning out on my lights and luminaries. It's an unusual and eclectic menu to be sure, but it's highly festive and "fun." The boys and I also lobbied successfully for mom's "epic" cheesy egg bake for breakfast on Christmas Day.
I'll add the obvious disclaimer here that I'm the farthest thing from a gourmet and have fairly unsophisticated tastes, BUT they very day that my time-consuming musical avocation comes to end, the grill and the stove will be roaring to life right along with my woodworking machines. Happy Holidays! ;-)
