I admit I am a “foodie” at heart.  Spent this afternoon preparing a new dish for our Christmas dinner.  1 1/2″ center cut pork chops stuffed with sautéed french bread, onions & mushrooms mixed with blue cheese and roasted in pan with small potatoes & red cabbage.  Very tasty and diverse flavors, accompanied by a great bottle of Valpolicella wine.  Perfect finish to a very special day.

Oh, I will top it off with a fruit tart dessert and a glass of Yamzaki single malt scotch (from the “oldest distillery in Japan”) – a nice gift from Keiko.  She also received a surprise gift from Japan.  I had shipped for her four large bags of green tea Kit Kats.

If you have never tried either of these treats, you are missing a great experience.

Continuing an old family tradition I prepared our Italian Christmas Eve meal, a simple feast featuring seven fish dishes:  shrimp, scallops, haddock, herring, a risotto with lobster and crabmeat, and pasta with olive oil, garlic and anchovies

The veggie?  Wonderful cherry peppers stuffed with my grandmother’s recipe that includes breadcrumbs, olive oil, garlic, onions & anchovies.

Feast of the 7 Fishes

Add a fabulous Reserve des Cleons Muscadet (Grandma Marie said the French stole all the Italian’s best recipes and wines!) and you have a meal that brings back many memories of Christmas past.  Oh, add the bottle of fine Italian red wine used to keep the chef focused.  It was a long and exciting afternoon of preparation.

Of course, the ample supply of leftovers will serve as our Christmas breakfast … a great way to start the day.

By the way, we went to see “The Guilt Trip” earlier today.  A fabulous flick worth seeing.  Being an only child made the story quite powerful.

Merry Christmas.