Monday, December 24, 2012

This year, I'm focusing on what blessings life throws me.


I have my kids back, finally, and we are trying an Italian Christmas Even tradition, Festa dei Sette Pesci (Feast of the Seven Fishes). But we're not Italian and there are only three of us, so instead of seven different seafood dishes, I made one with seven kinds of seafood. Because who's gonna stop me? I went with pasta with a tomato-based sauce that included shrimp, bay scallops, sea scallops, calamari, crab, salmon, and clams. And settling in to watch that feel-good 1926 silent movie Christmas classic, "Metropolis." Oh, okay, we make it up as we go along.

Wishing you all a season of peace.

41 comments:

  1. Love your menu and plans! Sounds just about perfect!! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

    betty

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  2. Sounds like Cioppino, an Italian seafood dish I made just once, that was absolutely divine! I plan to make it this coming week while two of my boys,and the OC are home...Nothing wrong with making it up as you go along. Better than being too hidebound by tradition! Hope you have a lovely time together!

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    1. It's not quite cioppino - I make that, too. But similar.

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  3. Sounds excellent, good choice. I got back a bit ago from cooking at a food bank dinner, was rewarding, but depressing. Kids....many looked, what? Not right. Glances at their parents before bites, downcast eyes the rest of the time.
    All my kids called yesterday and today, each have their own plans for tomorrow, first one we've all spent apart. I'm going to have a Maker's Mark or two, and listen to the radio.
    Enjoy.

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    1. It cannot be a happy thing to have to have your holiday meal at a food bank - no matter how grateful you might be for it.

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  4. Being Italian, I know Feast of the Seven Fishes VERY well!

    Have a wonderful Christmas, my friend!

    Peace to you and yours!

    X

    P.S. love the photo of your tree!

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    1. Thanks. I am a believer in adopting the good in any culture, no matter what my genetics are!

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  5. as long as you;re all happy and together it's all good. merry chistmas to you and your family!

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  6. Merry Christmas!
    and interesting to read what you will be eating this Christmas, so different tradition!

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    1. Our biggest tradition is that we are open to other traditions!

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  7. i would def not be above seven kinds of seafood, just saying...ha....i hope you and they have a wonderful christmas day

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  8. Merry Christmas - I loved your post on the buying of Christmas. I wish I had had you at a recent dinner party I was at, where I was arguing for why I don't support toys for tots (I was basically made to believe that I was a cold hearted bastard for poo-pooing the concept of Toys for Tots).

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    1. I don't actually have a problem with Toys for Tots - I'm not opposed to Christmas gifts, just to going into debt for them.

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  9. Have a most wonderful Christmas with your boys!

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  10. Wish you a Merry Christmas! May God bless you with all the happiness and prosperity in life .

    Love
    Sabi SUnshine

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  11. Merry Christmas

    I found this on a blog and thought you would like it.

    http://youtu.be/fCNvZqpa-7Q

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    1. I'll go back to that when I'm not watching a movie with the kids.

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  12. E anche tu. Una stagione di pace! (You too. A season of peace)

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  13. Fish, pasta and tomato sauce all sound good to me.

    And peace for Christmas and in the New Year for you as well.

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  14. Beautiful! I wish us all peace and happiness in the coming year.

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  15. Blessed Christmas. Wishing you and yours, love, peace and joy.

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  16. So glad you have this time with your boys. Your dinner, as always, sounds delicious!!!

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  17. Calmy brights to all of you and great big fishies.

    XO
    WWW

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  18. I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas with your boys. x

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  19. I think 'making it up as you go along' is a fine tradition in Italian cuisine, isn't it? I tasted at least six completely different versions of ribollito in Tuscany one year!

    Seafood, however, would not go down well here, seeing as I'm allergic to fish.

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    1. That's true - it can be a somewhat free-form cuisine. I'm glad I'm not allergic since it's the only animal I eat.

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  20. Peace, indeed. Twenty-seven times over.

    So glad you got your boys and good food, all together.

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  21. I want to have Christmas at your place next year. All we had was turkey.

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