Feast of the Seven Fishes

A couple Christmases ago my mom and I decided to do Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve (being that my father is 50% Italian) and the tradition has stuck. The first time, we actually attempted to make 7 different fish dishes, which had us eating until midnight. We don't necessarily keep the menu Italian and actually started this years feast with crab meat tostadas. As our main dish we made a decedent seafood gratin, adapted from Ina Garten.

W hat is the Feast of the Seven Fishes? According to Mario Batali, "It's what Italians do when they say they're fasting." More precisely, the Feast is a meal served in Italian households on La Vigilia (Christmas Eve). In many parts of Italy, the night is traditionally a partial fast, during which no meat should be served. But in true Italian style, this proscription has morphed into something very unfastlike indeed: course after course of luxurious seafood dishes, often as many as 7, 10, or even 13. "No one's quite sure of the significance of the number," says Batali. "Some families do seven for the sacraments. Some do ten for the stations of the cross. And some even do 13 for the 12 apostles plus Jesus."

Hearty Winter Beef Stew with CHEESY Polenta

This is my first winter in New York and it has been a tough adjustment from the mild winters in Texas. I find beef stew (aka beouf bourguignon if you want to get fancy) the most comforting dish, not only to eat, but to make. The aroma that will fills your house as you brown the bacon with the aromatics, then slowly braise the meat in the oven is heavenly. I didn't really follow much of a recipe and added my favorite herbs and vegetables. It almost makes me forget that it is 10 degrees outside. I decided to serve the stew over creamy cheesy polenta, which were just as good as cheese grits I get back home. I will be making this dish again soon.

Thanksgiving Feast

Every year we have our good friends the Lionburgers over for Thanksgiving. Because we each have our own family traditions, this means double the food. We had 2 kinds of stuffing (or dressing). Ours is a sausage and apricot with big chunks of crusty croutons that absorb our delicious brown gravy. Theirs a traditional southern style oyster dressing. 3 kinds of cranberry sauce (one was the canned stuff, my brother insists). 2 types of sweet potatoes, one with pecans one with marshmallows. Green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts OH and of course 2 kinds of Turkey, roasted and fried. I'm not sure how but we all managed to save room for dessert... Apple pie, pumpkin banana mousse and of course, traditional pumpkin pie. I think we should have received some sort of medal.