Quaint Christmas

This was a very unique year for holidays. Yes it was Cristian and my first married Christmas but we also have been working beyond maximum speed, especially him. I have spent a lot of time on my own these days, lots of nights at home cooking for one. Last Saturday my brother, Aronn, agreed to come visit us for the holiday since Cristian wanted to spend our first married Christmas together and he didn't have enough time off to travel. I haven't cooked much for my brother so when he arrived I made stuffed chicken rolls with jalapeno and cheese with a breadcrumb crust and cheesy rice. Our Christmas Eve we took my brother in law, Alex, bowling for the first time in his life. I never thought a 15 year old could lack so many experiences but we were happy to take him. We finished off with PinkBerry (Alex's favorite). Upon coming home we finished decorating the in-laws' Christmas tree. That night we had Christmas at the in-laws. Typical fare was served, four types of meats, mashed potatoes and salad. I had made brownies, which Aronn and I had for breakfast, that was also our dessert. :) We had a few presents and spent some quality time.

Christmas Day was the really interesting twist. Cristian's parents decided to go to Big Bear even though we couldn't join them. We decided we'd have a small celebration of three and decided to invite Nina, our neighbor, over as well. I made the appetizers including guacamole and my own recipe for tex-mex wontons. They were a hit. Cristian grilled flank steak and ingredients for salsa. He blended together the vegetables for a roasted salsa. To accompany the steak he also made chipotle sour cream from scratch. It was delicious. To finish it off we had Caribbean rum punch, an ode to our honeymoon. We played card games and Wii bowling the rest of the night.

As New Years approaches it looks like it'll just be the two of us cooking in the kitchen. A great way to end one amazing year and start a new one!

Happy Holidays!

Best wishes from the Darabans!

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