Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday, full of great times with family and plenty of gifts, drinks and good food. Per our family traditions, we celebrate Christmas Eve. Back in the D.R., they celebrate Christmas Eve and open presents on January 6th, also known as Epiphany or Three Kings Day. Here in the U.S, we do our gift opening on the 24th instead of the 25th. It’s always been that way since I was a kid, and it’s how it’s always going to be. Of course, as an adult, the amount of gifts dwindle to almost nothing. Unless you’re lucky, then things never really change.
Since I’m now an adult (depends on the day and who you ask, to be honest), the most important thing about Christmas Eve is the food. Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinners are basically interchangeable in my house. The only thing that is a major change is the main protein.
On this year’s menu:
- Pernil: Roasted pork shoulder. I look forward to this amazingness every year. It’s tender and juicy and just absolutely delicious. Don’t be fooled by it’s appearance!
- Moro de gandules
- Pastelón
- Dinner rolls: these are my standby recipe (again). I did half AP and half whole wheat flour. I also doubled the recipe. Remind me not to do that again by hand.
- Potato Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Green Salad
- Fruit Salad (not pictured): a giant can of fruit cocktail, mixed with blended sweetened condensed milk and plain Greek yogurt. My Mami also threw in a shot of brandy, for good measure.
- Piña Colada (not pictured)
- Random fruit bowl: grapes and apples, given to us by the folks at our local grocery store. They also threw in a bottle of cider. This is another one of those traditions, where they give loyal patrons a bag of this stuff for Christmas and again on New Year’s Eve.
The last thing on the table is the Bahamian Rum Cake. Purposely left for last because OMG it is amazing! I saw this recipe in David Lebovitz’s book Ready for Dessert. I knew I had to make it because it has all of the components my folks like; cake, coconut, and rum! It was so good! Words cannot express how delicious this cake is. I almost want to dedicate a post to it but a few pictures should suffice 😉
Our Christmas Eve meal was spectacular, as always. The holidays this year brought a weird feeling but I’m just going to take it as a sign that next year will be better. I hope you guys have a fabulous Christmas, and that you continue to enjoy the rest of the holidays; straight up into next year!
Note: for detailed descriptions of the menu, please check out my Thanksgiving post.
