Christmas 2011

Over winter break we meant to crank out a ton of blog posts.  Obviously, that's really been happening.

We're in Hawaii now bringing in the new year with family, but before we make our way too far into 2012, here's a short recap of our Christmas.

We had a small quiet Christmas in Vacaville this year. But even though our table wasn't full, our plates were loaded.

The lineup: Lamb, king crab, green salad, greek potatoes, persimmon pudding, and gingerbread men.

Persimmon Pudding (dessert first, right?)

This is a really simple recipe from an old tattered Sunset cookbook that our grandma gave to our Dad to take to college so he wouldn't starve.

Persimmon pudding

1 cup persimmon puree *we used 3 hachiyas

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 egg, beaten 

1/2 cup milk *we only had buttermilk, but this worked nicely

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 cup flour *we used whole wheat

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon *used 2 teaspoons just for funzies

dash of salt

1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 walnuts *or whatever nut ya feel like

Stir together the persimmon puree with one teaspoon of the baking soda. In a large bowl, combine egg, milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and butter. Stir together flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon of baking soda in another bowl. Add this to the egg mixture, alternating with the persimmon. Blend well after each addition. Then mix in the nuts and raisins.

Pour batter into a greased/floured 8x8 inch square pan. Bake in a 350 F degree oven for about 55 minutes or until browned. Cut into squares and serve with lemon sauce (see recipe below).

Lemon Sauce

half stick butter

1 cup sugar *used a little less

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

pinch of nutmeg, optional

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix butter, sugar, and flour in saucepan, gradually adding boiling water. Add lemon peel and nutmeg and boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Serve over persimmon pudding!

Greek Potatoes

This is a recipe our mom got from a family friend. The potatoes are roasted with a bunch of herbs, spices, and lemon so they're tangy and oh so good. I imagine they'd be extra yummy with a little feta or parmesan.

The card the recipe's on is a little worse for wear so I'm not going to try to copy it right now. Maybe we'll post it later.

Lamb! 

We've both decided it's our favorite red meat. We had a lamb steak that a local butcher gave my mom as well as several racks (in total, not apiece). Since I don't eat a lot of meat during the school year, this meal was that much more enjoyable. 

Now we're in a much warmer climate, but the food has just been getting better and better. Fresh fish, coconut, bananas right off the tree...

We'll update you soon enough!

Till then, cheers to the new year!