The Annual Christmas Eve Dinner

Merry Christmas!!

Apologies for the lack of updates; I've been a busy bee.
Just because I haven't been blogging does not mean I haven't been eating or cooking; quite far from the truth actually!
I must admit I am finding it "embarrassing" whenever I whip out my camera before eating, for people just think I'm nuts.
Then I explain, "It's for my food blog" and first timers ask, "Really? You have a food blog??", as if I were just making that up as an excuse to take photos... Sheesh. But usually people think it's cool and let me click away. You know who's your true friend when they automatically wait before digging in so I can snap a shot of their food, or when they ask if I'm going to take one when I just want to dig into my burger. And you know they're your best friend when they start sending you photos of food they have eaten.

But its Christmas and sure it's about spending time with your family, but it's also really a time to wonder why you ate so much. I'm still full from last night. Every Christmas Eve, my Aunt Kathy prepares a traditional Italian seafood dinner for my uncle and luckily my mom and I get to partake. Kristina, my cousin, of course is there too and this year we had a special guest, Sean, her new boyfriend. He agreed to an eating contest in the future, so stay tuned.

Without further ado, feast your eyes on this... feast. Note, I didn't take pictures of all the dishes, but I think you'll get the idea.


tuna salad & aunt kathy's calamari


Kris and Sean's brussel sprouts and Aunt Kathy's coconut shrimp with an apricot and horseradish dipping sauce


my mom's stuffed mushrooms


Kris' Belgian Chocolate Cake


my pineapple coconut cake which I will post a recipe to another day

Afterwards, my mom and I went over to Daniel and Willy's Christmas Eve dinner and while we didn't eat a second meal (Lord knows I wish I had room to though!), we couldn't help but ooh and ahh over the desserts.




Happy holidays!

Stay warm,
N

Doughnut Plant

Everything you knew about doughnuts before this post was a lie, unless of course, you have had a delectable yeast doughnut from the Doughnut Plant. I know there are some pretty loyal Krispy Kreme fans out there, or dare I say, Dunkin Donuts, but these little beauts are just about the best and worst thing you could down with a cup of joe or tea. I haven't looked at the nutritional facts, and I want to keep it that way.
It all started on one Halloween day, 2008, when 2 large white boxes of doughnuts were brought into the office by Tim, a very generous coworker who would change my life forever.




The wonderful thing about the coconut creme is that the filling isn't very sweet at all. In fact it's very light and very reminiscent of the filling in a Beard Papa cream puff. The con to this donut is that it is nearly impossible to eat one on the street without making a huge mess. I tried to rip off a piece but they are so tender and chewy and glaze got all over my hands and face. I'm sure I looked pretty ridiculous (and maybe homeless) carrying around my huge backpacker backpack, balancing a totebag all while scoffing down a donut.

I really don't want to overhype these because I would feel awful if you trekked in the deep dark depths of the lower east side/chinatown for nothing. I actually walked about 15 minutes from the Canal St Station (The Essex/Delancey is closer) to get them for a bus ride up to New Paltz last Thursday. However, I am confident that you will find at least one doughnut here to your liking. I personally like the coconut creme and jelly-filled square (both pictured). Also, the plain glazed (Stephen's doughnut of choice) is just as satisfying.

One will run you about $2.75- trust me, it's worth every bite.