Tuesday, December 26, 2006

"¡Michoacán, Te Alabamos!"

Just a little word play there, folks. I recently learned that the Spanish word, alabamos, meaning "we praise" or "we laud" is a conjugation of the verb "alabar". What could be more appropriate than this word to start off a description of Christmas Dinner with our Alabaman friends and neighbors, Geni and Larry?

The dinner was cooked in both of our houses. Larry and Geni did a great job of serving the meal in their 12 ftx 12 ft dining room. Below, our menu.
Tequila, salt and limes.
Cream Cheese stuffed Celery Stix w walnuts.
Hommous a la Michoacana with Marinated Arabic olives, Fiibran Crackers (like onion matzoh).
Carrot Ginger Soup, with cilantro, carrot, crystallized ginger and lime zest gremolata, creme fraiche. (****)
Angel Biscuits, Potato Rolls.
Roast Chicken (bought), Apricot Ginger Chipotle Chutney.
Spanish style Oven Roasted Potatoes.
Giblet and egg gravy.
Cornbread Dressing.
Creamed Baby Onions.
Fresh Green Beans Amandine

Fresh fruit Dessert of oranges, bananas, pineapple, coconut, cut up. Optional Raisin Walnut Ruggelach and Panettone. (None eaten tonight, as yet.)
Concha y Toro Selecta Merlot Cabernet blend with the meal.

(I don't know how we got so full so quickly!)

After dinner, we sat outside in the last warm rays of afternoon sunshine. Doña Chucha came to the gate to invite us to a family dinner on Wednesday, in honor of a christening of a neice or granddaughter. We had already made plans to go to a fiesta at El Jaguey, about 3 miles from here, so we had to decline. But Larry and Geni will represent us there. (It just might be possible to do both.)

The evening concluded by watching the film, "Big Fish", with Albert Finney, thanks to computer technology, a projector, a conveniently white wall, and Larry's technical prowess.

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