Holiday Update!

I hope you have been having a wonderful holiday! We have been feasting and resting after the crazy Christmas rush that always happens no matter how hard you plan.

Gift Shopping Odyssey

Reg and I struggled when we tried to buy gifts for each other. We knew we were going to have to keep it modest but when we went to the mall, our hearts sank. Everything was so generic and boring and not us at all. When I came across the SPCA donation booth and saw this beautiful St. Benard, that is where I found the magic of the season. I gave a donation to the stars on their tree in memory of my mom. We left the mall with no gifts for each other.

We decided to brave the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market on the Saturday before Christmas. I absolutely hate crowds but we wanted to support local artists and crafts people. We had a second to say hi to Shelagh so that was a gift in itself!

We love the market but still, could not find a gift for each other there. We decided that maybe just filling a stocking would be a good idea.

We walked down the boardwalk on an unusually warm winter day passed The Bicycle Thief. It seems pigs can fly so maybe we could find something we would like at the local comic book store Strange Adventures.

Aha! Reg found a Conan book and they had the Afterlife with Archie comics I had been dreaming about! Old school comic book horror tales. Perfect!

Of course we also had to get treats! We went to our local candy store to stock up at SugaRush.

Just shopping there cheered us up. Oh the sweet smells of childhood indulgence. It is a beautiful thing.

Christmas Eve

In honour of my mom, I made a crockpot roast beef dinner on Christmas Eve which is when we used to celebrate with her.

My Rich Dinner Rolls with Thyme came out perfectly! I used them later to make roast beef and turkey sandwiches. So good!

Homemade gravy, Reg’s favourite canned peas (shudder), whipped mashed potatoes and even Yorkshire Pudding, we ate like royalty on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day I started with a big laugh when I opened this gift from my sister Jamie, Wookiee Cookies: A Star Wars Cookbook. OMG! I love it when geek crosses with my foodie world!!!

What a treat to open my stocking and find Tootsie Rolls, Grape Pop Shoppe Pop, ketchup chips, barbecue flavoured sunflower seeds and Whatchamacallit, a treat I have not had since I was 13!

I know, this looks weird and awful but! I finally found a recipe for the moistest turkey breast in the whole wide world. The key? Mayo! Yes, mayo. You do have to forgo the eating of the skin which we always do anyway. If you use this method, make sure to heat the chicken broth and butter together. Just take my word for it.

I made this on Christmas Day. The trick was the timing. Most methods for roasting assume you are cooking a whole turkey which will not apply for a bone-in skin-on turkey breast. I cooked mine at 325 for around 80-90 minutes. It was perfect. The best turkey meat I have ever had. Now I know why people love this during the holidays. Delicious!

2014

I am slowly getting back to normal life. I am going to be making quite a few changes to my blog in 2014. A lot of decisions are coming from the realm of necessity but some are out of a strong personal desire to learn. I am going to turn to all my amazing cookbooks for inspiration and go on an educational foodie odyssey. I hope you join me!

Make sure to come by my blog tomorrow! I am going to be sharing the best foodie products of 2013 and giving out a raspberry to the worst product of the year too.