This weekend in church our Pastor started out his message with “MERRY CHRISTMAS”. No one responded. He laughed. We laughed. And then he said, “it’s still Christmas everyone”. Did you know that Sunday January 5th was the last day of Christmas? You do now?.
Pastor ~ “Let’s try this again….“Merry Christmas!” This time all of us in rather loud voices said, “Merry Christmas”.
“Now that’s better“, he said. And then he went into his message, which was lovely by the way.
If you have never heard the story told in Luke 2:41-52, I encourage you to read it. After Pastor Brian read this story it really made me think about what Jesus was like as a young child. Verse 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
After church my husband said to me, I guess we undecorated too soon?. That depends I said…I have always taken Christmas down on New Years and I doubt that will change just becuase religiously it’s still Christmas. Except for what’s outside, our house inside doesn’t look much like Christmas. How about you? I wonder how many of you are still in the midst of Christmas. I for one am sooooo glad to get back to a regular routine.
This year our Christmas was very quiet, but it was just as special. My morning started out early with some friends at a special Christmas Eve Boot Camp class. My friend Sarah is so creative! It was a challenging workout, but we also had a blast as usual! The best part, a few us gathered at my house after to enjoy Christmas Coffee, Mimosas, and a delightful egg dish from Against all Grain.
The rest of the day I lounged, took a sauna, and then I got festive for Christmas Eve Candle Light Service. It’s truly one of my favorite services because the candle light portion includes one of my favorite Christmas Carols…. “Silent Night Holy Night”. So beautiful. Do you have a favorite Christmas song?
This Christmas Eve it was just my husband and I, my mom, and my younger brother who lives close by. I decided to make one of my favorite vegetarian pasta dishes.
After church we headed back home to prep dinner. My brother was working till at least 7, possibly 8 pm, so there was plenty of time to finish up dinner. My husband grilled a ring of sausage on his Green Egg while I finished up the pasta dish, salad, and cut fresh bread.
It was all very lovely. The 4 of us sat around my dining room table and simply chatted about how lively our Thanksgiving was compared to our Christmas Eve celebration. None of us were sad. Definitley the opposite. We all felt blessed to be together and my mom was ecstatic about her Christmas gift which pictured below…..A Photo book. Seeing her face as she glanced at her book over and over again was the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve.
I hope you enjoy this pasta as much as we did….it’s simple but very tasty. I love the toasted bread crumbs and of course the crispy veggies. I also added some left over roasted chickpeas?.
PASTA WITH SPICY BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER
INGREDIENTS:
- About 1 cup fresh, soft bread crumbs (about 2 oz) made from crustless, slightly stale, chewy white peasant-style bread (optional)
- About 1/2 cup mild-tasting olive oil
- About 12 oz broccoli, trimmed, with a few inches of stem intact
- About 12 oz cauliflower, leaves removed and stem end trimmed flush
- Salt
- 1 generous tablespoon capers, rinsed, pressed dry between towels, and slightly chopped
- 1 pound penne, spaghetti, orecchiette, fusilli, or medium shells
- 1 tbsp chopped salt-packed anchovy fillets (4 to 6 fillets) (I omitted these because my husband is not to fond of them)
- 3 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- About 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, lightly pounded in a mortar
- 4 to 8 pinches dried chili flakes
- 1 tbsp tightly packed, coarsely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 4 to 5 tbsp coarsely chopped pitted green or black olives
- Roasted Chickpeas (optional)
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 425. Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 tsp olive oil, spread on a baking sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes until golden. Keep on the stovetop until needed.
- Slice the broccoli and cauliflower about 1/8-inch thick, and generally lengthwise. Most of the slices will break apart as you produce them, yielding a pile of smooth stem pieces, tiny green broccoli buds, little cauliflower crumbs, and a few delicate slabs with stem and flower both.
- Warm about 1/4 cup of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add most of the sliced broccoli and cauliflower, but not the smallest bits (they’ll burn if you add them too soon). The oil should sizzle quietly. Swirl the pan, and leave the vegetables to cook until you see the edge bits browning, about 3 minutes. Salt very lightly and toss or stir and fold gently.
- Add a few more spoonfuls of oil and scrape the remaining bits of broccoli and cauliflower into the pan. Add the capers and swirl gently. Continue cooking over medium heat until the edges begin to brown, another few minutes, then give the pan another stir or toss. Don’t stir too soon or too often, or you will get a homogeneous, steamy pile of vegetables instead of a crispy, chewy one. Most of the capers and vegetable crumbs will shrink into crispy confetti-like bits.
- Meanwhile, drop the pasta into 6 quarts of rapidly boiling water seasoned with a scant 2 tablespoons of salt (a little more if using kosher salt). Stir, and cook al dente.
- Set a wide bowl or platter on the stovetop, or in the still-warm oven if you made breadcrumbs, to heat.
- Once the mass of broccoli and cauliflower has shrunken by about one third and is largely tender, reduce the heat, add another few spoonfuls of oil, and scatter the chopped anchovy, garlic, fennel, and chili over all. Give the vegetables a stir or toss to distribute. Cook for another few minutes, then add the parsley and olives and optional roasted chickpeas. I used chickpeas to boost the protein in this dish. Feel free to omit.
- Toss with the pasta and garnish with the bread crumbs.
Have you taken down Christmas decorations in or out yet?
What is your favorite Christmas Memory?
Do you have a candle light service at your church?
Do you have a traditional Christmas Eve Dinner or snacks or just whatever you feel like it like us?
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