As I downloaded my Christmas photos, I realized that all I took pictures of was what we ate. We had Skype on most of the day with various family members out east, so I just didn't take many pictures of the kids, and most of the ones I did take came out blurry.
We got home the afternoon of Christmas Eve, so I wasn't sure I would have the energy to undertake our now-traditional "Paella Navideña", or Christmas Paella, as we call it. But after putting Belalu to bed at 6, I rallied and did throw one together. I still have some tweaking to do (mastering the paella is a tricky skill to acquire, especially for a gringa who didn't grow up eating them), but it was my best one yet.
Christmas morning E and J slept in until almost 10 (!) due to travel fatigue, so I had time to make some blueberry muffins, a tradition my mom started when my sis and I were kids.
The rest of the day we just snacked on veggies and dip, muffins, and nuts. Then went to our neighbor's house for dinner- I brought cranberry sauce, cardamom bread, and a bottle of coquito, Puerto Rico's version of egg nog.
The recipe I made filled the three bottles. We've kept the other two in the fridge and have a bit in the evenings- it's coconut-y, creamy, and cinnamon-y with a wallop of rum that can put me right to sleep. It's definitely a new tradition I'll keep up. To have it in the fridge just feels festive. We had some friends stop by unexpectedly last night, and it was great to be able to offer them a glass as we chatted.
Santa brought Belalu a Radio Flyer Tiny Trike. Her PT had suggested we get her a riding toy, and E never had one, so we hoped this would be small enough for her legs, and she can indeed push herself along on her tip toes. I already thought she was mobile enough- now on wheels, there's no stopping this girl (well, until she gets to a wall and needs help backing up ;)
Both Easter and Spring were welcomed warmly in our house. Something reminded me that I had received a bundt cake pan for Christmas two years ago, and had never used it! So, I took it out and found that it came with a recipe for Lady Bird Johnon's Lemon cake. The lemons seemed spring-y to me, perhaps it was the yellow, and I was soooo glad I made it. Correction, E and I made it. He is my baking partner; he was the one who cracked all ten (!) eggs, dividing the whites and the yolks- the recipe only called for yolks. The cake is so moist and delicious on it's own, it really doesn't need a topping, but I had a ton of blueberries in the freezer, so I made a blueberry sauce to top it with, which wasn't a bad idea at all. I immediately decided that I had found a new spring tradition. This combo will help us welcome in the new season, though I have a feeling we'll be seeing it again sooner rather than later.
