Sunday, December 23, 2018

Caution - Dairy Ahead!


While everyone else is featuring holly and puppies on their blogs, I should probably jump into the spirit of things.

           This year’s Christmas Eve meal has evolved somehow into an homage to dairy. I hadn’t realized it until I really got going, but anyone remotely lactose intolerant had better remember their meds.

          Comings and goings this Christmas Eve could be tricky, so it seemed like a good idea to offer some entrees that could handle the whims of different schedules, except I probably should have looked for a greater range of ingredients.

 Thus, Eggplant Parmigiana for the vegetarians in the family from the Moosewood cookbook : ricotta and mozzarella.

Lobster Mac and Cheese : cheddar, fontina, and Parmesan – multiple cups of each, plus milk and half and half for the sauce. At least I left out the goat cheese the recipe called for.

We’ll begin with snacks of healthy things like broccoli, cauliflower, but cancel all that goodness out with the dip, accompanied by cheese and crackers.

Yes, a big salad, but dessert is where things get ridiculous.

For ever and ever my mother-in-law made what the family called an ice box cake, and now I’m required to make it every year even though personally I’d rather have something else.  It’s so easy to make that you could assemble it right after having just had a frontal lobotomy.

It has two ingredients : Nabisco chocolate wafers and real whipped cream beaten with sugar and vanilla.

As I explained it to the nice check-out girl at the grocery store,
in the morning you take a cookie, slap on some whipped cream, add another cookie, slap on more whipped cream, and keep going until you use up all the cookies. Ice with – you guessed it – more whipped cream, creating a snake-like log of cholesterol. 

Pop it in the fridge and it will soften all day into an absurdly rich mousse-like heart-stopping confection.


Save yourselves and have a nice fruit bowl. It’s too late for us.

 

And Merry Christmas!


10 comments:

  1. You made me smile with your description of the dessert. Any chance you could introduce a second kind of dessert, whilst still keeping up the beloved tradition? -Jenn

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have spent the day making a HUGE bowl of fruit salad (over a dozen types of fruit) which is my Christmas Tradition. I am not going to let my partner see your post because I am pretty certain he would much prefer the Icebox Cake.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I've HAD one of those icebox cakes without realizing what it was! LOL

    Have a great holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the whole idea of the Icebox cake, but I'm also glad it's not within reach. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for writing a delightful post. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a feast you folk have on the Eve!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I want me one of those Cakes. Yes. Christmas be damned, and I know my husband wouldn't be interested (more for me, he he he)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my heart, my heart. Sounds easy and delicious but oh my the cholesterol. Ha ha, think I'd better stay with the fruit bowl.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I remember my mother making that cream and chocolate biscuits cake, regular for the kids and alcohol flavoured cream for the grown ups.

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh! my mom used to make that. I didn't think they still sold those chocolate wafers. I haven't seen them in ages. we always had angel food cake for dessert for christmas dinner. no one liked it but we had it every year anyway cause...tradition. I don't know why or when that became the dessert.

    ReplyDelete
  10. My mother in law used to make what was called "ambrosia" (her husband, who had the taste buds of a wart hog, loved it) which consisted of Jello, teeny marshmallows, fruit cocktail, whipped cream, coconut, pineapple, and cherries. It was one of those Xmas treats that you had to eat, because, as she put it, there's just too much to throw away...

    I agree, angel food cake is boring. No one ever frosts it (not even my mother, and she frosted EVERYTHING), I have no idea why.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and I'd love to hear what you think.