Christmas Eve is by far my favorite meal of the year. For as long as I can remember, we have pretty much eaten mostly the same few dishes (all seafood) every single Christmas Eve and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a feast I tell you.

I didn’t really ‘know’ this until I was older, but apparently, our Christmas Eve feast is called Feast of the 7 Fishes. For all I knew, growing up, it was just what we did, what we ate on Christmas Eve…I didn’t realize it was such a cultural thing until later on. What I love, especially in food blogging world, is seeing other people celebrating Christmas Eve the same way…similar food, similar traditions. It’s pretty cool.

These pictures on this post were taken a few years back, I can’t believe I am just now blogging about it now. I am shocked it took this long…and that my kids looked like this that year…my babies!!

Sammy was huge into Transformers this year…

Gosh, I just love the belly on that baby girl…

And my sweet grandparents…one of my favorite pictures of them.

Amore!!

And of course the food…

Here we have simple shrimp cooked in lemon and wine …

 Fish Oreganata (this was my contribution a couple years back)

Steamed Mussels with wine and tomatoes (similar to Paula’s recipe here)

Chilled Seafood Salad… (similar to Gina’s Chilled Calamari Salad here)

All seafood…a total feast I tell you.

My absolute favorite is the spaghetti….and the bacala (salted cod fish). I’m going to tell you how we make our spaghetti with breadcrumbs, but I’m going to have to get back to you on the bacala because I need to actually write it down this year while my Nonno is putting it together. It’s basically a stew type dish, baked in the oven…salted cod (rinsed many times), tomatoes, celery, onions, potatoes and olives…baked until bubbly and cooked through. Oh so good with crusty Italian bread sopping up the juices. My mouth is watering thinking of it.

Before going in the oven…

And this spaghetti. We call it Pasta e Muddica. I love saying it and my Nonna always has to correct me because I kinda goof it up sometimes. I love this spaghetti and have NO idea why I don’t make it ever on my own. Why do I eat something I love so much only one night a year? I don’t understand…

The recipe is one of those ‘recipes’ that you just follow lightly, there are no measurements, the ingredients are super simple and just perfect in my opinion.

Sicilian Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs (Pasta e Muddica)

1lb spaghetti
2 – 2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (homemade would be best for this recipe, but store bought are definitely okay)
1 tin anchovies, coarsely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
Parmesan cheese
red hot pepper flakes (optional)

Cook your spaghetti according to directions, preferably al dente. When cooked, drain and place in large serving bowl, or back in pot. Drizzle a good amount of oil over spaghetti to prevent from sticking.

You will serve your spaghetti in bowls, with additional olive oil and topped with breadcrumb mixture (that can be made ahead of time or while spaghetti is cooking).

To make breadcrumb mixture:

Heat a dry pan over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs to hot pan and toast up breadcrumbs till golden brown, careful not to burn.
In a small saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add chopped anchovies and garlic. Saute anchovies and garlic for a couple of minutes until anchovies start to melt into the oil and garlic starts to become fragrant. At this time add your breadcrumbs to the anchovies and garlic, with an additional couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Stir together till it becomes crumbly.

Serve your pasta hot into bowls, drizzled with a little olive oil and your breadcrumb topping. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese (and red hot pepper flakes if you desire).

Buon appetito!

I shared a few more recipes that I found around the web on Family Kitchen this week in a post about our Italian Christmas Eve Tradition and the Feast of the 7 Fishes…check it out here.

Also on Family Kitchen, a few great roundups if you are still need recipes and ideas for your holiday entertaining:

10 Goat Cheese Appetizers

8 Festive Latke Recipes

Grown Up Jello Shots for your Holiday Parties

12 Puff Pastry Appetizers for Holiday Entertaining

Here’s a little tidbit about me. Turkey is not my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Neither is the ham. For me, what gets me excited on Thanksgiving is all the side dishes. The stuffing, veggies, the potatoes, the casseroles, the breads, the cranberry sauce…that’s what my plate is full of. No disrespect to the turkey, of course, he did give up a lot to be part of Thanksgiving, but to me the sides are where it’s at.

This year we are celebrating the holiday with my husband’s family at my sister-in-law’s house…all 26 of us (and there are some family members not able to make it still!). There will be lots of cousins playing, sisters in the kitchen cooking, our spouses being bossed around and great grandparents watching it all. How blessed are we!! My sister-in-law Maxine lives on plenty of beautiful land so the space and scenery is perfect for it all.

I hope everyone takes a moment this year to count their blessings, whatever they may be. Mine are abundant…I have a great family and extended family that I can always count on, a husband who encourages me and brings me coffee in bed every morning and 2 happy kids that make me who I am. This year has had its challenges and adjustments and while I try to take everything in stride (I don’t always), I’ve learned a lot about life and myself and am thankful for every single life lesson that comes my way. This year has been a year for friendships too, my life is more full than ever because of a few special people that have been put in my life and I am ever so grateful for that. My biggest life lesson that I learned this year is to always strive to be the best version of yourself, in whatever situation you are in. You own your words, your actions, your feelings…be confident in who you are and never doubt yourself…and don’t be afraid to grow.

God Bless everyone who reads my words here and encourages me along the way…I love what I do and am ever so grateful for the opportunities this little blog has brought me this year. This blog has made my world a smaller place, and boy is that a blessing in itself.

In case you’re wondering…I’m bringing this yummy cranberry sauce to Thanksgiving this year, along with some of these Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds, Roasted Carrots and of course my Nonna’s Italian Stuffing. Like I said…the sides are where it’s at!!!

Apple-Cranberry-Tangerine Sauce
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

2 cups fresh squeezed tangerine juice
1 1/4 cups sugar (plus 1/4 cup more if needed, adjust to your taste of sweetness)
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
2 12 oz bags fresh unsweetened cranberries, rinsed
zest from 2 tangerines
2 Jonagold or Gala apples, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons corn starch

In a medium saucepan, bring juice, sugar and cinnamon stick up to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add cranberries, zest and apples to juice and gently stir. Bring to a slow boil and then simmer for about 15-20 minutes until cranberries are broken.

In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch into a ‘slurry’ and stir into cranberry sauce. Take sauce off heat and let cool.

Makes appx 7 cups (which is a lot so be sure to freeze some!)

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Have the happiest of Thanksgivings… and its totally okay to wear yoga pants!

xoxo

Over the last few years, I have found myself making more and more food gifts for my family and friends for the holidays. Cookies and other sweets are usually a given but I like to get a little creative and try something different…like this homemade bbq rub and peach barbecue sauce I gave the men in my family last year.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on any homemade holiday gifts you may have made over the years. This year I would love to make a hot sauce and bottle it up for gifts so if you have a recipe please share it with me!

I started a Homemade Foodie Gift series over at Family Kitchen where I’ll be sharing ideas for homemade gifts for the upcoming holidays. I’ll be posting a couple ideas a week for the next few weeks and have already shared this great Pumpkin Pie Spice and Cinnamon Honey Butter, if you missed those be sure to go check them out!

Have a great weekend!