Christmas in Review

Hey there!

I am sorry for disappearing for like...a week.  I know that is terrible blogger etiquette and that some of you have probably already given up on my return, considering that a week of absence in internet-land in basically thirty years.  To those of you who are still around, thank you.  I will not apologize anymore, because I'm trying to get a head start on one of my resolutions - not apologizing for doing what I know is right.  And, after about four meltdowns in a matter of days, I knew taking a little break was right. 

As much as blogging is my life, there are other components of life that creep in and we suddenly find ourselves waking up at 5am to make breakfast for 22 strangers when we really just wanted to stay in our Christmas pajamas and cuddle with the Mr. Pedantic in our lives. 

But, enough of that. Let's talk about Christmas! 

I hope you got lots of socks.  Socks are basically my favorite gift.  Socks and glitter and lip balm. This year, I received all three.  Mr. Pedantic tucked a gift box of three EOS Lip Balms in my stocking and I swear I have not stopped smelling/using them.  Forget about the new Wusthof, or the gorgeous ruby ring, I'm just obsessed with my multiplicity of lip care options. 

After spending all of Christmas Eve day with Mr. Pedantic's family, we ventured over to my parent's home for the evening and spent the night in my "old" room, so we would not miss out on the joy and delight of racing my siblings out to the tree the following morning.  

Shiny paper was torn, tissue paper flew, and after an hour and a half of thrilling surprises and the happiest of tears, we were readying ourselves for church - all donning the same Christmas Day glow. When church was over and we were back by the tree once again, the family arrived.  

Over the past few days, the board games have been incessant, the laughter boisterous, and the joy overabundant.  My heart had felt nearly as tired as my body over the past few weeks, but family is a magical kind of tonic. 

There were so many precious, meaningful, story-book-worthy moments this season.  I watched Mr. Pedantic dance with our favorite 3-year-old as she hummed a simple tune that was more captivating than any the radio has offered.  We finally surprised my father - the most notorious of guessers - with his Christmas gift.  Mr. Pedantic read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to me on Christmas Eve, just before we closed our eyes.  

But, one of my very favorite moments came the day after Christmas, when my uncle sat down at the piano and freely played renditions of our favorite Christmas songs, which we would hum for him if he could not quite remember the tune.  He does not read music, not a note, but he can match any tune you can hum.  The familiar melodies flowed easily from his fingertips and I sat there on my parent's sofa, completely content and truly thankful for all that lay around me. 

It is always hard for me to let go of the holidays, and this year is no different.  However, I hope that with each Christmas that passes, my joy is learning to be planted less in the temporal, and more so in thankfulness. Thankfulness for the lasting treasures that I constantly see around me. Thankfulness for my family and my husband.  Those joys are not lost when the Christmas tree is packed away. 

Now, I know you want New Year's recipes so I'll be back soon!  xoxo

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

Winter Shrimp & Grits

We are but days away from Christmas.  

At this point, every young heart is fluttering and tiny hands are itching to begin tearing, untying, and discarding all of that lovely gilded paper we adults have so carefully secured. 

If I may, I would like to commandeer your Christmas Eve and insist that you make these shrimp and grits for you and your family this year.  Throw tradition to the winter wind for a moment and embrace the pinnacle of neoclassic southern flavor.

While shrimp and grits are not the most conventional of holiday foods, the flavors here are full of festive charm.  

Creamy grits, thick with gruyere and heavy cream are the bed for tender, garlic-kissed shrimp.

In my mind, this is the ideal pre-Christmas dinner.  Preparation time is at a minimum, and the flavors are rich and comforting - the perfect prefix to your long winter’s nap. 

My mama always made us the most wonderful Christmas breakfasts.  One in particular reigns in my mind, because that was the first year that she brought home a strange and unusual fruit.  She called it a pomegranate, and explained that we were only to eat the “seeds” of this exotic treasure trove.  

From the pink, leathery skin, flowed out hundreds of gem-like arils that we ate with vigor and enthusiasm.

Ever since that moment, that early, Christmas-morning moment, I have been a faithful lover of the otherworldly fruit and its singular texture and flavor.  It tops my morning yogurt, studs my salads, and this year, it is bringing an acidic punch and welcome crunch to shrimp and grits. 

I sometimes wonder if I would still love pistachios as much if not for their bright, chartreuse hue. 

These near-neon nuts combine with the sharp pomegranate arils to make a veritable Christmas wreath atop our shrimp and grits. 

You will not find any cinnamon, cloves, rosemary, or thyme here, but this dish is every kind of comforting.  

I made this dish last week, and as the shrimp were sizzling away on my stove I stood over the pot of grits with a very large spoon and ate them straight from the pot.  Gruyere has a way of making everything irresistible. Heavy cream doesn’t hurt one bit either. 

Come on, let’s get on this cheese-fueled bandwagon together. 

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

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Winter Shrimp & Grits

serves 4

for the shrimp

• 1 lb fresh shrimp (peeled and deveined) 
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1/3 cup white wine

In a large, nonstick frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes; until fragrant and just slightly browned. 

Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, until their color has started to develop, then add the wine.

Simmer for an additional 3-4 minutes, until their color is full and they are just firm to the touch. The edges of the shrimp should not wrinkle up - that is a sign of over-cooking!

Remove from heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter.  Allow to cool slightly while you prepare the grits. 

for the grits

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk 
• 1 cup yellow corn grits or polenta 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1 1/4 cups grated gruyere 
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup roasted, salted pistachios 
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils 

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and chicken broth and place over medium high heat.  Bring the mixture just to a boil then reduce heat to medium and add grits.  

Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a porridge consistency; about 2 minutes. 

Remove the grits from the heat and stir in butter and heavy whipping cream.  Fold in gruyere, salt, and pepper. 

Place a heavy spoonful of the hot grits into four bowls and top with the prepared shrimp.  Ladle any cooking liquid left from the shrimp over the bowl.  Sprinkle with pomegranate arils and pistachios.  Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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The New Home for the Holidays

Christmas is this week.  THIS WEEK!!  Where has December gone?

Just under one week until Christmas also means that yesterday was my birthday.  I celebrated properly - by eating all the doughnuts and cheesecake. 

Over the past month Mr. Pedantic and I have been trying to discover what Christmas looks like in our little family.  Thus far, we have spent many a cozy morning eating our breakfast beside the tree and our home has been filled with visitors - many old friends, and a few new.  We are trying to construct the traditions that will one day be cemented by age and nostalgia.  There is much to be appreciated about this new life we are living. 

Last Wednesday morning I raced up to the little backroom of our apartment office, where all the packages go, to dig through the miniature post office that humble closet has become.  I was searching intently for a very special and much-anticipated box.  

When I say much-anticipated, this moment had been a dream of mine for years.  I'm a lover of any and all things printed.  I have a minor stationery obsession, and Rifle Paper Co. inevitably winds up on every birthday/Christmas list I make.  So, it is likely less than shocking that I have fantasized for years about the first Christmas when I could finally order and mail out my very own Christmas cards.  

I tore that package open the moment I had hopped back into my car and squealed aloud.  I am so incredibly excited about these small cards - probably far more excited than any of their future recipients will be, but I've been waiting for this moment for a very loooong time.  I look forward to eight or ten Christmases down the road, when I can open up my then-full box that will be filled with samples of each year's holiday announcement.  

That is just one of the many traditions I have endeavored to create this year.  Several weekends ago, Mr. Pedantic and I had our first annual gingerbread spectacular.  We were quite pleased with ourselves by the time our candy-version of the Thames was poured, and the bridge supports for our edible Tower Bridge had been laid.  It is not perfect by any means, but we have a whole year to refine our piping skills before we approach next year's task of the Taj Mahal.

This is the third year I have done my holiday baking with Mr. Pedantic.  The first year, I dropped a Christmas tree cookie on the countertop and it shattered.  I then watched the man - my not-quite-official-boyfriend at the time, turn the largest shard into the most beautiful and ornately decorated cookie rocking horse I'd ever seen.  I was impressed - enchanted, really, by his skills with the piping bag.  Last year, being high on our recent engagement I was equally astonished as he decorated a village of miniature gingerbread houses. But this year, when he proceeded to take the piping bag out of my hands and suggest that I go to the kitchen while he decorated our edible landmark I was a bit short of enchanted.  It would seem that he is rather possessive when it comes to cookie-embellishment.  I forgave him this year, because I still happen to find a man with a piping bag intoxicatingly attractive, and because my own attempts were on the crude side when compared with his.  

This coming week, we are hosting our "big" Christmas dinner party.  I am attempting a Dickens'-inspired Christmas feast, with all the trimmings.  I am going to be making my favorite Twice-Cooked Potatoes, and will attempt to roast my first whole duck.  You just would not believe how hard it is to find geese around here...

If you have any whole-bird tips for me, please share them.  I am more than a little intimidated by the big bird that is currently resting in my kitchen sink.  I'll be sharing much of the process over on Instagram stories, so please follow along and remind me to breathe in and out.  I am also hosting a Christmas tea this afternoon, which means I have some serious grocery shopping to do.  Oh boy...

As we will be with Mr. Pedantic's side of the family all day Christmas Eve, and with mine for Christmas Day, we will be doing our own little "family" Christmas on the 23rd and I am SO excited!  We will open a few of our gifts, watch a festive movie, do some baking, and then venture out into the holiday bustle to pick out a Christmas book that will begin our collection.  I cannot wait. 

What are you doing for the holidays?  Tell me all the things!

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie