Christmas Dinner with the Kids, December 28, 2014

Jeannene's dad, Travis, was a lover of all things red meat and a wonderful cook. He always made some kind of fabulous beef dish for Christmas dinner: beef Wellington, filet mignon, prime rib. I always defer to Jeannene on Christmas dinner for the family and she chooses one of her dad's favorites to prepare. I supplement with whatever I feel I can add to what she's making. We very often have baked potatoes on the side, but this year, she switched it up and delighted us all. It's not that I don't love baked potatoes, but it was fun to have something different. For our Christmas Sunday dinner with the kids tonight, once they'd gotten back from visiting Bubbles' family in Cleveland, Jeannene picked up a gorgeous prime rib roast at Nino Salvaggio's grocery in Troy and rubbed it with salt and pepper, allowing it to stand for a couple of hours with its rub before roasting it medium-rare.

On the side, she fried up a variety of handmade pierogies with butter and onions. We got the pierogies at Nino Salvaggio's, as well. We had cheddar, sauerkraut, and mushroom varieties. I liked the kraut the best, while the kids really dug the mushroom version and Jeannene liked the cheddar. For our vegetable, Jeannene steamed some broccoli and served it with hollandaise sauce.

I usually make my Tuscan kale salad for festive occasions in our house, but I was in the mood to try something different. The salad I came up with was a delicious show-stopper. I would cheerfully serve it at a fancy dinner party, but I would also sit on the couch in my pajamas, with a bowl of it for breakfast.

Fennel, Apple, and Orange Salad

2 bulbs fennel, cut into thin demi-lunes (you don't need the stalks)

2 oranges, peeled & diced

2 small Granny Smith apples, diced (peels on)

1 small Pink Lady apple, diced (peel on)

1/3 c. excellent quality extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt & pepper

7 Medjool dates, roughly chopped

Toss fennel, oranges, & apples together. Chill. Whisk oil, lemon juice, salt, & pepper together until thickened. Toss with salad. Serve with dates for garnish. I don't advise adding the dates to the salad, but to individual portions, as the dates can get unpleasantly gooey if there are leftovers. Serves 6-8.