Two More Holidays To Go!

I love this time of year...WITH A CAPITAL LOVE! Still left to go is my my brother's birthday on December 30th, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day! The menus aren't that extensive, but still I have some work left today! EEEKKKK!!!  I'M EXPLODING WITH EXCITEMENT OVER HERE! Ok...ok...ok...here's how the rest of the year breaks down:

Big Bro's Birthday

Oh wait...we're going out to dinner...so I think I'll serve as sou chef on a carrot cake with a coconut cream cheese icing. Link coming as soon as My Loaves of Love posts the recipe!

New Year's Eve 

I've haven't gotten my assignment yet. I might just show up with whatever I feel like making. Mini Quiche Johannes?  I'll think about something.

New Year's Day

Mom's Seafood Extravaganza has been a tradition for the last 21 years now...wow time flies! We've always been a garlic crab loving family, but a restaurant called Crab House use to sell it by the bucket at a reasonable price. So every year we'd build a New Year's celebration around my Mom's crab...DEE-LISH! Crab House is long gone, no one sells garlic crabs at a reasonable price, but the Seafood Extravaganza marches on!  Our table will be filled with the following DEE-LISH dishes:

1.  Baked Curry Coconut Shrimp - Now, I've got to slip the curry and cayenne pepper in without mom knowing or else she won't touch it. No matter how little I put in, the shrimp are too hot, but if I tell her none was put in, then they taste just perfect. I'm testing an orange marmalade sauce as a dipping sauce. We'll see if it gets to the table.

2.  Du Riz a JonJon a Pois France - Translated into English from Haitian Kreyol, this is mushroom rice with peas. Now, Pois France is not the same as peas but my mother says she's never seen it sold in America. Green peas is the closest thing to Pois France Mom has seen in the US. Recipe on the way...

3.  Stewed Snow Crab Legs - DEEEEEE-LISHHHH!!! Mom makes a sauce tomate that is to die for for these crabs. We can't find reasonable garlic crabs, so we get these instead. I'll have to beg Mom for the recipe and swear all of you to secrecy! :-D

4.  Oven Fried Fish - This is a relatively new addition to our menu but oh so DEE-LISH! This is a Rachel Ray / Mommy Foster rejooj! This breading and cooking technique is great for any type of flacky fish.  We're going to do fish sticks and nuggets soon. OH! I'm making a homemade tartar sauce to go along with this! YAY!!! :-)

5.  Potatoes au Gratin - Heavy Cream...Cheese...Potatoes...need we say more???? Recipe on the way...