Christmas Traditions

Next year, this crew will expand again, with the addition of twins- Congratulations Jordan and Charu!

 When it comes to the Christmas season, there are not a lot of new recipes being developed in our households. Each of our homes swell to accommodate our 4 children, their spouses, friends and various other special guests. We look so forward to this time, that we try to make things as easy on ourselves as possible, by making those tried and true dishes that we know are favorites, and that feed the masses.

 A great example is the smoked salmon, that we prepare every Christmas Eve. This is a great dish to add to a menu, as it can be eaten as a main course, a side dish with breakfast on Christmas morning, or as an appetizer. We saved a bit for ourselves for our boxing Day dinner - we ate it in a healthy green salad, then escaped a household full of 20-somethings as they launched into their annual Boxing Day bash at our place.

Boxing Day starts with our traditional road hockey game. This year, Jackie was the only girl on the rink - what is that all about? Next year, we have to get a better turnout!
The Boxing Day party for the younger crowd usually involves a menu that includes everything in the refrigerator and more. We had marinated 5 pork tenderloins in a teriyaki style marinade, just to get them started.  Then we headed out to a movie and they kicked into high gear with their preparations.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

5 pork tenderloins

Marinade:

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp sirachi sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp ground ginger

 

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small mixing bowl.  Place  tenderloins in a glass dish or a resealable plastic bag.  Pour marinade ingredients over the pork, and cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH.  Clean with a wire brush, and brush or spray them with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. 

Meanwhile, remove tenderloins from the marinade, and pat dry with a paper towel.  Brush or spray very lightly with vegetable oil.  Reserve the marinade for brushing over the meat during the initial cooking stages.

Reduce barbecue temperature to MEDIUM, and place the pork on the grill on the diagonal.  Close the lid and cook for 8 minutes. 

Brush reserved marinade over the meat, then turn by 1/3, brush it again, and close the lid for another 7 minutes.  Brush the meat once more, turn by the final 1/3, close the lid and turn off the barbecue.  Let stand inside the grill for 6 minutes.  Remove to a carving board, cover with foil and a kitchen towel, and let stand another 5-10 minutes to reabsorb juices.  Carve into thick slices on the diagonal.

 Tara made a wonderful beet dish that everyone raved about. She roasted the beets, sauteed the stems and steamed the greens. This was served tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Sounds divine! We are going to try to duplicate the recipe this week.

A great time was had by all, but it looks like some practice needs to be done with the new camera!!!