The Advisor Advises

Aside from being the night that Christians the world over recognize and celebrate the birth of the Saviour of mankind, even though we know that it probably occurred in June, for me December 24th has always been a night for two things: presents & high quality snacks.
After we arrived home from a packed Christmas Eve service at church, which was typically overcrowded with people that I'm certain will not be there tomorrow morning for the less popular Christmas Day service...I guess most people figure they've done their good deed by going once this year; we started to break out the food. It took a while to get everything set-up, and we probably could have been a little more organized, but from the moment the first Mushroom Turnover hit my lips, I knew it was going to be a tasty evening. We had some freshly baked Parisian Bread (the bake @ home version from Superstore) whole wheat Ritz crackers and Triscuits, with plenty of topping options: Cognac Pate, Antipasto, Maple Pecan Crusted Camembert (!) and Holiday Camembert (with pesto and sundried tomatoes). There were the previously mentioned (and very traditional with the in-laws) mushroom turnovers, and their newly introduced cousins, the stuffed mushroom caps. The Jalepeno Poppers and Taco Dip were hardly touched, likely due to the shear quantity of choices. Bacon wrapped scallops and a shrimp tray respresented the seafood section, while gherkins, baby dills and a sweet mix represented the obligatory pickle section. A few latecomers, egg rolls and spring rolls, didn't arrive as early as the rest, but were enjoyed none the less... For beverages, we partook of the usual pop selection and some warm Cranberry Apple Spiced Cider. The tastes of Christmas are definitely on the top of my list when it comes to enjoying a winter holiday...tomorrow: Oven Baked French Toast for brunch, and maybe for supper we'll see how the Taco Dip is holding up!