Christmas Past

I'm so sad that Christmas has passed!  On our car ride the day after Christmas it was sad. Christmas Music was no longer on the radio.  I know a lot of people find it annoying but I enjoyed it.  The bright side, the after Christmas sales.  Frank was such a trooper.  We went everywhere and even ran errands.  I got even more wrapping paper and some cute ornaments.

Now, back tracking to Christmas Eve, but aka Frank's Birthday.  I made Banana Pancakes for the occasion along with some Chicken Apple Sausage and Eggs. 

I love banana pancakes.  We first had them on a trip to Kauai at Tip Top Motel Cafe & Bakery.  They were the most delicious pancakes and after that trip I was on a quest to replica the recipe. Since then, I forgot all about them and here I am making it again.  The secret is to put banana slices in the pancake as you are cooking it.  It caramelizes a little and gives it a slight crisp, yet fluffy pancake.

I don't have a go to recipe yet, but I adapted one from allrecipes.  I just mashed one banana and used the 2 other bananas for the slices and toppings. These pancakes are 1/4 cup in size.  In the future, I want the pancakes to feel softer on my tongue so I will have to experiment with some batches.  Overall, pretty fluffy and tasty.  Also cook on medium-low heat to prevent burning.  

This year, I made Frank mini Cheesecakes.  I topped them with some berries and such. 

We had a pretty quiet celebration.  Tomorrow, we are going to dinner for his birthday.  I am excited!  We are having sushi!  And it is so close to our house.  That is the best because we can just walk there. 

For Christmas we had some friends over.  It was nice having a meal with friends.  I made some Turkey Meatballs for appetizers.  I am really liking using ground turkey these days.  It is also healthier than ground beef or pork.  I had some leftovers today and it was even more delicious. YUM!  I also started using ground turkey for my chili recipe.  

A new side dish that I added was Japchae (Chapchae).  Usually at my family gathering there would be a noodle dish.  I thought my guest might enjoy this so I made it.  That's also my lunch for tomorrow.  YUM!

This was our Christmas spread.  Japchae, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Roast Chicken, Green Beans, Roasted Carrots and Onions, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Bulgogi and Cranberry Sauce.  Frank absolutely loves it because of all the leftovers.  It makes him so happy.

For dessert we had apple pie.  It's going to be a while before I make this again. Now that the Holidays are coming to an end.  We have two more slices left.  In the past four months, I've made this 4 times.  And we are always so sad when we finish it.