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Health & Fitness

Christmas Cheer!

With less than two weeks before the man in the red suit makes his appearance, his elves are busy fulfilling all those lists.

With less than two weeks before the man in the red suit makes his appearance, his elves are busy fulfilling all those lists.

Between the planning, shopping, wrapping, writing, stamping and mailing we have forgotten about Christmas! 

This is the time of year when we come together to celebrate families. You might already be feeling overwhelmed and stressed but I have a few ideas to help you through the madness.

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First and most important tip, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! You will not have enough time to get it all done last minute. Make lists, keep yourself organized. Keep track of everyone you need to shop for and any ideas you might have for them. As you purchase the gifts, wrap them that day, stick the gift receipt on and then check them off your list. Your pile of gifts left to wrap should be very small by Dec. 22!

If you are hosting Christmas, try to keep your menu simple and elegant. When friends and family offer to help, accept it. Have everyone prepare one dish they are great at. If you are not a baker ask for desserts, if you are not a cook ask for sides and only prepare the main meat. With your menu planned out, you can start shopping this week. The supermarkets already have many food items and baking items on sale for the holidays. Do not forget to purchase your wine, beer and sodas now as well.

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Prepare some of your dishes in advance and freeze them. To avoid frostbite and preserve freshness, cool your dish to room temp, cover with aluminum foil and cling wrap then freeze. Defrost the dish overnight in the refrigerator then place uncovered in hot oven. This method works great for potatoes, soups, appetizers, vegetables and will hold for several weeks frozen.

For many families on Christmas Eve it is tradition to prepare many seafood dishes. This could be very time consuming and we all know time is a luxury we do not have this time of year. I recommend preparing a Paella, which is a traditional Spanish seafood dish. It is based with rice and can be made with lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams - the combination is endless. Here is a simple and authentic recipe:

Traditional Spanish Paella 

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste or finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt
  • 1 teaspoon pimentón dulce (or sweet paprika)
  • A good pinch of saffron threads
  • 4 cleaned small squid, bodies sliced into 1/4-inch-wide rings, tentacles left whole
  • 2 cups medium-grain Spanish paella rice or risotto rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli
  • 3 cups fish or chicken stock, plus more if needed
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 12 jumbo shrimp in their shells
  • 16 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 1 lobster boiled and cut into pieces

Fry the onion in the oil in a 16-inch paella pan until soft, stirring often. Stir in the garlic, and before it begins to color, add the tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt to taste, pimentón (or paprika), and saffron, stir well, and cook until the tomatoes are reduced to a jammy sauce and the oil is sizzling. Add the squid and cook, stirring, for a minute or so. Add the rice and stir well until all the grains are coated. (You can prepare the dish to this point up to an hour in advance.)

Bring the stock and wine to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over the rice, bring to a boil, and add salt to taste (even if the broth tastes a bit salty, it will not be salty when it is absorbed by the rice). Stir well and spread the rice out evenly in the pan (do not stir again). Cook the rice over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, moving the pan around and rotating it so that the rice cooks evenly. Lay the shrimp on top after 10 minutes and turn them when they have become pink on the first side. Add a little more hot stock toward the end if the rice seems too dry and you hear crackly frying noises before it is done. When the rice is done, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a large piece of foil.

Steam the mussels with a finger of water in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. As soon as they open, they are cooked. Throw away any that have not opened.

Arrange the mussels and lobster on top of the paella.

Finally, do not forget to take the time to sit with your family and enjoy this wonderful Christmas. Then you can clean up the mess.

May Your Christmas Be Well Seasoned!

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