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A Two Family Christmas

Many friends and readers have asked how Bo and I manage two families during the holidays.

It is not always easy even though we are both from Savannah.

This year, however, we both feel we’ve done pretty well so far. We did our best to discuss our thoughts with both families ahead of time so no one was confused or hurt. This year we did Christmas Eve with Bo’s family and then spent Christmas Day with my family.

Christmas Eve

After enjoying the Christmas Eve service at Isle of Hope Methodist church, we stopped by a neighborhood cocktail party for drinks and socializing with some of the Diamond’s close family friends.

Afterwards, we returned home for a late evening of dinner, lots of wine, and presents!

008 009 010 011013016 017 018 019 Dinner was a group activity as Bo and his dad grilled the meat and Meg finished off the mushroom risotto while Bo’s mom was the master mind behind it all! Everything was delicious and a wonderful way to spend the holiday together.

Christmas Day

After a cup of coffee with the Diamonds, we headed over to my parents’ home 20 miles away. We’re lucky that it’s only a 20 minute trip which allows us to go to and fro between the houses easily. We enjoyed Christmas breakfast before diving into the presents! Mom and I prepared easy stick buns, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit for Christmas brunch! (Pictures to come later as they are on my other camera.)

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001 001 007 As you can tell from my face, I wasn’t sure how long the gift giving process would take. We’ve always done gifts one at a time so each person can appreciate it but this year it took almost two hours!

After the present fun and completing our virtual holiday 10k, Bo and I returned home to help with Christmas dinner. This year, the weather didn’t work in our favor, and therefore we weren’t able to fry a turkey. Instead, the boys smoked a turkey in the infamous Green Egg and enjoyed a random array of sides. Each person was able to make one request this year and it resulted in a random but delicious array of flavors and dishes.

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072077 081 These poor boys were in and out of the rain and wind for over two hours smoking the turkey. Meanwhile, inside the rest of us enjoyed a few glasses of delicious wine and a cheese plate.

088 093 094 097 095My favorite part of the meal was enjoying two cookies which only come along once per year, peanut butter blossoms and and Mrs. Battin’s cookies.  I’ll share the Mrs. Battin’s cookie recipe in my next post!

103 104 109 Happy Holidays  from our home to your home! I hope everyone had a cookie filled holiday!

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Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K In Pictures

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Elizabeth on 37th Holiday Tasting Menu

Editor’s Note:  This just in we are RE-OPENING registration for the Virtual 10K due to a high demand.  After much consideration and requests, we have decided to reopen the 10k.  We thought about those who have not had a chance to register as well as those who took the time to register.  Given the short registration time frame and the fact that people can register for a “normal” race the day of, we have reopened registration.  

For those who have already registered early, we are giving you the opportunity to be the only one’s in the raffle prize for the Brooks shoes.  
If you are registering now, please fill out this form.  Also to see the original details of the race please check it out here. 

 

Last night our two families came together to toast the holiday season at Elizabeth’s on 37th, our favorite Savannah restaurant. Each holiday season the restaurant has three nights of holiday fun including carolers, a seasonal seven course tasting menu, and the uncorking of their famous Gregarious Eggnog. The cost of this evening, $100 per person before alcohol, is expensive but well worth the price.

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The interior was decked inside and out in warm, festive lights welcoming us for the evening.

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Everything on the menu sounded amazing, including the wine tasting that my dear aunt and uncle gave us as a Christmas gift.

We started the evening with an amazing champagne, Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc 2008. I’m already trying to find this in Savannah as it was a smooth, crisp, and delicious way to start the meal!

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Our first course was a rich lobster and Georgia shrimp puff paired with a tomato reduction.

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This was quickly followed by their famous blue crab cake served over creamed corn and tomato-chive butter. This was my favorite course of the evening, filled with fresh crab.

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Between this course and the next they brought out our next wine, a Ramey 2008 Chardonnay that was spicy and full without having too much oak.

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Our next course, was my brother’s favorite of the night, the seared sea scallops topped with tuna tartare relish and wasabi cream.

Surprisingly, the puree of wild mushroom soup over Georgia shrimp and royal trumpet mushrooms was one of the most decadent courses of the night. By the time I finished this course I was so full I couldn’t bear to think about three more courses!

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Luckily, I have never been a fan of Elizabeth’s famous organic mixed green salads. Each day the staff at Elizabeth’s pick fresh herbs and greens from their garden for the evening salads. While some people, such as Bo and my mom, love these salads I am not a fan and therefore took a break during this course. I will say that I heard wonderful things about the warm goat cheese.

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Last but not least, was the course that the men at our table were looking forward to all evening. The Meyer Ranch beef tenderloin paired with a Madeira cream sauce, roasted new potatoes, and spinach feta torte was heaven for our men. While I only enjoyed a bite before sharing my plate with the table, the bite proved that the meat was perfectly cooked and the rich spinach was a perfect pairing.

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We enjoyed a short break before the final course of the evening, the uncorking of the eggnog and the desert sampler. I was excited for the sampler, as the presentation was beautiful and petite.

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How adorable are these petite desserts? The desserts were a pecan almond tartlet, chocolate baby cake, and red velvet baby cake. My favorite was of course the red velvet baby cake though the rest of the table said the chocolate baby cake was “to die for.”

The real excitement started when the eggnog arrived. The two brothers, Greg and Gary, who own Elizabeth’s on 37th have been making the eggnog for years and make enough to give each family a bottle after their tasting menu experience and also as a final toast to the evening. Very different from Bo’s eggnog, this recipe has more brandy and cinnamon than most.  Even though I rarely enjoy eggnog, last night I enjoyed more than a few healthy sips of this decadent treat! I am sure our personal bottle will be opened this week while we continue to celebrate the holidays.

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After the wonderful meal was done and the last toast had been made, we gave holiday hugs and posed for pictures in front of their beautiful tree.

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The Elizabeth on 37th Holiday Tasting was a perfect way to kick off the holidays with our families and taste the most amazing and indulgent Southern seasonal food Savannah has to offer. While I’m not sure we would do this every year, the wonderful carolers throughout the evening and delicious food make it a tempting proposition.

Question: What is your favorite holiday cocktail? Eggnog? Hot Toddies?

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