Like the Godfather and Dirty Dancing before it, Christmas with Mama G: Parto Uno was in need of a sequel in order to tell the whole story.

Michael Corleone had only just begun to scratch the surface of what it meant to lead the family and expand his power. Those people from the Dirty Dancing Havana Nights needed to show that white people do, in fact, have rhythm. And we, the Garcia’s needed to prove that we were capable of punishing ourselves with fork and spoon on two consecutive Nights.

Really the only difference between these movies and our Christmas Day meal is the lack of Cuba as a theme…but that’s it.

Christmas Day began as most Christmas Day’s begin, with a bunch of people drinking coffee pretending to want to make breakfast but really hoping that we never have to eat food again.

You might remember this photo:

 

All of that was inside me and as such, I had a pretty serious food hangover.  And even though mimosas and bloody marys are a surefire way to cope with a booze hangover, the same cannot be said eggs and pancakes for a food hangover.

At least not yet. (Note to self: Call Doctor about new medical breakthrough)

We spent the rest of the day just maxing and relaxing in our pajamas. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t put on real pants till about 5pm, which…is super neat.

Especially since jeans are leg prisons and should be banned as a form of torture under the Geneva Convention.

Ok…food. So we ate again. The menu wasn’t quite as ridiculous as the previous nights, but it was still an intense evening of eating.

We started with the Manicotti (pronounced Man-i-got if ya nasty).

This is a tradition at the house, usually eaten on Christmas Eve and normally causes my mom and I to aggressively discuss the finer points of making crepes.

 

I will definitely be doing a separate blog post on how to make these as they are one of my favorite all time dishes.

Here’s what you need to know. It’s homemade crepes filled with a ricotta cheese mixture baked in homemade tomato sauce.

 

Yeah…I know.

Immediately following the Man and Goat we had the rest of the meal. Pork, Beet Salad and a cornbread sausage stuffing.

 

 

The pork was roasted with a Garlic, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme (You know you sang that in your head) rub and was rull tasty. I cooked it just shy of doneness and shut off the oven to cook the rest of the way to ensure peak eatability.

 

The beet salad and cornbread stuffing weren’t shy at the party either.

 

The beets and oranges were tossed in a citrus vinaigrette and topped with goat cheese and the cornbread stuffing was actually a sausage cornbread stuffing and as such, super freaking delish.

All in all, the dinner, the days and the family made this Christmas a really special one. It’s easy to overlook the importance of taking time to sit down at a table and share a meal that everyone cooked together. As we head into the new year, I encourage you to make one of your resolutions to spend more time in the kitchen with people you love.

Sooooo, from my family to each of you Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

The Blob