I have a feeling this Christmas was very different for quite a number of people in the world. It certainly was for our family.
Typically my in-laws from Ohio come into town a day or two early and we spend those days "warming up" for the real throwdown on the night of Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve gets started around 4:00 or so and we spend the next seven hours eating appetizers playing games, and opening presents.
Then, on Christmas Day we get up and head out to have a big breakfast at my parents in law. After breakfast I usually head home to grab Jovi and we spend the rest of the day watching movies and playing games before we have a big dinner for Christmas Day.
Many years we have ham for that dinner, a couple years we had fettuccini alfredo, and I think one year we had grilled turkey.
This year we went a different direction:
The Ohio "fam" came into town mid-day Christmas Eve. We met at my brother in laws house and spent a couple hours trying to cram in our typical Christmas Eve events. We then headed in separate directions and did our own thing Christmas Eve evening.
Christmas morning we went to breakfast, but instead of the typical 25 people, there were only 8 of us. We then separated again and finally met up at my other brother in laws for Christmas Dinner.
My brother in law recently moved into a new house and got himself a Blackstone griddle. They are all the rage right now and the price actually makes them very attractive. I have been toying around with getting one myself.
It was a fairly unanimous decision to have a hibachi style meal for Christmas dinner.
My wife and I supplied the chicken. We brought four chicken breast halves. I butterflied them so that they wouldn't be as thick and would cook quicker on the griddle.
We marinated them with what we call "speedie" sauce. It is a marinade that one of my wife's relatives got from the World's Fair many years ago.
It is really easy and consists of honey, vegetable oil, soy sauce, a little bit of vinegar I think and a ton of fresh garlic. It is an amazing sauce and great on both chicken and beef.
My mother in law made the pork fried rice as well as providing some shrimp
My brother in law who owns the griddle had just purchased a quarter of a cow, so he provided the beef and the rest of the shrimp.
The food turned out amazing and even though it looked like a ton of food for eight people, we were all a little shocked at just how little was leftover by the time we were finished.
This is the second time he has made hibachi for us since he has moved into the new house and as I said, it really has me thinking about spending some of my Christmas money on one for myself. I think they make a smaller size that might be perfect for just my wife and I.
The next day my wife and I had to get up early to meet up with her sister from Ohio to hand over our two nieces who had decided to sleep at our house the two nights they were home.
They had to get back down to Ohio for basketball practice at 1 pm.
Not really wanting to make breakfast, my wife and I decided to try a new (to us) place and shared the western omelet. I called in the take out order then drove the five minutes to pick it up.
The place is called Lasko's and their food was fantastic. Once things open back up fully I can definitely see ourselves visiting there again.
