This year it is a Blue Christmas for us - all blue lights on the tree, blue skies with no snow (a bit off for me, I must say) and a chance to see the "Blue Man Group" perform. Red and green might be the official holiday colors, but I am diggin' blue this year.
One of the interesting things about living with teenagers is that you count on the fact that things will never stay the same. I'm liking what that means this year.
Last year Ellie urged me to put up as few holiday decorations as I could. They made her feel crowded and the house look messy, according to her.
This year it is a different tune. She was right at the front, pushing to decorate. She had a strong vision of what she wanted and I am happy to accommodate it. She had visions of a blue Christmas. Ellie wanted to have just blue and silver on our tree. I told her that we needed to have some of my favorite ornaments up, too. She agreed, hanging them towards the back. We love the blue LED lights. Larr says that he thinks they are too bright, but he puts up with them anyway.
Each December Mark and Lilia take Ethan and Ellie to do something special. This year they treated them to dinner at Cafe Paraiso for dinner and then to the theater to see the "Blue Man Group." Ethan declared that it was to coolest thing they've ever done together. He wants to go again next year. Heck, he'd be happy to see the same show again this year.
I had my own thing to do. I went to a friend's birthday party and had a lot of fun. There was good food, interesting conversation Barb is a doctor, one friend is a nurse and the other ladies had lots of great stories). We also had a lot of fun playing Blockus, a game where you try to use as many of your game pieces as possible. Each piece has to touch a corner of a previous piece from your color, but it cannot be flush against it. It is a great visual/spacial strategy game.
Barb asked me to bring something that would work for vegetarians, so I brought a variation on the orzo salad I like so well.
Orzo Salad II
1 1/2 Orzo, dried
15 oz. Garbanzo Beans (I used dried beans that I dehydrated, canned works fine, too)
1 1/2 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/2-3/4/cup Raspberry Vingiarette (to taste)
1/2 cup Fresh Basil, chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Mint Leaves, chopped
1-2 cups Casero Cheese, cubed (Mexican Cheese)
Cook the Orzo. If you are not serving vegetarians, you can cook it in 4 cups of chicken broth for a nice flavor. Drain. In a bowl mix the orzo, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, basil, mint and cheese. Toss to mix well. Toss with the raspberry vinaigrette, beginning with a small amount. The dressing should brighten the flavors, not drown them out.
This keeps and travels well.
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