Swaqq Sweaters, Tinsel on the tree and the return of the Prodigal son.

Challenges, I like a good challenge. Most anyone does. It tests my organizational skills, my stamina and sanity. This week of the Holiday season (really more like two weeks) I am stretched. I have lots of work to do, actual work. Not just the kind were I am taking care of the people that live under my roof. Those people under my roof brings me around to the title; tacky sweaters are a thing this year and happened to be the theme of the holiday flash mob. Thank goodness Tad returned a day early surprising me. I needed all the help I could get for this soiree.There would be, as always, a few stragglers that I love hanging on through the next morning. Trying to fill every available minute  on the last weekend before Christmas we also planned our family tree trimming and the twins birthday.


Believe me the next morning there was no time wasted, I ever so gently, with hot and fresh now Krispy Kreme donuts, woke my slumbering guest and put them to work. It was time for the turn around for party number two. Do I need to check my sanity or what, right?The kids dragged themselves out of their sleeping spaces and wolfed down 2 dozen warm donuts and a gallon of OJ, in a matter of minutes. I was busy in the kitchen making the biggest pot of chili  possible in my Strega Nona pot. I had to have something to feed people that I expected to decorate my tree. I changed a few things up this year to accommodate the late arrival, or what I thought was going to be the late arrival of my eldest son from college. I always have the tree party  on a weekend night and it goes until the wee hours. Seeing as though I gave the only open weekend night to teens with swagger, Sunday afternoon was our time. Man did it throw my kids for a loop. Personally, I had no trouble enjoying my Old Vine Zin, never do.There is no better wine to imbibe with my chili, made with Pork tenderloin, lots of chili's & cilantro and 3 kinds of beans. Here is how I do it:

Magic Pot of Chili

Ingredients;

 1/4c  olive oil

3 medium onions, finely diced

5 ribs of celery,diced

4 cloves Garlic chopped

1 diced Bell pepper

6 ounces diced green chili's( divided into 2)

1 large bunch of fresh Cilantro chopped

3 pounds Pork tenderloin, diced 

1 pound Ground pork (can use beef or chicken here too)

15 oz Black beans, drained

15oz Dark Kidney beans, drained

15oz Pinto beans

28oz diced tomato

#10 of Angelia Mia tomato

seasoning:(Mix this together in a small dish)

1T Chili powder ( dark red Mexican)

2 t smoked paprika

2t ground cumin

1T sea salt

1/2t Cayenne pepper

1t black pepper

1- Preheat an extra large stock pot; add olive oil, garlic, onions and celery. Begin sweating over medium high heat

2-Once the vegetables begin to soften add the diced pork tenderloin and season liberally.Add first half of the chili's and 2 T chopped cilantro

3- Continue sweating the meat and vegetables until meat no longer looks raw, 10 minutes.

4-Add diced tomatoes and ground pork, add more seasonings. Stir frequently to break up the ground meat.

5-Add all drained beans  stir into above mixture , re-season

6-Add Angela Mia tomatoes and 2T cilantro.Add remaining seasoning. Now the chili will be thick enough for a spoon to stand straight up. Cover and let simmer over medium heat for several hours. Stir every time you pass by.Serve the chili with grated cheddar and Monterrey jack, sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Before I start on that family tradition let me tell the story of  the fun that was had on Saturday night. As you all may have gathered my twins were born near Christmas. For kids it feels like a curse to have a birthday near Christmas. I am not much for the birthday party and the giving of frivolous gifts in obscene amounts. For the twins they like to gather and host friends on any occasion; The Swag sweater party (aka Tacky Sweater) was a revamp of the birthday party. This was the 15th year, not the big Sweet, or in some cases Studly, 16th party that is next year. Here in lies the reason for the party, an excuse to uh, party with out the giving of frivolous gifts. I granted permission and allowed the guest list of 85 in trade for Sarah's slave labor to prepare for our family shindig. Good trade on my part right. As you have already read I even got a few extra hands in the clean up and prep for the tree trimming. So am I brilliant or what? Crazy, is more like it.

After all the mandatory weekend to-do , track practice, dinner date with BFF's, sleeping over were out of the way Sarah was mine.  She had requested a simple party with out much but some Christmas cookies and a Tacky sweater cake. Ha, should have known that was too easy. I was all over the cake. I had already done tons of baking for the week and had tons more to come so my girl was the baker. I was up at 5:30 making cookie doughs for her to bake off. Well she and the Biz found there Christmas footie PJ's and dressed up in them and rolled out all the dough making tons of yummy cookies. There were the best rolled sugar cookies in the world( recipe you can find here) and Peanut Butter blossoms with Hershey kisses.

Rolled Sugar Cookie dough: Yield 48 large cookies

12 ounces butter, soften
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2t vanilla extract
5 cups flour
2t baking powder
1 t salt
1- Cream soft butter and sugar, until light and fluffy.
2- Add eggs one at a time and add vanilla
3- mix together the flour, salt and baking powder.
4- add dry ingredients to butter and egg mixture in 3 parts
5- remove from mixing bowl and wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
6- after chilling roll out a portion cut in your favorite shapes. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. Until the edges brown.
7-  Sprinkle these cookies with decorative sugar or ice with colorful frosting.

There is always a daily trip to  Target during the Holiday season, today it was  to create the Tacky-Swag sweater prize..Yes there were prizes, one for girls and one for the boys. The kids that wore the Swaggy sweaters went all out. The winner for the boys had lighted snow hills and 3-D snowmen. The girls made the Hannah Montana and Oliver sweaters. It was great. The kids had a blast dancing and singing laughing and eating. Just because we could, my partner in crime for the night, Karen Logan and I had the contestants strut their stuff. The boys were such comedians they kind of out shone the girls. Still it was fun and hysterical to watch. Next year, when we do have the studly & sweet 16 to contend with, we will most likely resurrect the Swag sweater party. I can feel the momentum building, this year light up sweaters and next year synchronized lights and music!

Every year around the twins birthday, we invite all our friends, neighbors and family over. I put a naked Christmas tree in front of them and in the end its PERFECT.Sunday was the 18th and time to finally get our tree up. It may seem crazy to those who put their tree up right after Thanksgiving but really it is not. The likelihood that our tree will come down before the end of January is slim to none. You see we just get our enjoyment on the other end of things. Shortly after 8:30 in the morning I had a house filled with sleep deprived teens picking up trash and vacuuming up the remains of the sweater party. The chili was on to cook and my house was ready for my friends and their families. Beer was in the cooler and there was plenty of wine. Jon even mopped the kitchen floor for me. I could tell the holiday was going to be a good one. When Jon's sisters walked in I was assured my tree would be flawlessly decorated. It actually made me giddy to think that the impeccable taste and attention to detail for Christmas decorating was being mentored to my youngest, Isabelle or the Biz. I may never have to decorate my tree, sigh-a good sigh.

As I often express here I love to fill my house with people, noise and food. For the afternoon soiree we all bring a little something to share.My longest friendship is with Koggie(I say longest not oldest because we are sensitive about our age, ha)every time she walks through my door it is though she is Pavlov's dog.Can you think of any higher praise?The gathering is all about relaxing,catching up and

enjoying the spirit of the season.It is a tradition to celebrate my twins birthday on this day.Our friends and neighbors have come to expect it.There are adults, kids, bonfires and tree trimming. It is a marker of the season,Christmas is right around the corner. Its our tradition as a family and for our hood.