I probably should have posted this two weeks ago, but even if I’m a little late to the party, I think I could not not show you our Christmas Eve table that my mother-in-law put together. We consumed copious amounts of amazing food in great company. I can only imagine a better setting if my sister had spent Christmas Eve with us. 

Here it goes. And check out my mother-in-law’s dinnerware!

Appetizers: olives, melon with prosciutto, shrimp, cheese plate, grapes, bread and cornbread.

Main course: boiled bacalhau (salted and dried codfish).

Side dish: boiled potatoes and boiled Portuguese cabbage.

Desserts: filhoses, rice pudding, serradura (“sawdust” pudding - made with cream, condensed milk and cookies), strawberry semifreddo, bolo-rei and an amazing chocolate and nuts Christmas tree. We finished the night with what we call “grandmother’s coffee” which basically is coffee made by heating coarse grounds and letting the grounds settle.

New Year’s Eve was spent at home in Denmark with good food (just not has good as what we’ve been eating in Portugal) and with a lot of fireworks. The Danes go a little crazy on NYE and everyone seems to go out and launch their own fireworks. 

This was the end of 2012 and I’m looking forward to resuming my regular posts with new recipes. :)