The Feast of Saint Nicholas

A few years ago, my husband and I were a little dismayed by how difficult it is to get together with friends during the holidays.  Everyone has their own family traditions and obligations.  There was little time left for friends  But what about the family we choose?  As we get older, our friends become a family unit of its own.  What about the tradition of that family?

As usual, we found a way to rectify that.

Every December 6th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas.  No, we are not Dutch - but it is an event related to the season and we like the idea of having a feast to celebrate generosity and good cheer.  It's also a date we can always count on and is early enough in the season not to interfere with family traditions.

We gather around a full table and celebrate being together before the holiday gets truly hectic.  This year, we're serving an apricot-honey glazed ham with roasted potatoes, broccoli, carrots and rolls.  Yum!

The recipe for the apricot-honey glaze is here.

Here's my special recipe for the Roasted Potatoes.  Serves 4.

Ingredients
4-5 red potatoes, cubed
1/2 cp olive oil
Mrs. Dash Table Blend

Instructions
1.  Preheat oven to 400* F.

2.  Cube red potatoes, place in 13"x9" baking dish {your brownie dish, ladies}.

3.  Pour olive oil over all potatoes and splash on some Mrs. Dash.  Season to taste {I like a lot}.  Toss gently using a spoon to ensure all potatoes are covered all around.  If needed, add more olive oil to the dish so you have 1/2 inch of oil on the bottom.

4.  Place in oven on middle rack.  Every 15 minutes, gently toss potatoes with spoon to recoat potatoes.  Potatoes should be done after 45 minutes.  Test a potato - should be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Be careful!  It will be very hot!!

5.  Once done, remove from oven and set on trivet.  Use an oven mitt to prop up one side of the pan on the short side so excess oil will drain to one side.  Use spoon to push potatoes to the high part of the pan.  You will want majority of the olive oil to drain out of the potatoes {makes them seem healthier, haha}.  Serve warm

 
Enjoy!