Christmas Pep Talk!

Christmas is amazing for so many reasons, but for us fatties and closet fatties alike, one of the best parts of the season is the grub! I mean everywhere you go there's a platter of food in front of you; from cheeses to fruits to crackers to cookies to fruitcakes to chocolates and candies, it's a smorgasbord of treats that will tempt even the most hardcore healthy eater. This doesn't even include the chocolates you get as gifts, or the special drinks and booze you will consume while being merry. Oh! and let's not forget the celebratory meals like Christmas Dinner or New Years Dinner, or the fact that you have a constant source of junk in your house, 'cause God forbid you not have anything to offer visitors should they stop by.

You may as well admit it now, you're probably going to be a little cushier by the new year... but then again, that's what New Year's resolutions are for, right?! Christmas is really the one time each year (aside from the scattered vacay) that you can indulge yourself without guilt. You are alive. You are with friends and family. Friends and family that have baked you all kinds of treats (or at least spent the money on them), to bring YOU joy as you visit. So don't deny them the pleasure of making you happy with deliciousness, and more importantly, don't deny yourself. It's Christmas for god's sake! Cut yourself some slack! Now get out there, spread some cheer, and have a very Merry Christmas!!

The reason I get a little 'cushier' during the holidays, Mom's Christmas Spread (2011)  Top plate: Newfie Hor D'oeuvres, Sociables Crackers; Middle Plate: Baguettes; Bottom Plate: L-R Moirs Cake, Shortbread Wreathes, Dream Squares, Boiled Fruitcake, Date Squares, Dominoes, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and in the middle Dutch Dainties.

Fish 'n' Brewis

It doesn't look like much, ladies and gentlemen, but don't let this picture fool you, behold the deliciousness that is Fish 'n' Brewis. 'What is this masterpiece?' you ask? Well my friends, it's a very simple, very delicious, combination of 3 ingredients: Codfish, Hard Bread, and Scrunchions a.k.a. tiny fried pieces of pork fat. Next to Jigs Dinner, this is the quintessential Newfoundland food.

Now, I will admit, like most Newfoundland dishes, there are a few varieties. Some people like to mash potato into the mix, or substitute the scrunchions with fried onions (a much healthier alternative). There's also some discrepancies in the naming, I like to call the above fish 'n' brewis, while my husband and his family refer to it as Fisherman's Brewis and call Fish 'n' brewis a decomposed version of the dish served with potatoes. Either way, this is what comes to mind when I hear the words fish 'n' brewis, it is the best, and my favourite way to eat it... not that I'd turn down the other stuff ;)