The Pajama Game

I remember my mom had the soundtrack from that musical on vinyl when I was little. I used to sing along to it, as I danced around the house.

I have many fond memories of hanging out in my p.j.s on Christmas day, while we exchanged gifts, played with our presents and spun holiday tunes on the old school record player or 8-track.

Nowadays, we still go to my parents' house, where we open packages from each other, eat yummy food and burn off all those calories by running around like kids again.

Yesterday, we tested out the new air hockey table in their basement, chased each other around with toy guns (they shoot soft foam balls) and learned a few moves with the Wii Fit. I think we need to work a little more on our balance.

Today, Matthew, Jacob and I are having a pajama day at home. Still in our sleepwear, we're testing out Jacob's new toys, as well as pulling out some of the favorites from Christmas past.

Jacob even got some Mario props to help him get into character for playing Mario Kart. He looks like he's ready for some competition. Gotta go :-)

It's a Christmas miracle

After taking Martha Stewart's Christmas cookie style quiz, I discovered I'm a little fruity and nutty. I don't know how I should take that, but I guess it makes sense being that I am a raw foodie. Fruits and nuts are the main ingredients in many of my raw treats.

For instance, I came up with this raw fruitcake the other day while watching America Eats on the History Channel. There was a segment about fruitcake on the episode about the history of holiday foods.

You may be thinking, "why would I decide to make a cake with such a bad reputation?" Well, I figured if I made it raw, it couldn't be that bad.

And, I was right. This raw version tastes good to me. It's a miracle. Merry Christmas :-)

In the Nick of time

If you haven't gotten around to making those raw holiday cookies, you still have time, especially if you make some no-bake (no dehydrator required) cookies from this year's batch.

Although I did hold onto a few "baked" (dehydrated) gingerbread men from these decked out Gingercakes, the other three cookies (Cinnamon Mocha Crinkles, Raw Nog Creams and Hawaiian Wedding Surprises) can all be whipped up at the last minute (or check out last year's cookies; they can be made almost as fast).

Don't forget to leave some out for St. Nicholas, a.k.a. Santa Claus. You know he's coming tonight.

Survey says ...

It's time for a Christmas questionnaire, courtesy of Nicole Brenny from her Nicole Raw & Awake blog. Here are my answers. Feel free to share some of yours.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I prefer gift bags, because they are quick, easy and a good way to recycle. In our family, we hang on to all the bags we receive and reuse them to wrap other gifts. We have a Star Wars bag that's been making the rounds for about 8 years.

2. Real tree or artificial tree?
I hate to admit it, but although I love real trees, ours is artificial. Again, we continue to get use out of it every year. It's about as old as that gift bag.

3. When do you put up the tree?
The day after Thanksgiving, of course. Jacob makes sure of it.

4. When do you take down the tree?
When we get around to it. I just hate to admit that the holiday is over. But don't worry; I do take it down before the end of January.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I like the raw kind, especially in cookie form.

6. Do you have a stocking? What does it look like?
Jacob, Matthew and I all have stockings. They are knit like sweaters. Mine is red with a white cuff at the top and green buttons down the side. Matthew's looks just like mine, but the cuff is green. Jacob's is green with a red cuff and red buttons.

When I was little, my mom sewed all of our stockings out of red felt with our names down the side in bold white letters. Always with a good sense of humor, she made sure she cut the fabric to include toes at the end.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My husband is so particular. He also doesn't understand the concept of not buying things for yourself leading up to Christmas.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My mom loves anything I give her, or at least she lets me think she does.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes. It is a Fisher Price Little People set my mom gave to Jacob for his first Christmas. My sister just told me yesterday that she recently came across one of our missing figures.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?
Mail is so much more personal, but it's also nice to receive e-mail wishes from those who do not know your physical address.

11. Most memorable gift you ever received?
My son was born not long before Christmas 2002. He is the best gift ever.

12. Favorite Christmas movie?
"It's a Wonderful Life"

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I start shopping a couple months ahead of time. I hate to leave anything until the last minute.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Actually, I think I have.

Every year, my mom's side of the family gets together and participates in a game. We each bring a present and set it in the center of the room. Then, we all draw numbers and, based on the number drawn, select gifts from the pile in that order. When it's your turn, you can either decide to keep the gift, or swap it with someone else in the room.

This year, my grandmother had the idea of having us all bring items from our homes instead of purchasing new gifts. I think what I brought was something I received as a Christmas present a while back. It was a leather purse (I don't carry/wear leather), which I hid a $10 bill inside.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Clementines

16. Lights on the tree?
Of course :-)

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" has been my favorite, since Jacob first learned to sing it. Now he won't stop. Ha ha :-)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We don't go far, but we don't get to stay home either. I work Christmas Eve day, and then we go to Matthew's grandmother's house that evening. Christmas day is spent at my parent's house.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
You betcha. I was determined to know them all as a kid, and I still do thanks to this song:

"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,
But do you recall,
the most famous reindeer of all?"

You can't forget Rudolph.

20. Angel on top of the tree or a star?
It varies from year to year. Right now we have an angel Jacob made out of paper plates in school.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Presents are opened on Matthew's side of the family on Christmas Eve. Then, Santa brings toys on Christmas, followed by more gift unwrapping at my parent's house.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Having too much to do with not enough time to do it. I think I need some more days in December.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Little white Christmas lights

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Dessert

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Time with friends and family

26. Who is the most likely to respond to this?
Someone who cares :-)

27. Favorite Christmas tradition?
I like relaxing at home with my hubby and son the day after Christmas.

So you may be wondering why there is a pic of broccoli salad at the top of this post. Well, it just wouldn't be like me to blog without a photo. Therefore, I snapped a quick pic of these little trees I dressed up to share with my family. Happy holidays!

I can have my cake and eat it, too

If you've been following my blog all along, you are already aware of the fact that I'm the only raw foodie in my family. And, I'm not just referring to my household (although my hubby and my son will try a few things every once and a while). Neither side is raw, much less vegan.

So, how do I handle these family gatherings?

Well, my side of the family is usually willing to experiment, so I tend to bring a dish or two to share (last year, I brought a whole mini buffet). They also make sure to have raw fruits and veggies, and my aunt has been known to bring a good vegan salad every once and a while.

On my hubby's side, they like to stick with their traditional fare, although his dad and sister-in-law have been brave enough to try a bite of whatever I'm eating (I tote along my own raw plate). His mom always provides a veggie tray, and sometimes his uncle will set aside some green beans before he cooks the rest (occasionally he also bakes me a sweet potato, since it is one of the only items I'll eat cooked in the colder months).

Last night, we gathered at Matthew's brother's house to recognize Jacob's (yes, he's still celebrating) and Jason's birthdays. Of course, there was cake, so I needed to bring something for dessert.

Usually, I'd take some raw cake (I did have a few cupcakes in the freezer) or n'ice cream. Since I heard they were having ice cream cake, I decided to combine the two.

At the last minute, I opted to make an individual slice of raw n'ice cream cake for yours truly. It was easy; I just whipped up some banana-based chocolate n'ice cream in my food processor, shaped it into a square, added a layer of raw chocolate cookie crumbles, and topped it off with more n'ice cream, some leftover raw whipped icing (I always have some on hand these days) and chocolate rock shavings. Now that's a n'ice cake :-)

Hawaiian Wedding Surprise

Don't jumped to conclusions after reading that title. I didn't run away to Hawaii to get married. I'm already married, but I'd love to go to Hawaii with my hubby one day.

In the meantime, I'll just celebrate the holidays with the last unbaked good in my trio of cookie swap offerings. It is a festive spin on last year's Russian Raw Cake, which is a rawified Russian Tea Cake/Mexican Wedding Cake cookie (I've heard it referred to by both names).

I got this idea while flipping through a magazine recently. There was a recipe for a Hawaiian Wedding Cake cookie, much like the traditional Mexican Wedding Cake version, but with the addition of macadamia nuts, coconut flakes and lime.

I opted to add those same ingredients to my original recipe, as well as a surprise inside. Read further to find out what it is.

Hawaiian Wedding Surprises
3/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup date paste
1 Tbsp. lucuma powder
zest of one lime
dash of sea salt
*finely ground coconut and more zest for rolling
*eight whole raw macadamia nuts for filling

Grind cashews, mac nuts, oats and coconut into flour and add to a bowl. Whisk together the flours, lucuma, lime zest and sea salt. Add the date paste, and mix to combine. The mixture should be damp enough to mold, yet still crumbly like a cake.

Divide the mixture into 8 equal sections. Shape each section into a ball, while enclosing a whole mac nut inside (that's the surprise). Roll the balls in coconut and lime zest. Enjoy :-)

All dressed up with some place to go

To the annual family cookie exchange, of course. I just had to make sure at least one of my raw creations sparked some interest from my nonraw family members.

By adding a decorative touch to an otherwise ordinary raw cookie, this unbaked good garners the attention it deserves. So, Little Bird, this one is for you.

It's a raw version of an eggnog cookie, which reminds me of the raw ginger creams I made last year. It has a soft base and a creamy icing, just like the ginger creams, but nutmeg is its star ingredient (rather than ginger). I'd like to call them Raw Nog Creams

Raw Nog Creams
1 cup cashew flour (ground cashews)
1/2 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
1/4 cup date paste
freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
pinch of sea salt
*raw whipped icing for frosting
*dried cherry pieces and pumpkin seeds for decorating

In a bowl, whisk together the cashew flour, almond flour, nutmeg and sea salt. Add the date paste, and mix to combine. The mixture should be damp enough to mold, yet still crumbly like a cake.

Divide the mixture into 6-8 equal sections. Shape each section into a ball and flatten into cookie shapes. Frost with raw whipped icing and decorate with dried cherry pieces and pumpkin seeds.

*These are similar to many of my raw cupcake recipes. Feel free to make them a little larger and serve them as such.

**If you really want to kick these up a notch, add some rum or rum extract to the icing, but I prefer mine rum-free.