After having a few years off, we're hosting Christmas dinner this year. And we're doing it the style of SJ's family: FANCY. China, silver, and crystal on the table and ties and dresses on the guests. There will be a soup course, a main course and a dessert course, with all of the appropriate silverware. It's a little bit like a modern Downton Abbey, without the staff. Here's what the table looks like. The table cloth (120" long Banquet length from Roberta Freymann) is making it's debut, but everything else has been around for generations worth of Christmases.

Since I've gotten back into training, I'm spreading the cooking out and doing what I can between workouts. So far a butternut squash ginger soup is made and I have ideas about a turkey…

I do, however, have the Christmas day brunch down. I made and froze a few loaves of AF carrot banana bread a few weeks ago. I'm dressing them up with this simple glaze, just to make sure brunch is fancy too.

--Bec

Lime Glaze (Banana Bread Recipe HERE)

1 cup powdered sugar

juice from 1/2 lime

1-2 teaspoons milk

1 tablespoon butter, softened

Combine sugar and butter: put sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Using a baking spatula, smooth the butter into the sugar until you can't see it anymore.

Add milk: start with 1 teaspoon, stirring it into the sugar/butter to combine. The glaze should start to come together, but won't look finished yet.

Add lime: squeeze just from half of a lime into the bowl and combine. You should start to see the glaze come together.

Mix: keep mixing to get rid of any sugar lumps. Add an additional teaspoon of milk if the glaze seems too thick.