Friendly Friday Festivus

For our Festivus party I have gathered our holiday treats and one tradition, unless you count eating sea food on Christmas Eve among traditions and you should. In Italy they are serious about it.

Do you know what Festivus means? If not, you weren’t watching Seinfeld or forgot all about it as I must have. Have a look at Sandy’s post and be reminded. She has even calculated the times when the whole world is in a Friday, how about that.

To various courses of sea food bacchanal that is Christmas in Rome (the photos are from several occasions, not just one), I add some father’s New Year’s Eve food from Slovenia and two stuffed dishes by amore: pig’s roast and pandoro.

Two treats follow that I got for two of my birthdays, including the beloved gratinated pasta (click here for the video recipe).

I finish with a few things that I actually made myself: a strudel for amore’s birthday (which he shares with JC), as well as some Christmas biscuits and a limoncello cake from last year (click for recipes).

I’m pretty sure that after all this we’ll find it hard to breathe and will be ready to get some sleep, but no – we will have to eat a tangerine and keep the peel, put some coins on the table and play bingo, like they do it in Rome at around 2 am on Christmas Eve. They call it tombola.

I wish you all to win the tombola of life and in a way we have already. We are here after all.

For more non-food festivities, have a look at my yesterday’s holiday doors and spend time with my two families to see how we celebrate. And now buon appetito and cin cin!

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  It starts out innocent enough: some zucchini, some anchovies, sea food salad.

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  Salmon, kaviar (or similar)…

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  Oysters. Here amore is tackling them for the first time ever.

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  All together with some fish pate.

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  Beans, broad beans, chicory, more anchovies.

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  Mussels in a sauce.

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  Spaghetti alle vongole, that is with clams.

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  At another time it was pasta allo scoglio, with various sea dwellers.

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  Fritto misto: shrimp, squid, moscardini.

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  Sometimes we are too full for the main course. This sward fish had to wait.

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  To Slovenia now. Father put the sea bass in the salt and then into the oven.

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  At another time he made some ravioli (tortellini? Hm…).

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  Amore surprised pork with apples.

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  Here it is, the pork with apples on the right, with puntarelle on top, which are urgent on New Year’s Eve, say Italians. (This is Catalonian chicory.)

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  This drew sighs from my parents when amore uncovered it. Stuffed pandoro with vanilla and chocolate cream.

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  For my birthday in 2018 I had my parents over in Tuscany and father made me his signature shrimp cocktail sauce.

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  Last year, during my online 50th party which he organised, amore made me my happy meal, pasta from the oven.

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  This is my strudel for his birthday (amore’s, not dog’s).

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  Christmas biscuits in the making and limoncello cake resting in the back.

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  And now – time for tombola! And limoncello! And panettone!

For Friendly Friday Photo Challenge hosted by The Sandy Chronicles: Holiday treats & traditions

and for Festive Bon Bons by Deb, Sue, Donna and Jo (since my post consists mostly of Christmas food, even though I don’t answer provided questions).

This day in my blogging history

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  2015: Three flowery doors

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  2016: My photos are as close to nature as possible because she got it right the first time

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  2017: Home-hopping

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  2019: Best of December 2018 with a realisation that you allow me to stay in touch with the human race, you are what helps me stay alive. “They are not just hobbies, they are actually impacting your health.” This is my blog for me.

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  2020: Farnese door with wild hair just like me