Christmas Eve at Casa Cousina!

Well the big day had arrived and we were heading to Cousina's for dinner.

When we got to Cousina's the rest of the clan was there and had already gone through half of the seafood aspic. Our dish even got kudos from Cousina Solvita, the originator of the recipe. I was so proud of us!

The sausage bread was just perfect and while I could eat just these two appetizers all night and be completely satisfied, this was only the proverbial tip of the culinary iceberg!

First we started with Kristina's Cocktail aptly named for the hostess with the "mostess"... Normally, I don't enjoy drinks on the sweet side, but I found myself going back for seconds and thirds and fourths. It was delicious!

We retired to Cousina's beautifully decorated dining room where we began our meal with some homemade New England clam chowder, courtesy of Cousina's mother-in-law. The soup was the perfect amount of richness without being overbearing and creamy without overdoing it. The clams and potatoes rounding out the soup were diced to the perfect dimension. Wow!

Next course, was Cousina Solvita's lobster and avocado salad. I must say, this is one dish that I was anticipating for weeks! The dish is super simple (the best dishes usually are): chopped lobster, avocado, dill, mayonnaise and a bit of lemon juice.

While I am not a fan of mayonnaise based products, there is something about the freshness of the lobster coupled with the creaminess of the avocado that is absolute heaven! I stopped myself at my second helping.

For the main event, Mr. Cousina had been busy minding the grill while his mesquite beef tenderloin was cooked to perfection. A nice char on the outside and perfectly pink on the inside. The beef was served with some fresh asparagus and another treasured menu item from Christmas past, Cousina Solvita's mushroom cups.

After busting a gut, it was time to bust out in song and then to bust open some gifts. The kids were looking forward to opening presents and I was looking forward to dessert!

Auntie Lee made an amazing cheesecake (better than our pumpkin one for sure) and a chocolate trifle. We also had cream puffs and cookies. Now that's Italian!

When the kiddie chaos settled down, it was time to pick on some more cookies, call it a night and get ready for Santa!

I wonder what culinary gifts would be left under the tree for Ms. Foodie?