Christmas Eve in Oak Creek

(null)(null)(null)(null)This year we celebrated Christmas with my family in Oak Creek on Christmas Eve. Amanda was scheduled to work, so we planned to get everything ready and when she came home from work we would eat dinner. But then the on Christmas Eve morning she got called off work and got to hang out all day!

fullsizerender-16fullsizerender-12fullsizerender-15(null)Makai loved playing with everyone. He and Jessica played in her room too. He likes to draw on her whiteboard. Dallas and Larry watched football and took naps. The Packers won! I tried to see how many different things I could mix with rum:

(null)Cold eggnog.

(null)Hot apple cider.

(null)Warm eggnog.

fullsizerender-14Cheers! Makai loves the warm apple cider. He drank a ton at the cookie party too.

(null)(null)(null)For dinner, Richard and Amanda roasted two ducks. They also made mushroom risotto. My dad made roasted root vegetables. I made a Greek-ish salad with spinach and orzo pasta. My mom and dad also made a ton of Christmas candies and treats. Everything was so delicious!

fullsizerender-13(null)After dinner we opened gifts. Jess and Makai got gifts from everyone. For the third year in a row, Steph was in the adult gift exchange. This year Larry was also in the gift exchange.

fullsizerender-17Jess got two sweatshirts (from us and from my parents) that were the same but different colors. Who wore it better?

(null)A package showed up at Richard and Amanda’s house and it wasn’t for them. They called the shipper several times to come and get it and they never did. So they wrapped it up and opened it! I can’t remember everything that was in the box. I think some kitchen things and a string of lights. Maybe?

(null)My dad had my name in the gift exchange, as you can see. He got me a bunch of things I wanted like a fluted bundt pan, some pyrex bowls, and some aluminum straws. I had Amanda’s name this year.

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(null)Before we knew it, it was getting pretty late. Way past Makai’s bedtime, so we put him in his Christmas pajamas and got ready for the drive back home. We took a few last photos while Dallas was loading the car up. Long fun day!!!

Dinner at Colombo’s


Portobello mushroom, goat cheese, garlic bruchetta :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Clams casino :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Meatballs with fresh ricotta and Parmesan :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Salad :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Pepperoni Pizza :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Scallops with risotto :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod

On Wednesday we tried to go to the beach but it was really, really windy. We were getting pelted with sand. Finally we just gave up and went home. After getting all the sand off of us, we decided to go shopping. At TJ Maxx I picked up a really discounted dress, some sandals and a floppy beach hat.

For dinner we went to Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, which opened up in Hyannis that day. Jess’s cousin Michaela is a hostess there so we went to visit her and check out the new restaurant. The concept is kind of something for everything. There’s a bar, a lounge, inside dining, outside dining, a pastry case, gelato, lunch sandwiches, nice dinner entrees, etc. I guess time will tell if this strategy works.

We really liked that all of the pasta was whole wheat and you could get a honey whole wheat crust on the pizzas. The food there skewed towards Italian and healthy, which differentiated it from the other Cape restaurants we’ve been to. Overall, we really enjoyed the food, but as to be expected on opening night of any restaurant, there were some service kinks to work out. I’m sure they just need practice to get everything running smoothly.