Marketing Spoonful

Watching Julie and Julia after a fun-filled day of family time and presents makes me pause to reflect on how much I enjoy eating. I mean, what better way to celebrate a holiday? There is such an inextricable link between food and family. And family is at the center of every holiday.

The smell of fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls baking in the oven awakened me this morning, beckoning me to gently lift my head from where it comfortably lay on a thick feather pillow. A little flour, eggs and butter properly sweetened goes a long way to start Christmas day right. I was pleasantly surprised that my mother-in-law had purchased Simply Orange to wash it down. A nice cup of PT’s coffee, and I was all set to start the day.

Watching children dump the contents of their stockings on the floor is a wonderful way to spend the first hour or so of Christmas morning. One of our traditions is to load them with edible treats, along with a few little toys or games. Our kids have really taken a shine to clementines, (branded Little Cuties), those little oranges that are so sweet and juicy. My son got some wasabi peas, and there is always some sort of chocolate. The kids are always careful to keep that hidden from their mother.

By the time everyone has opened their gifts and passed them around for closer inspection by everyone else, the kids are ready to play with their loot. iPod, Wii, cellular phone. Whatever happened to Star Wars action figures and comic books? Oh well, it’s all good. Meanwhile, my mind’s on dinner. Or late lunch. Call it, “linner.”

Our fare today included brisket, which was lovingly braised and carefully sliced into quarter-inch-think portions that took about six bites to finish. The meat was moist, savory and delicious. Alongside the beef was a classic celebratory side item: hash brown potato casserole with sour cream, cheese, cream of chicken soup and corn flake topping. Oh. Yeah. My nephews didn’t like it, which left more for their father and me.

Some nice dinner rolls completed the meal, which was complemented by a simple cabbage slaw.

All in all, the culinary part of my day was perfecto! Don’t even get me started on the cookies!

Tags: food marketing blog, holiday food