CHRISTMAS, Part II; and January
First, a recipe recommendation. I've made this Creamy Root Vegetable Soup twice now. It's super easy. Peel and dice a slew of root veggies (that will test your skills in the produce section of the store - how often do you even buy celery root and parsnips??), but otherwise you toss it in a pot and cook it. If you have an immersion blender that makes it easy. If you don't, be careful blending it. I'd let it cool for 30 minutes first so you don't burn yourself. This is a dairy free recipe and the soup tastes AMAZING. My kids all eat it and enjoy it because it is naturally sweet. It has the texture of a baked potato soup, but the taste is totally different. Plus it uses veggies that are totally in season right now that probably aren't in your normal rotation. GREAT way to expand your palate without feeling like you're eating bitter veggies. This one gets two thumbs up from all my kids! January 2, Kenna was so, so ...