Candlelit Winter Solstice Fireplace Picnic

Every Winter Solstice my family turns off all the lights in the evening, lights a fire in the fireplace, lights a million candles, spreads a blanket in front of the fireplace and has a special dinner on the living room floor. Not only is it a lovely way to celebrate the darkest night, but it’s also a great opportunity to turn off electronics and lights and just enjoy each other’s company. We do this every year, no matter what else we do (or don’t do.) The kids think it’s hysterical to walk around the house with a lantern and it’s an incredibly relaxing night in a busy stressful season.

We always have Swedish meatballs (which are referred to as ikea meatballs in my house… ) with mashed potatoes, green beans and a bouche de noel or Yule log cake. I used to make much fancier stuff, but everyone will eat ikea meatballs and they are easy to throw together quickly on a school night so they have become our Solstice dish. I do make the cake in advance, because it’s a bit more time consuming.

If you are looking for something a little fancier check out “Roast Figs, Sugar Snow” by Diana Henry which is my all time favorite winter cozy cookbook. This could go from being a cozy family celebration to an elegant grownup party with a few modifications!

Swedish Meatballs (Ikea Meatballs)

First off, these have absolutely nothing to do with Ikea or their recipe, my kids just equate Swedish meatballs with Ikea. In fact, I can’t even eat their meatballs because they have wheat in them. Consequently, this is a gluten free recipe and not terribly traditional. Mostly because traditional = lots of bread and flour. I use frozen meatballs to make this faster to put together, again that means they aren’t necessarily Swedish style meatballs, but you can use gluten free or vegetarian meatballs or whatever works best for your family. Regular meatballs work great too. We always serve them with leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, but if you aren’t American or don’t always seem to end up with orphaned cranberry sauce in the back of your fridge every year, lingonberry jam is the more traditional choice. We always serve these with mashed potatoes which I make in a crockpot- that way you don’t have to make them last minute and they stay warm for hours.

Ingredients:

• store bought gf meatballs (or your preference)
• olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 3 cups beef stock (or mushroom if your prefer)
• sprig of dried or fresh rosemary
• 6 tablespoon of low fat cream cheese
• salt and pepper

• mashed potatoes
• leftover cranberry sauce

Method:

Cook the meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet in the oven according to package directions.

Drizzle some olive oil in a large deep frying pan. Turn to medium heat, add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown.

Add the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are a nice caramelized color.

Stir in the stick and the rosemary and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Carefully dip the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth. (You may need to do this in batches.)

Add the now smooth sauce back to the pan over medium heat.

Stir in the cream cheese and cook until melted and creamy. Season to taset with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Serve with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Bouche de Noel (Yule Log Cake)

Read more about our Yule log cake and it’s symbolism here. Some years a stay up all night making fancy marzipan mushrooms and some years I don’t. Every year it is eaten and lovedQ