Once in a Blue Moon......

During the holidays many of my Chicago friends, from Argentina, come home.This year, for Christmas I joined my friend Adrian's family and was invited back for New Year's Eve. Adrian is from a suburb of Buenos Aires.

For both holidays, everyone meets at 9pm for dinner. Because it is summer here, much of the food is served cold. His mom, which I belief is an exception cook, makes a variety of cold salads, all from scratch. These intricate salads are all very different but tend to have a mayo base. My favorite was shredded carrots and cabbage with a touch of mayo. Another favorite of mine was a cold beef dish marinated in olive oil, parsley, garlic and onion. The biggest different between the Christmas and New Year’s meal was that last night his mother had chicken cooking in the oven. On the side she had sweet and regular potatoes.

I’ve been trying to imagine what this week must be like for his mother, it is a big week. There are some simple dishes thrown into the mix, too lighten the work load, but Mom clearly works hard to make these wonderful events possible. It is obvious that she loves to cook and as Adrian’s very happy Dad said last night, everything is “made with love.”

We had a homemade fruit cake, which she packages. We had candies, nuts and at the end fruit salad with ice-cream. Amazing! She makes a special Alcoholic beverage with fresh strawberries for when the clock strikes midnight. She made a special version of the fruit salad and beverage without alcohol for me.

Last night was an official ‘blue moon’ and for me, I feel the same about my experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better New Year’s Eve experience, with a better family and better friends. That doesn't come around every day!

To Adrian and Adrian’s Family thank you from the bottom of my heart. Gracias por todo!!