Thanksgiving is barely over and before I can even get the kitchen cleaned up we are already hurdling towards Christmas!  Really, whose idea was it to put these two great family holidays so close together on the calendar??  Wouldn’t we all enjoy and appreciate these celebrations more if they were spaced it out just a bit more? 

Since we can’t rearrange the calendar,  I recommend that we all try to make space for ourselves and our immediate family to have some quiet time during these crazy hectic days between Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Chanukah or whatever December holiday you and your family celebrate).  “Peace”, afterall, is one of the messages of the season, right?   

In my family we have a tradition of dinner and a movie night – where we stay home for quality together time.  During December though, we make it extra special extra.  We each don our pj’s early in the evening, turn on the Christmas lights on the tree and turn off the other lights.    Then we bring our dinner into the living room and literally gather around the coffee table to eat while we watch a movie or two.   To keep it fun and interesting we mix up the types of shows we watch – from  traditional holiday classics, special new holiday movies, even non–holiday hits.   The only “rule” is the movie choices have to be family-friendly (i.e. non violent, feel-good movies) in keeping with the spirit of the season.

Dinner is an important part of the night.  The meal has to be a family favorite (just like the movies) – quick and easy, and not too messy for the living room (after a disaster last year, I have taken spaghetti with meatballs off the list for movie night!).

My menu this week for our first holiday family night of the year is oven crunchy shrimp with steamed veggies and baked potatoes.  The kids love SeaPak Popcorn Shrimp with just some ranch dressing for dipping.  For the adults, I’m planning a Butterfly Shrimp Scaloppini sauce for a little flair.   It sounds fancy but it really only takes a few minutes to make the delicious buttery sauce while the butterfly shrimp and the popcorn shrimp are baking right along side of each other in the oven.  In fact I love this scaloppini sauce so much I even prepare extra as a delicious baked-potato topping!   

Family evening accomplished – and for my kids I say, “and to all a good night!” while I enjoy peace long after the fun of the evening is over. Does your family have any similar type of family traditions that you observe every year?

Butterfly Shrimp Scaloppini

Prep Time: 3 minutes           Cook time: 12 minutes

• 1 carton (9 oz) SeaPak® Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp – Oven Crispy, frozen
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 clove (about 1 tsp) of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon white wine
• 2 teaspoons capers (if desired)

 
PREPARE shrimp according to package directions.

MELT butter in a small skillet until simmering. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add lemon juice and wine. Sauté an additional 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is bubbly.

PLACE shrimp on serving dish. Drizzle with hot butter sauce. Serve immediately.