the world outside: home for the holidays

as most of you are well aware, coy and i did not make it “home” to pennsylvania for this holiday season. however, we did manage to create a festive spirit in our new home, thanks to decorations and christmas gifts from our fabulous moms. the stockings were hung and the tree was displayed with beautifully wrapped gifts beneath it. all that we lacked was a little snow (can’t have it all, right?).

our christmas tree!

happy holidays from us to you!

although we did not manage to celebrate the holiday with our family, our neighbors warmly welcomed us to join in their christmas feast. the villanueva family has practically adopted us since the day we moved into our house (that’s right, we finally moved in!!!) on christmas eve we were treated to tamales, cheese dip, white cake, and soft drinks. as if that weren’t enough to fill us for the next week, we were lured back for a christmas lunch consisting of relleno, ceviche, black cake, and more soft drinks. as we rolled ourselves away from the table and back to our house, coy and i agreed that ms. villanueva is by far the best cook we’ve met thus far in belize.

the table is set for the villanueva family of 6 plus us 2 lucky guests!

tamales are a traditional central american dish made from masa (ground corn), chicken, onion, tomato, and seasonings wrapped in roasted banana leaves and boiled.

relleno is a dish often served for holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions. it takes a great deal of time to make it properly, but the result can be heavenly.

essentially it is a soup made from roasted stuffed chicken (the chicken is stuffed with cooked ground beef and egg, boiled in water, then removed and roasted on hot coals. it is served in broth and with corn tortillas).

ceviche can be made in a variety of ways, using fish, shrimp, or sometimes other meats. the fish or meat is “cooked” with lime juice. here, it is made with shrimp, tomato, lime, habanero pepper, cilantro, and onion. it is served with tortilla chips and is absolutely delicious.

the villanueva children being absolutely adorable in front of their christmas tree.

ms. villanueva herself… my personal nominee for best belizean chef.

just when we thought we’d tasted all the belizean standards, she entered into our lives and created a whole new taste experience for all those old favorites. no longer can we easily pass judgment on any local treats until we have officially tried her version of the dish. she makes everything taste exponentially better.

so while we did not dine on ham or gorge ourselves on christmas cookies this year, we were certainly taken care of.