Christmas Prime Rib, hot off the rotisserie!

Although Bryan and I spent Christmas Eve alone, we headed to Mom and Charlie's for Christmas Day, where we were greeted by the scent of a prime rib slowly roasting in Mom's rotisserie.

In the past, the rotisserie has "lived" outside, next to the barbecue, which has left much more to the imagination for the olfactory glands. Moving the rotisserie indoors was a welcome surprise on the stormy day that sent us rushing over to Mom's after our power had gone out.

But the prime rib was just the beginning of our Christmas scentsasion!

After I burned my tongue on the baby bok choy Mom told me to try, which convinced her I didn't know how to cook because I should have known it was too hot to put in my mouth, she made me help her make the Brussels sprouts.

Similar to the Brussels sprouts I had made for our own Christmas Eve feast, Mom had parboiled these for 5 minutes, then sliced them in halves or quarters. But instead of roasting hers, we first cooked up two slices of bacon, then added a shallot, then the Brussels sprouts for a quick stir-fry. They were equally delicious, even if Mom thought they were too greasy from the bacon. More for us to take home, woo-hoo!

Mom rounded out the meal with mashed potatoes, gravy and beets, giving it just enough traditional fare to keep it in the Christmas family, but still keeping it Mom style with her version of healthy Chinese cooking.

Honestly, who wouldn't want bok choy as part of their Christmas meal? Thanks Mom, for always being unpredictable!