Holiday treats from the Osmeña and Lopez kitchens

For more than a dozen years or so, we have spent Christmas Eve dinner with friends who have children that are similar in age to ours.  There is no grand celebration, just a simple gathering of  families and a handful of bosom buddies sharinga delicious buffet dinner that only Bettina Osmeña can prepare in her kitchen.  Family recipes handed down by her mother Chona Mejia Lopez plus a couple of new dishes are always savored in the groaning buffet table.  

On New Year’s Eve, Eva Abesamis and Citoy Lopez’s open house is one of the get-togethers that we look forward to. Again, food was the main centerpiece, but this time the choices were simpler since it was more of a media noche menu that featured finger foods and sweet treats.  Delectable desserts were laid out to pave the way for a harmonious year ahead and 12 grapes were given to each guest so that we can plop them into our champagne glasses.   As the clock struck midnight, we ate one berry per stroke for good luck.

Of course, music was homegrown since Eva’s son David de Koenigswater and his famous Brat Pack band were the performers of the evening.  Guests of all ages joined in the fun to either jam, dance or toot their noisemakers in rhythm.  Maskipaps (maski papano or anything goes) dancing style was the choice with lots of laughter as we were just having a good time in anticipation of the coming year.

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