It is true what they say: A picture IS worth a thousand words. Ever comfortable in yoga pants and a fleecy sweatshirt, I jazzed my uniform up a bit for the holidays--jeans and a sweater and I was ready to go.

My daughter Reilly, our resident fashion consultant urged, “Everybody! Let’s get dressed up for a photo...” We were going to cook dinner--Christmas dinner--at my in-laws’ home an hour away. Comfort was key. I reluctantly changed into a dress and tugged my signature ponytail loose to let my hair down. We packed up the car with all the supplies to prepare our traditional holiday feast the moment we arrived: beef tenderloin, tiny red-skin potatoes, fresh green beans, salad greens and acoutrements, and the piece d’ resistance: a fresh-from-the-oven bar of espresso brownies and classic vanilla ice cream from Ellen’s Homemade. I ran through the mental checklist, called it good and off we went.

Eager to get dinner started, I headed straight for the kitchen, pushed up my sleeves, and unpacked our goods. No sooner had I preheated the oven than I was beckoned for the photo-op. I took my time strolling from my mother-in-law Claire’s immaculate kitchen to the living room’s magnificent stone fireplace, the scene of our impromptu portrait.

“Stand here, look this way, SMILE,” and moments later I was allowed to get back to the business at hand. Cooking. With my family, for my family. It’s my absolute happy place. It’s in my blood and brings complete contentment. The girls gathered in and went to task, snapping the stems from the green beans, scrubbing and halving the potatoes, spinning the lettuce for salad. The fire crackled from the stone fireplace. Over the river and through the woods.

“Six o’clock,” Claire answered, as if being surveyed. “Let’s shoot for six.” We had ample time to prepare the components of our feast. This menu never wavers, as much as I try. My suggestions fall on deaf ears as far as our Christmas meal goes. Any other day of the year, this crew is game to switch things up. Not today.

With one oven, we stagger the cooking with an assumed timeline. First the potatoes. Classic, simply cut in half, tossed with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of coarse salt (our at-stove-and-table favorite is the locally produced JQ Dickinson Saltworks, handmade by seventh generation salt makers in nearby Malden, West Virginia). The potatoes roast, cut sides down until they are golden on the bottom.

We pull the potatoes to standby position, ready to be quickly heated when the tenderloin is done. A holiday treat, the beef is rubbed with good olive oil fresh garlic, salt, and a shower of black pepper. Pop it in the hot hot oven and it’s perfectly cooked 25 minutes later. We let it rest while the potatoes go back in to reheat.

Italian green beans simmer on the stove with tons of fresh garlic, a bit of tomato and a kiss of Sherry. The combination creates a fragrant dressing for the just-tender beans. Delicious. For some reason I only make these at Christmas. I make a note to put them in regular rotation.

If I insist, my crew will allow some level of variation on our salad. I love simply dressed greens with red pear, Gorgonzola, and toasted pecans. Or crisp romaine with a bright cranberry dressing and slices of tart apple. This year the votes went in favor of a favorite weeknight recipe, “Dressed in the Bowl Caesar.” The girls made big curls of Parmesan to jazz it up.

Six o’clock was fast approaching. The table, a massive round that comfortably seats the 12 of us, is set with candles glowing. We, in the no longer immaculate kitchen, staged a buffet on Claire’s butcher block island. The fireside crew filed in to fill their plates.

Each of the 12 seats filled instantly and glasses raised to good health and many blessings. Then quiet, accented with the happy cadence of forks and knives. The conversation resumes and someone announces ‘this is the best ever!’ Because more hands are involved? Because we are together at one big table? We have graduated, all grown up, grateful palates.

The fire, which has been carefully tended throughout, beckons. The earlier fireside crew takes dish duty and the cooking committee breaks out dessert. The bar of espresso brownie, once a staple I crafted daily at a local restaurant, is now on stage. “One or two triangles?” the girls inquire. They ornately plate the brownies with a scoop of Ellen’s vanilla and a spoonful of raspberry-cherry compote.

I have begged to switch up dessert, offering centerpiece-worthy Bouche de Noel or one of those magazine cover desserts that taunts you, making you impulsively buy the magazine with every intention of getting around to the project (I vividly recall one such ‘cake project’ for my brother-in-law’s birthday, a genoise with multiple fillings, enrobed in a wide chocolate band and topped with huge curls of dark and white chocolate, while dutifully assisted by one toddler). These festive ideas are always rejected in favor of The Brownie.

Once the kitchen is spiffed back into Claire’s preferred level of tidiness, no one is left standing. The fire wins and those who do not succumb to the happy food coma launch into lively and fiercely competitive rounds of charades. I’m a shoo in for the food coma and happily listen to the shouts of the revelers, “book! Two words, first word, sounds like!” as I drift into dreams of total serenity, occasionally regaining consciousness when the fire pops like the Fourth of July or there is an exceptionally animated charades performer. I accidentally engage in the game and am offered a turn. I accept, sleepwalk to the stone hearth-stage, and do my best with my charades draw. I want to freeze this frame. Christmas with family in West Virginia.

ESPRESSO BLONDIES

A family favorite for all occasions! These have had a seat at many tables since I hosted my first West Virginia Christmas in my Charleston home in…1995! We moved the festivities to my in-laws’ when they built their home near the rim of the Gorge in the early 2000’s. Our Merry Memories in Baton Rouge began five years ago when we left the mountains of WV for sunny Louisiana.

1 ½ cups unbleached flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cool room temp
½ cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs (large)
2 Tablespoons instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water (I use Maxwell House—can use ‘Sanka’ for decaf)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)

Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 325. Butter a 13x9x2” inch baking pan (I use a metal pan, and I line it with foil to make cutting easier—but not necessary.

Put the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Put the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium speed for 15 seconds. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat until the butter and sugars are creamed thoroughly, about 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and mix in the eggs, dissolved espresso, and vanilla, mixing just until the eggs are incorporated. THE MIXTURE WILL LOOK CURDLED. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl once during this mixing. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until the flour is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center no longer has liquid clinging to it, but the brownies still feel soft, 28-35 minutes.

Let cool completely, then cut into 12 squares (I cut each square into triangles)

*VERY IMPORTANT!!

Unbleached flour has a higher protein content than ‘all-purpose’ and is the best flour in this recipe.

The mixing times are also important—I have ‘over-mixed’ the batter and it doesn’t turn out well.

Happy Baking!