'Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2022

It's Christmas Eve, and THAT means it's time for The Harris Sisters often imitated but never duplicated annual 2022 year-in-review in the form of a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas parody.

For new readers, this is a Harris Family tradition that dates back to the before-times (not quite when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but before helpful technology like computers, and blogs, and social media, and the interwebs). The original Harris Family Christmas parodies were written on paper with sharpened, lead-filled wood sticks (pencils) whilst sitting at the kitchen bar on Christmas Eve night.

So, to keep this grand old tradition alive, we still deliver these to you on Christmas Eve. (Just like jolly old St. Nick!)

We had lots of fun this year - and we always enjoy looking back and sharing the highlights with you! We're so glad we got to virtually "meet" some of our new friends and keep up with our old ones. We hope that you enjoyed reading along with us! If you're only following us on one social platform or the other, remember you can connect with us here on the blog, on Facebook, on Pinterest, and on Instagram. 

'Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2022

'Twas the site by three sisters, Twenty Twenty-Two
We started off the year with a decor change-a-roo;
In February, we taught you tips and tricks right away,
To switch your Christmas tree to Valentine's Day.

As April rolled around, we could not keep silent,
Bringing gift ideas for a teen with a new license,
Ask your family members to submit and identify
Photos and advice to gift as this guide.

And then in June we just could not wait,
To tell you about our fun in The Volunteer State.
From antiquing to murals to a fun dinner cruise,
A garden tour and World's Fair Park - you've got nothing to lose!

In September, of course, we said a big cheers,
To celebrate The Harris Sisters blog – 10 years!
An anniversary photo we brought up-to-date,
And a big THANK YOU to help celebrate.

And then in December, we planned to make merry,
With the menu and décor for a Cousin Eddie Party,
More rapid than eagles the guests they came,
And we whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, EDDIE! now, CLARK! now, AUDREY and RUSTY!
On, RUBY SUE! on MARGO! on, TODD and BETHANY!
To the top of the RV! Photograph us all!
Now flash away! flash away! flash away all!"

As the first of Twenty Twenty-Three arrives,
We wanted to tell you how grateful we are for you guys,
To all who have followed, shared, commented, and liked,
"HARRIS CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

Merry Christmas from Misty, Donna, and Deanna! (And Daddy!) 

We're pictured here with custom National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation "Fun, Old Fashioned Harris Family Christmas" T-shirts. You can get custom T-shirts with your family name on them from Etsy. 

And you can read about our magical Christmas burn barrel tradition in this post about Harris Family Christmas Traditions, which also has the story about how the Christmas Eve parody started and scans of some of the original ones.

Make sure to take a look at our previous year's Christmas Eve parodies too!

Vegan Collard Greens

I wanted to share with you a new recipe for our family's traditional collard greens for our New Year's meal. It's a vegan recipe that's perfect for our family, which includes two vegetarians.

This recipe is perfect for if you have to consider a variety of dietary needs at your New Year's table. You can serve the traditional meat of ham separately for any meat eaters in your group.

We pair this Southern-style recipe with Vegan Hoppin' John and Sweet Honey Cornbread to start the new year off right!

Vegan Collard Greens

2 bunches fresh collard greens
olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth 
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke flavoring
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
black pepper (to taste)
balsamic vinegar (for serving, if desired)
hot sauce (for serving, if desired)

1. Remove bottom stalks of the collard green leaves and chop or tear into small pieces. 
2. Fill your sink or a large container with cold water, add chopped collard greens, and soak for at least 10 minutes. (Some people prefer to soak greens overnight.)
3. Remove the collard greens from the sink, place them in a colander, give them a good rinse, and drain. Complete this step in batches, if needed.
4. Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil.
5. Sauté onions over medium-low heat until they begin to brown and then add in garlic.
6. Cook until onions and garlic are fragrant, for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add in vegetable broth.
8. Season broth with salt, Liquid Smoke, red pepper flakes, and black pepper (if desired).
9. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. 
10. Bring broth to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
11. Add in the greens, cover, and cook until greens are completely tender, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
12. Check at the 30-minute mark to make sure there is still enough broth in the pot. Add more vegetable broth if needed.
13. Serve with hot sauce or balsamic vinegar, if desired.

Notes:

Make sure you like the taste of the broth when you taste it at step 9, because this is how your greens will taste. Adjust seasonings at this step, if necessary. 

Remember that the heat from the red pepper flakes will increase as the greens cook and you can always add more heat by serving the collard greens with additional hot sauce.

Traditions & Superstitions: 

A long-held tradition in the South, collard greens are often served for New Year’s Day.  According to superstition, if you eat collard greens on New Year’s Day, then you will have financial success for the coming year.

• collard greens represent green backs (dollars), or cash 
• black-eyed peas represent coins (this is traditionally served with alongside collard greens on New Year's Day)
• cornbread represents gold (this is traditionally served with alongside collard greens on New Year's Day)

How to Make Ol' Roy Puppy Chow for a Christmas Vacation Party

Our family recently hosted a Christmas Vacation-themed party, and one menu item that we knew we had to include was Puppy Chow. You may also know these as Muddy Buddies. But of course, when it hit our party table, we labeled it Ol' Roy Puppy Chow. 

This was to pay homage to the scene in the movie where Cousin Eddie fills his entire shopping cart with nothing but dog food and then when Clark casually adds a package of lightbulbs, they get obliterated with a GIANT bag of . . . . you guessed it . . . Ol' Roy!

Harris Sister Misty brought this no-bake sweet treat to our party, and it was a hit. And, of course, she served it in a big stainless steel dog bowl to add to the effect. So, we recommend that too!

Cousin Eddie's Ol' Roy Puppy Chow

9 cups crispy rice cereal (Chex or Crispix)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate. Add peanut butter and mix until smooth. Remove from heat.
2. Place the cereal in a large bowl and pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the cereal. Stir GENTLY with a spatula until coated. Make sure you don’t break up the cereal, you want it to stay in whole pieces.
3. Pour powdered sugar into a large Ziploc bag, add coated cereal, seal the bag, and shake until well coated. 
4. Spread the puppy chow in a single layer so it can cool and not stick together. Let sit until the chocolate is hard.
5. Store in an airtight container.

Notes:

After the puppy chow is dry, you can put it in a large airtight container and store on the counter for up to 2 weeks. 

If your kitchen is warm, you can store the puppy chow in the refrigerator to make sure the chocolate doesn’t melt.

You can also put puppy chow into decorative Christmas tins or bags to give to friends, family, and neighbors for the holidays. It makes an easy homemade holiday gift, and it's one that the kiddos can help you make!