Demetrius and Lori's Christmas gift to each other: food, fellowship, laughter, joy

I've never been too keen on purchasing Christmas gifts for adults. Christmas and Santa seem to me to be important for the kids, but do adults really need more stuff?

All I want for Christmas is to have healthy and happy friends and family surround me. Oh, and food. And wine.

This Christmas, my husband's and my gift to each other is a holiday buffet for friends. We open our home to friends who may be unable to travel to be with family, the divorced parent who doesn't have visitation this year, single individuals who don't want to be alone and/or cook for themselves. It's a hodge-podge of guests, for sure, but we have a great time. Everyone can come and go throughout the day - no schedule, no dress code.

This year, Demetrius is brining his first turkey - a tip he learned from Alton's Brown's cooking show, Good Eats. In fact, he purchased two turkeys from the butcher so that he could experiment the brining process on one. (But his butcher did recommend brining.)

My fav holiday recipe is Barefoot Contessa's sweet potato casserole with heavy cream, orange juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, apples and more (thank you Janice & Andrew for that fabulous cookbook).

Also, it wouldn't seem like a holiday dinner if I didn't make roasted butternut squash with red grapes, onions and fresh sage - a favorite recipe from epicurious.com.  Yes, I'm making the holiday regulars: mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans cooked in bacon.

Demetrius and Lori's Christmas gift to each other: food, fellowship, laughter, joy

Demetrius will likely prepare his signature dish, spanakopita, because nothing says "Christmas dinner" like Greek spinach pie!

Should you find yourself in Tulsa on Christmas Day and would enjoy some fun friends, fellowship, food and laughter, call for directions to our casa.

We wish all a safe, joyous and merry Christmas!

Lori Cain is a residential Realtor with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors serving the greater Tulsa Oklahoma area, including midtown Tulsa, Owasso, Broken Arrow, Bixby, Sand Springs and Jenks. Please visit Lori’s web site, LoriCain.com or call 918-852-5036.