Tinsel and Caviar Pie

TBHITW loved Christmas. 

It's as simple as that. He LOVED Christmas. 

He loved everything about it. EVERYTHING.

Every year he would take a day off from work to shop. He loved the music (always started playing Christmas music officially on the Friday after Thanksgiving). He loved the malls that were decorated. He loved the crowds. He loved the lights, the food, everything. 

But he especially loved tinsel on the Christmas tree. 

He had a special technique for putting tinsel on the tree. He would grab a handful, stand back about 5 feet and throw it at the tree. 

Me, I'm a one strand on each branch kind of girl. 

Because we believe in compromise, one year he would get his method of tinsel and the next I would get mine. 

This worked for many years until about 2 or 3 years ago when I relented and just let him have his way. He got such joy out of it... who was I go argue? 

This morning as I was showering, getting ready to take my grandlittles to see The Nutcracker Ballet (featuring The Moscow Ballet Company - yes! Those Russians can dance).. I was thinking about Christmas and all the gift giving. My DIL had suggested that in addition to the Ballet tickets I might want to fund the grandlittle's winter swimming lessons. As I was showering I was thinking perhaps that was too much. The tickets to the ballet, lunch, etc.. would be enough of a gift. (yes, I was thinking cheap)... When I stepped out of the shower, there, on the bath mat was a single strand of tinsel. 

Now let me tell you.... I have not dragged out a single ornament. Besides, my bathroom is on the third floor - 2 stories away from where we store the Christmas ornaments. How did it get there?

I stopped cold in my tracks (in my towel) and stared at that single strand of tinsel. Then I started laughing. Then I cried. Then I laughed again. Then I went into the office and wrote out a check for swimming lessons. 

TBHITW continues to guide me. And I will be putting a bit of tinsel in every Christmas card I send this year. I might even throw it by the handful onto our Christmas tree. 

This is a decadent, beautiful dish. Easy to make and lovely to serve on a buffet table. 

Caviar Pie: serves 15-20 people

1 10" springform cake pan
1 doz. eggs, hard boiled & cooled
1 1/2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 lg. pkg. cream cheese
1 sm. container sour cream
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 (4 oz.) jar lumpfish caviar

Finely chop eggs and combine with mayonnaise. Spread mixture evenly in springform pan. Sprinkle onion over top of mixture. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and lemon juice together until smooth and spread over the onions and egg mixture. Cover pan.Chill for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible. Just prior to serving, run knife around side of pan, remove springform side. (Set pan on serving platter first.) Spread caviar on top. Serve with a variety of crackers.


A Cook's Note: This may sound expensive but the entire pie, excluding crackers, costs approximately $12.00 to make and will serve about 15-20 people. Use black lumpfish or for a really festive look choose red lumpfish.