The Legend of Christmas Nachos

Those who have known me for a few years know that I delight in my traditional evening meal on December 25th.

Yes, my friends, this is the origin story of the Christmas Nachos.

One special evening in the 00’s we were driving home from Greenville, NC on Christmas Eve.  It was fifteen minutes until grocery stores closed… still four hours from home… when I realized we had no food in the refrigerator at home.  Catching the exit and wheeling into the Piggly Wiggly, I realized my spartan cupboard at home resembled an NPR Lynne Rosetto Kasper cooking challenge… we had nothing but cheese, onions and a can of refried beans.  We had successfully whittled down the food before we left on our trip to prevent spoilage.

It had seemed like a good strategy at the time.

New strategy: I sent Whitney in for tortilla chips and a jar of salsa.

So, one night a year, this mother has the dinner she wants.  Everything else on Christmas day is for the children.  And that makes me happy.  But that one day a year, I just want to collapse in exhaustion with a pile of gooey cheese covered with caramelized onions.

However, the real legend of the Christmas nacho dates back to biblical times.

For in the town of Bethlehem, lying in a manager there was a small child and they named him Jesus. When there was a respite between visits from Kings and angels and taking the donkey out to do his business, Mary had a private talk with Joseph.  “Now Joseph, you know I love no one but you.  And I know you have been wondering why Jesus doesn’t look like anyone in either of our families.  Well, Joseph, the thing is… He’s nacho’ baby.”

And thus, the legend of the Christmas Nacho was born.

Bon Appetite!