A Boxing Day With Duck, Duck, Duck... Duck.

Boxing Day Recipes? 

A CHAMPIONSHIP won!!! Why YES there's a story... 

I love sharing my Virginia history and culture with others. A while ago, these gentlemen rented our apartment. It is Christmas, and I know they are missing their families, so I invited them over for cookies, to stroll around looking at Richmond's beautiful architecture, and to admire the holiday lights... but they were BUSY. Our bantering made us all laugh, thus I had the pleasure to know Delante Tiger Johnson, a 2020 Olympian, and his team (which includes his little brother!).  

As the USA Boxing Nationals progressed (with over 2,000 participants from 45 states!) we cheered them on while I teased the team regularly that they needed to stop boxing for some cookies and Christmas decorations.

Friday night, my phone rang. Marcellus WON!!!! They were calling to invite us over to celebrate!!! “KIDS!!!” I yelled as we grabbed cookies and raced over to admire THE BIGGEST BELT I HAVE EVER SEEN and hear their stories. 

What touched me from the moment we met was their cohesiveness as a team… it was amazing to hear more details as we feted their wins. They began boxing when they were about 7, and have known each other since. They are teammates in the best way — family. 

Next up? Olympics!

Next time they visit I hope we'll take those long walks in nature and look at Richmond’s beautiful architecture and holiday lights. But at least they did get cookies with that USA Boxing Nationals belt! 

Thus the season of spirited joyful gathering began.

While it was not the traditional Boxing Day, THIS boxing day will forever live in our hearts and family lore.

Here are more photos (with recipes) from Christmas:

Duck, Duck, Duck... Duck.

My mother’s bridge club once remarked “Copeland can pick a chicken three ways.”
I present duck, picked four.

First: Roast Duck
As requested, I made the Thanksgiving lemon marmalade duck with roasted vegetables again for Christmas Dinner. I find duck serves four, slicing the meat, with lots of sides and appetizers. But you CAN get a lot more meat by shredding it the next day, pulling everything from the bones. This Christmas’s appetizers included oysters, chicken pate (so easy to make- livers, onion, salt, plenty of pepper and thyme, a little Hennessy), a platter with slices of baguette topped with cream cheez and Amish pepper relish OR lemon marmalade… interspersed with slices slathered with duck rillettes.

Second: Duck Rillettes

Shred, then pile all that leftover meat into an oven-proof dish along with some minced bits of vegetables, and all the jelled broth and fat. Grind pepper liberally over, along with crushed thyme. Dash in hot sauce, a little more lemon marmalade (just make sure the lemon peel is minced), a little salt, and thoroughly mix this all together. Ideally, you can separate this mixture and pack it densely into several little pots to freeze, then serve when last minute friends visit over the holiday! Heat at 250 until the broth and fat have melted and the meat is underneath, cool, and store in the fridge/freezer. Slather on hot, fresh-baked french bread.

Third: Duck Broth

Take the clean-picked carcass, add the scrap vegetables you store in a Pyrex in the freezer, cover with water, and simmer. Now you have broth for soups! I made an Asian soup with lots of ginger and mushrooms. But save some of that broth for New Years Day…

Fourth: New Year’s Black-eyed Peas with Stewed Tomatoes

Soak a pack of black-eyed peas overnight. Drain. In a large pot, cover the peas with duck broth so that there is about an inch over the peas. Add plenty of minced garlic, onion, some celery, chopped collards (or mustard greens), hot sauce, and a few glugs of vinegar.

In a smaller pot, add diced tomatoes, some sugar, top with torn or diced stale bread, and simmer. When you serve the peas, add some stewed tomatoes on top.

After midnight, serve with Lila’s homemade cornbread to WELCOME 2025!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!