Winter Holiday 2009

The end of another year...do you believe it? Seems like just a short time ago people were worrying about the millennium and would the earth stop!?! Guess not we're still here!

The 10 days or so at then end of a year are busy ones. Lots of shopping, cooking and go go go! Changed our routine a bit this year. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were more laid back and our food non-traditional. Weather was frightful for Christmas. Lots of rain for my drive to Wisconsin on Christmas Eve. Had very wet feet by the time we got home from church, but a dinner of warm comfort food quickly warmed us all:

Mac and Cheese a la Barefoot Contessa
Hot Curried Fruit

Ina's mac and cheese is a favorite of mine. Rich and creamy with 4 cups of grated Gruyere and 2 of extra sharp Cheddar. Lightly buttered Panko bread crumbs on top. Yum! The hot curried fruit is courtesy of my friend April. Pineapple, Granny Smith apple, peaches and red grapes baked in a sauce of orange juice cinnamon, brown sugar and curry powder. Went perfectly along side the mac and cheese.

Evening wound down with a movie and hot tea.

Christmas Morning dawned with snow in the air. No plans to leave the house so that's OK. Big slices of Panettone with home made preserves (a gift to Chris from a co-worker) and lots of coffee to start.

Baked Brie with Pears, Cinnamon and toasted pecans

While we prepared dinner, we snacked on the baked Brie and mini toasts.

Chris's Beef Stroganoff and Kluski Noodles
Orange Scented Broccoli and Cauliflower
A love hearty red wine
And later: Mary's cheesecake with Cranberry Sauce

Have not had stroganoff in many years. I have no idea why, it was excellent. Lots of beef chunks, sour cream, and mushrooms. The broccoli and cauliflower set off the richness of the stroganoff. Movies and board games filled the rest of the day until the cheesecake was served. The tartness of the cranberry sauce was perfect over the sweet cheesecake with gingerbread crust. Good job Mary!

The drive home the next day was a character builder. Snowed the whole way. Lots of cars off the road; trip usually takes a bit more than 2 hours. Today almost 4 hours.
Was glad to pull into my parking spot to hunker down for a couple of days.

Lunch with friends during the week and 2 movies 'Nine' and 'It's Complicated'. But now it's time to think about New Years. I don't go out on New Years Eve; would rather stay home and enjoy the quiet. Since I had gone to a movie and lunch in the afternoon, my usual big dinner was postponed until New Years Day.

Mini Potato Pancakes with Sour Cream and Smoked Salmon Appetizer
My Annual Bottle of Champagne

The pancakes were crispy and the sour cream and salmon with a bit of grated lemon zest hit the spot. Might have to find another drink however. My thumbs don't want to cooperate when it comes to removing the cork from the champagne bottle. Saw the cork popped with a sword on a cruise, but couldn't find one in my knife block. Didn't make it to midnight and no surprise, it was still 2010 when I got up on Friday!

New Years Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Usually it's snacks and a book, but since yesterday I did that, today was my 'special dinner'. But first breakfast:

Panetonne French Toast
Maple-Candied Bacon
Mimosa's

Panetonne makes wonderful French toast. It's become a tradition for me. The bacon preparation was new for me. If you have not done bacon on a foil covered rack in the oven.....try it. Thick cut center bacon painted with a glaze of maple syrup and Dijon mustard. 12 minutes on each side with a grind of black pepper. Amazing and no mess! Foil goes in the trash and the pan is clean. Mimosa's speak for themselves.

Dinner was time consuming, but worth every minute. Was glad I waited:

Lobster Stuffed Tenderloin with Bearnaise Sauce
Roasted Asparagus

Have not made Bearnaise sauce in years...probably since a culinary arts class at Harper. It came out quite nicely and kept warm while I worked on the 'star' of the dinner. Steamed 2 lobster tails, removed them from the shells and set them aside to cool. A filling of shallots, celery, garlic, spinach and mushrooms is cooked down and cooled. I butterflied the tenderloin and spread the filling over it. Overlapped the tails and rolled up the meat. Tied roll together with string and browned on all sides. Finished the roll off in the oven. While it rested I roasted the asparagus. The slices weren't as pretty as Emeril's, but was very tasty. A great ending to the holiday meals.

Clearly 2010 needs to be 'lightened' up or I will need to be oiled up to get in my car. Will see what develops. Hope you have enjoyed my blog this year and will see you all in the coming year.