Happy Boxing Day! What's for supper, December 26, 2014.
Since we went to a pot luck we sadly have no leftovers. We also had the misfortune of being one of the last tables to get to the food. Lots of pasta salad left, that's for sure!
I made some delicious black beans two days ago and we will have a deconstructed burrito with rice, beans, avocado and a fresh salsa is what's for supper.
Jicama and tangerines are in season, so a salad with these two in the starring roles is in order.
Making your own black beans is time consuming, but it beats the pants off anything I have ever gotten out of a can. They freeze well, so you can make a big bunch and enjoy later.
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so something simple for Sue and I - sauteed red cabbage, onions and apples spiced with balsamic, fennel, cumin and caraway, over rice with toasted walnuts.
Still have some of the peppermint Christmas yule log left - that's dessert.
We went light yesterday - baked cod, roasted potatoes, roasted cauliflower, spiced sauteed carrots. Our new Christmas meal custom!
Hope you had a very very merry! The booking coming out certainly is making life "interesting" for me!
So glad the girls were home for christmas.
I see you are still eating well and your dinner sounds wonderful. I learned a new way of cooking carrots in Italy that has become one of my all-time favorite dishes. It takes about 1 ½ hours but is worth it.
Are you on the road with your book? How are the sales going? Your amazon reviews look good and I love the cover! We are looking for something on land and when I get it I am getting your book right away.
Pasta, salad, sandwiches, rice dishes, ham salad…. it's delightful.
Enjoy!
I hope they come out perfectly.
Some roast crown of pork, wild rice stuffing, a pumpkin "soufflé" (?) of sorts topped with diced truffles, steamed Brussel sprouts with sautéed garlic and bacon, cold shredded Dungeness crab, Humboldt fog cheese, a creamy French cheese, cranberry and walnut toast rounds, pecan pie, dusted champagne chocolates.
My niece is a chef - so she added a lot of professional skill to the whole meal. We had a fun group quiz during the prep - What are those little caps they put on the end of the pork bones called? Some of the suggestions were decidedly off-color. Someone eventually found the term - a French connotation. My niece kept lapsing into a Julia Child character as we went around the cooking island.
My cousin is a crabber out of SF - he brought a bucket of Dungeness that were pulled out of the water on Wednesday, steamed and chilled then, cracked and served on Thursday. He held a running commentary on how to crack crabs. To match my niece he did it as a famous play-by-play baseball announcer.
My uncle did a solo reading of "The Night Before Christmas", in his best stage voice, before dinner.
We all shared family tales along the way. "Remember when...?" stuff. Four generations in the same house was a unique treat.
And, geez, all that food. Great time.
How was that soufflé with the truffles? Where did you get the truffles? What are those little caps called?
You are so lucky to have a real chef in the family and I am so happy that you were among so many family members.
It sounds absolutely wonderful.
My niece diced, spiced and roasted the pumpkin 'till soft. Blended all together with eggs, some cream and other stuff. I lost track - the kitchen was chaotic with all the back and forth. Baked them in ramekins then topped with the truffles. She did a gig for a Getty event, got the truffles as a thank you gift.
I think the caps are called "chef's hats" - that cylindrical hat with a flair at the top. My niece's girlfriend made a great set of stand ins out of Christmas paper wrapping. Tubes with curled slices at the top. Someone has a pic, they really were something.
How was posada? And the pot luck? I've been hit and miss here of late.
I love those silly little hats on a standing roast.
Posada was amazing. I had never seen one before and it was truly special. Although the story is, of course, familiar, there is an added twist. When the couple and their entourage are traveling between "inns", a man dressed as the diablo rushes into the group and scares the daylights out of everyone. This seems to be unique to the mexican telling of the story, but I don't really know much more about it. I wonder if it has some indigenous roots.
The potluck was fun. We were unfortunate to be one of the last tables called, so we really missed out on the good stuff. Oh well, what can you do. The best part was when the children arrived and santa gave out presents. Over 600 children were there and that was beautiful.
Dinner is more of the roast beef from earlier this week. Carrots on the side.
And a song for today:
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
Although he was little his honour was great,
Jump up me lads and give him a treat.
Chorus:
Up with the kettle and down with the pan,
And give us a penny to bury the wren.
2. As I was going to Killenaule,
I met a wren upon the wall.
I took me stick and knocked him down,
And brought him in to Carrick Town.
Chorus:
3. Droolin, Droolin, where’s your nest?
Tis in the bush that I love best
In the tree the holly tree,
Where all the boys do follow me.
Chorus:
4. We followed the wren three miles or more,
Three mile or more three miles or more.
We followed the wren three miles or more,
At six o’clock in the morning.
Chorus:
5. I have a little box under me arm,
Under me arm under me arm.
I have a little box under me arm,
A penny or tuppence would do it no harm.
Chorus:
Hope you had a wonderful day yesterday and were surrounded by your family.
Yes, we had a great time both yesterday and Christmas Eve. Sounds like you had a nice time, too. I'm having a quiet day today and looking with amazement at my just-arrived copy of "Epic Tomatoes"!
Ah, I am so envious that you have THE book.
Isn't the cover great? I told him that we are looking for something on land and I'm going to get the book as soon as I can start a garden.
Needs a bigger photo of the author, though -- it's on the back cover. Wish I had this book back in the days when I grew tomatoes. You're in a good location to grow tomatoes, too!
I'm making flounder, using almond flour as the breading. May bake it.
For veggies, I'm thinking zucchini fries.
Cher
p.s. I somehow missed this thread, cbayer, so I started one but then deleted it when I saw this.
