New Year musings

Happy New Year!
The fact I have not posted in 30 days says it all. December has been busy! I kept thinking I would post but then sleeping  got in the way. I was working or baking or decorating or working or sleeping.
However, this month has led to a lot of wodnerful moments; holiday parties, traditional family meals, long standing get togethers with other families that started when my children were young.
As the children all go back to their city and work, the focus turns to New Years' celebrations.We were lucky  to have friends to share it with us last night.   It was such fun finishing up the year with a lovely dinner with friends.
Here are some photos to sum it all up.

Holiday prep

I was lucky to have some  very energetic and talented Elves available to assist in the baking of 12 dozen sugar cookies.  It took one day to roll them out and bake and the following weekend we then began to decorate them.  The girls were a life saver as my own girls are not at home any more to help. We have made these since my girls were old enough to  cut out cookies and our Holiday party would not the same without them!

 Cookies go on trays to harden and then are stored in tins-- The Royal icing is wonderful for having fun with cookies.

 Santa hats and Holiday music made it a lovely afternoon for getting in the spirit

 So beautiful

Shrimp Pesto
The decorating of cookies demanded some good dinners! One night I made shrimp with béchamel and ricotta pesto.This was the mint pesto I made in September to finish off the mint harvest. It is terrific to have on hand for a quick dinner.  It was delicious with nice flavors of the herbs and spicy shrimp and sausages.

 Basil, mint and parsley

 Stir in the pesto , herbs and fresh Ricotta

topped with fresh grated  parmesan  and chopped herbs it was tasty!


Charleston style cheese biscuits
Next came baking and the spicy cheese biscuits. I love this recipe and we make it each year on request for our party. The spicier the better. They go by train back to the desks in NYC for sharing with my daughters' friends. A big hit, they are just 1 inch in diameter and perfect for one bite of cheese, cayenne- spiced, puff of delight.

The day of our holiday party involves lots of prep including assembling these Tuscan pork tenderloins for baking. These are a bit hit at both tailgates or parties as they are one tasty bite of pork!

shelled out baguettes  filled with chopped herbs and garlic

ready to roll tight in foil

ready for the oven

hours later,  ready to be enjoyed

The Tree smelled wonderful - a Frazier fir is B's favorite. Once it was up, and children started arriving by train, we were ready to start the holidays of catching up with friends and family who all came to town.

We try to have Family dinner just the four of us if the holiday dates and events allow. This year our usual menu: Standing Rib Roast,  Brussels sprouts and scalloped potatoes. CC made her favorite ( and ours now) - basalmic Brussels sprouts- a terrific sharp flavor finished with a squeeze of lemon. C made a new recipe of asiago sage scalloped potatoes. These were amazing and we will make them again.

 cheesy asiago sage  potatoes ready to go in the oven...

 those potatoes were amazing

the Beast

Dinner at last. We shared a lovely Chateau Montelena Cabernet and it matched the roast perfectly.

Christmas Eve
C makes dessert to take to our friends for a long standing 'Eve dinner after church. As always, it was delicious. This year a flour-less chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache. The rich chocolate cake with peppermint filling and topping finished off the evening as we headed home for a long winters nap.

My favorite peppermint is King Leo. My grandmother always loved this brand and always had it at her house.  These days it is a little harder to find but I was lucky to find 2 tins in November and it is perfect with chocolate. It is that soft chalky peppermint with that sublime flavor. It makes wonderful peppermint ice cream also.

Dessert anyone?

New Years Eve
For new years Eve we like to have a Roast Goose. It started when  I was first married and the tradition has continued for either Christmas or New Years' eve. B loves goose, so I have learned to prepare it slowly gaining a grip on this bird over the years. Our friends like to bring a dish so we split the menu up. This year, Green bean salad, wild rice casserole, roast goose and then St. James cake to end the meal. Our favorite is to start with Proseco or Champagne and end the evening with these again.

The bird was a nice one...

 The goose has a lot of fat so you have to remove it as it roasts. It likes to be basted with hot water to keep it crispy and drain the fat. I save it in a mason jar for my friend who will make Cassoulet with the goose fat.

The cake stole the show. J finished it when she arrived. It was citrusy but the almond flavor came through. I hope to make this again ! I loved the way she decorated the top with the St James cross.

I hope all of you had Happy Holidays as I was fortunate to have. Happy New Year! Welcome 2013!