The holidays are upon us…actually, they’re here already.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving with a beautifully brined and juicy bird accompanied with yummy side dishes, followed up with a friendly family poker game.
Mads of course dug into the turkey, not a big fan of smashed potatoes or stuffing (surprisingly), but she just adored the homemade, whole berry cranberry sauce despite it being a bit on the tart side and the pumpkin cheesecake.
Le vendredi noir
I know I’ve been out of it a while, maybe I’m just forgetting things in my old age, but where the heck did the term “Black Friday” come from?!
My plan was to lay low that day, recuperate from the meal, but instead we opted to travel south to the Stanford Shopping Center. Strangely enough, there were parking spaces galore and the mall and shops themselves, weren’t unbearably crowded.
We picked up some things at Crate & Barrel , Baby Gap and Nordstrom and had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.
Stanford being an outdoor mall, people tend to bring their dogs shopping with them. Mads went crazy after every dog she saw and wanted to follow them, regardless of where we were headed. She got especially excited when she saw another yellow lab and said, “tata” (her word for dog, specifically Lucie, go figure?)
Break out the melted cheese
Since the weather has been a bit chillier, we broke out the Raclette grill and invited our friends R&L and their boys J&J for dinner Saturday evening.
If you haven’t had a raclette dinner, it is the ultimate cheese dinner (I think I like it better than fondue)! Served with various cured meats (Madragne ham and Proscuitto di Parma, come to mind), steamed potatoes & vegetables and cornichons…the melted goodness that is Raclette (which is also the name of the cheese) warms you up and fills your belly. I think that our adult guests, at least, enjoyed it!
If dinner wasn’t rich enough, I followed it up with home made Creme Brulee. (Insert food coma here.)
Mads had a great time with the boys and by the end of the evening, they were chasing each other around the house, screaming, yelling and having such a great time!
Welcoming the Holidays
Our first holiday party was the Sunday following Thanksgiving.
Christmas is by far my friend Katie’s MOST FAVORITE HOLIDAY…EVER! Their home was beautifully decorated and the tree was a sight to behold (fresh orchids and red roses were found amongst the branches). Food, as always, was delicious and plentiful.
Photos originally uploaded by ~elida~
On to the remaining holiday parties, ours included!
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