In the mean time, I will share the sources of the recipes that I try out with you!
For Christmas Eve appetizer we made some BBQ bacon wrapped shrimp (my recipe, will post later).
For Christmas Eve dinner we made this mussels recipe with curry and coconut milk, served with a crusty rustic bread. The mussels were cooked perfectly but I wasn't too impressed with the sauce. The recipe calls for unsweetened coconut milk, but I think it needed some sweetness so I added a few teaspoons of sugar.
http://www.2stews.com/2009/11/men-with-mussels-curried-mussels-that.html
For Christmas Day, I whipped up a pretty Christmas Quiche!
Ingredients:
frozen whole wheat pie crust
8-10 stems of asparagus, bent and broken not cut
1/2 c. sliced yellow squash
1/4 c. sliced yellow pepper
2 T. chopped red onion
5 or 6 baby portobella mushrooms
a handful of grape tomatoes
1/2 c. chopped cooked ham
7 eggs
3 T. heavy cream
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle ontop
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Let pie crust sit out while you prep all ingredients. Saute the mushrooms and onions until they release liquids and start to brown. Take off heat and let cool.
Take the sliced squash and place in the frozen pie crust, forming a uniform layer. Then layer in the yellow peppers, ham, and then spoon on a few tablespoons of the shredded sharp cheddar. Layer the sauteed mushrooms and onions on top of the veggies, ham, and cheese.
Whisk together the eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust slowly, letting it seep into the layers of veggies. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and a bit of Parmesan cheese to coat the egg mixture.
Now, to make it pretty! Break the asparagus tips to the length of the radius of the pie crust (half way from the center). Lay 8-10 asparagus tips on top of the eggs, in a circular pattern, putting the stem end at the center and tip toward the edge. Next take the grape tomatoes and slice in half, then lay a few in between the asparagus and one large half for the center where the ends of the stems meet.
Place the quiche into the oven on a baking sheet, incase there is any spill or overflow. Cook at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until the edge of the crust is golden and the middle doesn't jiggle when you give it a shake.
Serve with a brunchy cocktail like mimosas, or my Christmas favorite, Poinsettias!
Poinsettia Cocktail
Several cubes of ice in a large red wine glass
Fill with 2/3 part champagne
Add a splash of vodka
Fill with cranberry/pomegranate and some OJ
Float an orange slice and serve!
*image from foodnetwork.com
After our beautiful Christmas brunch we watched my new Julie and Julia DVD (what a perfect day!). Then as the afternoon took form, we went into our newly updated bedroom. For our Christmas gift to ourselves, we installed a new TV with a wall mount and some pretty candle sconces on each side. We also got a new bed so we just love going into our room to relax! I made us some afternoon antipasto snacks and we got out some new books I got Geof and had a nice slow Christmas afternoon.
As relaxed as we were, I had a bunch of cooking to do still! I was attempting to make Beef Wellington with two very nice fillet Mignon from Whole Foods, what I thought was puff pastry (turned out to be filo dough, way flakier and harder to work with, but pretty much the same thing), duxelles, and some prosciutto. I served the welli with some roasted brussel srpouts and hasselback potatoes. All in all the meal was fantastic and not as hard as you might think!
In the spirit of Julie and Julia: Be fearless and try out these recipes! Here is how mine turned out, before slicing the Beef Wellingtons.
Beef Wellingtons:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beef_wellington/
*Tip: Check out this Gordon Ramsay video for technique.
(Of course, he makes it look SO easy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrF8G06HqaM
Hasselback Potatoes:
http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2009/07/accordion-hasselback-potatoes_21.html
Brussels:
http://myhusbandcooks.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/roasted-brussel-sprouts-try-them-and-be-thankful/
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