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Thanksgiving came and went, then it was on to decorating the house for Christmas.  In the few weeks that followed, we had Craig decorate the house inside and out, which gave me time to wrap all the gifts and put the finishing touches and bows on each. The lights and decorations make the house look so festive and inviting. We had a busy Christmas season with buying gifts, hosting an Open House cocktail party, putting out Christmas Eve dinner, and then we were invited to Jeff and Dawn’s for a delightful Christmas dinner.

Sunday, December 18th we hosted a Christmas Open House for 50+ friends and family. We were worried about the weather, but the day turned out to be as perfect as you could get – temperatures in mid-70s and clear as a bell with great easterly breezes. We were up early as we had still a lot of last-minute things that needed to be done. The Open House was from 3 to 7 which gave guests time to come and go as they pleased. All our invitees stopped by at some point, enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, wine and cocktails, and small talk. We put out a variety of finger foods and desserts. David made his jerk chicken and jerk swordfish (at my request) and everyone raved about the swordfish. It had a bite and was quite tasty. Our friend Patrick McDonald and his wife attended, and he played guitar and sang, which everyone really enjoyed.  Then he switched from entertainer to guest and relaxed with some good food and wine. The four hours went all too quickly and it was time to call it a day.

Christmas Eve came quickly and it was time to leave for Suanne and Brad’s cocktail party. Their home was decorated for Christmas with four or five trees lit and candles galore. Typical Suanne, her table was set buffet-style and laden with seafood selections, lobster dip, and even pigs-in-the-blanket for the grandkids. Suanne and Brad’s kids, grands, and friends were arriving, but unfortunately time passed quickly and we needed to get home as we were hosting Christmas Eve dinner for Darren, Michelle, Anne, and Jay.  We served our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, a Chateaubriand, with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, snap peas, and lemon-honey roasted carrots. Everyone loved it, and there were few leftovers. With dinner over, we all went to the family room where we exchanged presents. At about 11 we all wished each other a Merry Christmas and a goodnight.

Christmas Day rolled around and we finished the clean-up of wrapping paper, boxes, etc. I made green beans to bring over the Jeff and Dawn’s, as we were invited for Christmas dinner, Lucy too. We arrived and Hallie, Jeff and Dawn’s Chihuahua and Lucy’s best friend, greeted us at the door. Both she and Lucy raced around the house happy to see each other. All the Outcalt family was there, Tina, Cheryl & Jake, Holly & Terry, the boys, Colton, Hunter and Hunter’s friend, Lauren. Dawn made a beautiful prime rib dinner with plenty of sides. The food, wine, and company were all terrific, and we had a nice time. Thorougly stuffed, we drove home, toasted each other and Lucy with a glass of wine, and turned in as I must be up up early in the morning. It was a great Christmas!

Turkey Day at last! My favorite holiday of the year. Even though we scaled the meal back a bit because we are hosting fewer people, the house will still be filled with great smells and the table loaded with great things to eat.

We woke to an absolutely gorgeous day in the low 70s. A perfect day for roasting a turkey, and deep-frying one too. We are expecting 10 for dinner and a few more for cocktails at three. David and I prepped most of the sides the day before, so we are in really good shape. One of our friends, Garry, was deep-frying turkeys and did one for us. He dropped it off in the early afternoon. David and I both tried a taste and I must say it was moist and delicious.

All we had to do is get the appetizers ready and we could relax before the guests arrived. Our dinner guests were, Garry and Carmen and their son, Junior, Suzanne and Craig, John, Craig, and our friends Jack and Betty Fisher who drove over from Boca Grande. At the cocktail hour we were joined by Anne and J and Darren and Michelle.

David had some special wines ready for the cocktail party – reds from the Rhone Valley in France, and Chalk Hill Chardonnay from Raymond Strong. He also had some Proseco chilled so that Garry and Carmen could try it. When all arrived, the festivities began. Appetizers galore hit the table – rosemary-roasted cashews which David made using a recipe from the Sofitel in Paris; shrimp with mustard and cocktail sauces; mozzarella balls with grape tomatoes, marinated in olive oil and served with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar; and a selection of cheeses. Garry and Carmen tried the Proseco and liked it. David then added a bit of Peche to turn them into Bellinis, and soon everyone was trying them and the bottle was done.

Anne and Darren and friends departed for dinner elsewhere, and we headed to the dining room table. The food was set out in the family room, buffet style, and soon the plates were groaning with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, peas, brussel sprouts, acorn squash,yams, and much more. Pies of every description, including Betty’s sinfully rich chocolate pecan, beckoned those who could make it through the meal. David broke out some fabulous wines – Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and  a Chassagne Montrachet white Burgundy – and everyone had a feast.

Then it was time for the clean-up. Looking at the tons of dishes and plates, we knew a lot of work lay ahead. David started to wash things and was interrupted by Jack, Betty, Craig, Craig, and Suzanne who insisted that they would take care of it. Heaven! In short order, all was done, the dishwasher turned on, and we all enjoyed a final glass of wine before everyone departed and we wound our way to bed.

As always, my favorite meal of the year.

Today is Halloween and it has been pouring rain off and on all day. We decided to do an “Italian Buffet” and invite family and friends over to help pass out the candy. Suzanne lives on a dead-end street and gets maybe 3 trick or treaters, Jeanne lives in a gated community and the kids who used to come by are now grown and in college. Darren, Michelle, Diane, and Dave all live in Boca Square and the kids there are also now grown and don’t come knocking. Craig lives on a street where there are no children so he came up from Ft. Lauderdale to help out with the photography and candy-dispensing chores.

It turned out the rain stopped and I thought the young trick-or-treaters would start coming by around 6 the latest, but the night started out late, and it was almost 7 before we got our first visitor. After that it was a steady stream of kids and parents knocking on our door. All told, we opened the door to an estimated 100 kids. Another surprise was that all the kids and parents were willing to have their photo taken. In a few cases, the parents had their cameras and took photos of us and their kids. We almost ran out of candy, so Darren ran over the supermarket to restock. We wanted to make sure we didn’t get any tricksters.

For the buffet we served sausage and meatballs, gorgonzola gnocchi, mini-rigatoni, beef manicotti, asparagus, green salad, and garlic bread. There was virtually little to no leftovers, so the food was a hit.

All-in-all, it was a fun night with all the kids, family and friends. You’ll see how creative the kids and their costumes were when you go through the photos. We think we should do an “Italian Buffet 2″ next year.

Once we settled back in to the normalcy of life stateside, I got the hankering to cook up some goodies for a party, something I didn’t do in France.

Memorial Day offered the perfect opportunity, so – starting with David’s suggestion that we cook up burgers and dogs and serve them with chips – I started planning a spread we could serve to friends and family.

Starting with the usual Fourth of July menu, I cut back by a few dishes and came up with a list of appetizers and sides to serve with David’s burgers, bison burgers, and dogs. Guacamole and chips and onion dip and chips seemed a natural, and I kept David busy by adding jerk chicken to the list of appetizer to round things out. He cooked it on Saturday so that the smell would clear out of the house by the day of the party…definitely a good idea.

For sides, I figured potato salad, green salad, cole slaw, Ina Garten’s mac ‘n cheese, baked beans, and corn casserole. While I knew that most folks bring desserts (chocolate chip cookies, brownies, etc.), I put together a fruit salad to add some balance. David shopped on Friday, and then we spent Saturday getting things prepped and ready. We were in good shape by Sunday morning, and all we needed was the guests. Anne & Jay and their friends Dave & Cara were joined by Suzanne and Craig, Craig Deco, Dave & Diane Salerno, and Carolyn and Loretta – a nice mix.

Folks started showing up around 1 pm, and relaxed watching the Indy 500, the French Open, and PGA golf with a nice selection of red and white wines. David put out some Creme de Cassis and Peche so that folks could make kirs and peach kirs, if they wanted. Both were a hit.

Around 3, the burgers and dogs went on the grill, and the sides went out. In short order everyone hit the buffet table for a great Memorial Day meal.

As usual, leftovers were minimal, with most of the mac ‘n cheese going, along with most the slaw and potato salad, all of the dogs, and most of the burgers. It was nice to entertain again, and to see our friends. Best of all, Craig, Craig, and Suzanne handled virtually all of the clean up – the perfect end to the meal.

Now, It’s time to cook some pasta. Darren is back and has raved about the bucatini alla Amatriciana at Rome’s Al Moro, so I have my work cut out for me. Stay tuned in.

We can’t believe that the year-end is upon us and 2010 is slipping away!

With Thanksgiving closing in, and Christmas and New Years not far off, it was time to start putting things together for Thanksgiving Dinner. Craig Deco came over and spent the day getting all the outside lights in place. We’re the first on the block to have them up, and they look terrific. David got all of the outside floodlights working, so the place looks pretty good at night – very cheery and welcoming.

Craig also helped set up the dining room and table for Thanksgiving. Everything looks wonderful – just the right colors, accents, etc. We will be hosting family (Suzanne & John – Darren & Misha – Anne & Jay) and have asked Craig to join us, as he has added so much to the house and is a good friend.

We also did the dreaded shopping. I converted the menu (a traditional one with two turkeys and all the sides) to a shopping list, and checked to see what we had on hand and needed to get. The turkeys and some perishables will be picked up Wednesday, but we got the rest in an hour-long session at Fresh Market. Topping the list, of course, was butter, which is part of every Thanksgiving course. We came home with bags of onions, potatoes, squash, yams, marshmallows, cranberries, vegetables of every type, stuffing mix and sweet sausage, plus a few “ooh” items that looked tasty. Surprisingly, it all fit in the fridge and is now resting waiting to take center stage on Thursday.

David is in charge of wines, and has a terrific selection ready to go for the holidays – Billecart Salmon pink Champagne, a Provence rosé, exceptional Chardonnays from Montelena and Adelsheim, Groth’s always-excellent Sauvignon blanc, Kosta Browne and Adelsheim Pinots, and a Vacqueyras from the southern Rhone – something for everyone. Thanksgiving will start with Champagne, have a choice of a Chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc, plus one of the Pinots for those who prefer reds.

 Wednesday and Thursday will be hectic with all the prep, but we have offers of help, so will get through it ok and enjoy the evening.

Then, after a quick weekend in Las Vegas with David’s nephews and daughter Anne, it will be time to get ready for Christmas.

We went to Sapori, one of our favorite restaurants in Boca, for a special dinner. Marco, the owner/chef, asked six of his cooking-oriented clients to play guest chef for the night to supervise the preparation of a favorite dish. Bev was one of them.

The meal started with an enchilada, followed by a soup. Next came The Bev, who prepared bucatini (thick spaghetti with a hole in the center) alla Gricia (onions, guanciale, pecorino romano, and olive oil). Following that came shrimp with two sauces, rabbit in a mustard sauce, and an Armenian cheese dessert.

All were excellent, but the biggest applause went to Bev, and two of the other “chefs” asked her for the recipe. Not only that, Marco is adding it to his menu at Sapori. Ask for it the next time you dine there.

It was quite a night, and a nice confirmation of my bride’s excellent cooking talent.