Merry Christmas 2016!

Well, another Christmas has come and gone, but my memory of another great Madonia-Mentz-Garcia-Hrinowich-Farrington Christmas remains strong!

The Menu

STARTERS

CHARCEUTERIE AND CHEESE BOARD

soppressata, serrano ham, roquefort, manchego artequeso, cornichons, orange fig ham, olive oil crostini

POACHED SHRIMP

lemon, parsley, onions, white wine, bay leaf, black peppercorns, spicy horseradish cocktail sauce

CHEESE AND CRACKERS

port wine cheese and sea salt crackers

Entrees

PORK TENDERLOIN

spice rubbed pork tenderloin, apple bourbon glaze

STUFFED SHELLS

grass fed ground beef, mozzarella, sunday gravy

Sides

ROASTED ASPARAGUS

salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon

ROASTED POTATOES

garlic, onion, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon

PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

recipe ala bobby flay

Sweets and Drinks

DESSERT TABLE

courtesy of grandma pat, geri, lia and lili, auntie pat

HITCHING POST CORK DANCER

2013 pinot noir, hartley ostini, santa barbara county

The Memories

We kicked off our Christmas celebration with mass at Ascension Church on Christmas Eve and then dinner at LaBella Pasteria, our family tradition. Our family has been eating dinner at LaBella for over 13 years and I don't see that changing anytime soon! The dinner attendees may change from time to time, but the tradition lives strong. Special thanks to Dave, Ann and Guillermo for making this evening so special every year. We appreciate you sharing your Christmas Eve with us every year.

Although we got a late start Christmas morning, we managed to wash the floors, vacuum the carpets, set the tables, make the Parker House rolls (twice, since the first time I forgot to add the yeast), prepare the appetizers and the pork, have a champagne toast and open presents, all before our guests arrived! Unfortunately, my husband and I were both sick, Christmas being the worst day of our colds. Luckily, we had the entire next day to recover!

The evening went great, the food was delicious, and it was good to see our family. Here is to another great Christmas!

Recipes and Links

Soppressata from West Loop Salumi

Orange Fig Jam sold at Standard Market

Poached Shrimp recipe from Bon Appetit

Spicy Horseradish Cocktail Sauce sold at Whole Foods

Spiced Pork Tenderloin recipe appears on this blog; Apple Bourbon Sauce recipe from Southern Living

Stuffed Shells recipe courtesy of my husband!

2016 Thanksgiving Menu

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is only two weeks away! I’m still working on my menu and haven’t yet ordered my turkey breast. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some), I have completely abandoned my ‘outside Thanksgiving’ plan again this year. One day, I’ll make that dream come true!

The good news is that I have pretty much decided on the table landscape (not important to most, but important to me) and have ordered my table runner and picked out my flower arrangements. I think I may have even picked out my place cards. Yes, I am THAT structured!

Here is the working draft of this year’s menu. I’ll post recipes as I go, but if you have any recommendations that you would like me to try, please let me know!

STARTERS
Titi and Uncle Tone’s meatballs with gravy
Roasted sweet peppers with chiles
Antipasto with spicy soppressata, serrano, mozzarella, fontinella, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and spiced olives
Sea-salt dusted crackers with port wine cheese
Special Lili & Diego snacks!

ENTRÉE
Lemon-herb turkey breast (on the Green Egg) with lemon-garlic gravy
Twice roasted sweet potatoes with hot honey, chiles and butter
Auntie Pat double-baked potatoes version 2.0
Green beans with chiles and lemon oil
Sautéed mushrooms with red wine, thyme and garlic
Garlic and parsley butter rolls

DESSERT
Apple pie with cranberry, orange, and chocolate chunk ice cream
Apple bourbon bundt cake
Chocolate ganache cake

Looking forward to my favorite holiday! More to come soon!

Happy pre-Thanksgiving!