Did Santa bring you that gorgeous red pot?
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For tonight I made a bunch of mini Italian meatballs in marinara and a sourdough boule to bring to a party. I’m also bringing beef empanadas I made previously with avocado salsa and chimichurri, some pickled vegetables, and a German Apple cake.
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Nope. After I bought the grandkids theirs last Christmas at an amazing sale price, I regretted not getting one for myself. I searched and searched till I found one at an even lower price that just happened to be on Amazon. It has a tiny flaw on the rim in the coating. I cook my artichokes in it and used it for my one failed attempt at sourdough bread. I love it more than my Le Creuset.
I received gift certificates for groceries and art supplies from Santa.
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Fancy salad Olivier topped with…beef? Short rib? Steak?
Not that fancy.
From what our chef tells us, it was just some winter vegetables (parsnips, turnips primarily), some roasted spring onion, blanched green beans, tossed with tahini, and topped (lazily) with pomegranate.
(Plus, the French don’t play nicely with Russians 
)
Open upside down e.g. label face down, uncrimp, remove small foil disc, unfold sides down around cheese 
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Or leave wrapped and at room temperature, poke hole, and voila, squirty cheese!
Took a break from cooking and washing dishes, grabbed a banquet burger and onion rings from my local joint.
Phoned ahead and it was ready in 10 minutes. Hit the spot.
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Some excellent cream of crab soup (and a salad out of frame) made by a local church for the last dinner of 2025. Celebrating a couple things - a new year, a full jar of Christmas cookies, a surprising Supreme Court ruling, a nice long vacation.
Happy new year, all.
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Liking the look of those rings!
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Battered and house made, very good!
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My NYE dinner started with a couple of dolmades then I moved onto an artichoke salad, Sir Laurier d’Arthabaska cheese and Ryvita. Carrot cake and a big ole mug of oolong tea to warm up. I should be thawed by spring.
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Dinner tonight was decided a week ago, and is one of my 2 or 3 usual NYE dinners:
A D’Artagnan magret duck breast, skin crosshatched, and seared in a cold skillet until crispy brown, about 7-9 minutes. Turned it over, seared meat side down for 1 minute, then into a baking pan in a 350° oven for 7 minutes to get to perfect medium-rare (saved the rendered duck fat for breakfast home fries!). A blackberry sauce patterned after the linked recipe, although I used some blackberry jam and fewer blackberries.
Israeli couscous with minced onions and s/p, and steamed asparagus with a pistachio gremolata.
Went with a glass (OK, rwo!!) of a favorite white instead of a red.
Dessert was a snifter of Cuarenta y Tres.
Will I make it to the ball drop at midnight? We’ll see! But if not, I’ll sure wake up to the local fireworks going off!
My wish is for health and happiness for all, without the strife we’ve had to unfortunately become accustomed to this past year.
Have a very Happy New Year.
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Earlier today I had appetizers and a Beefeater martini. Appetizers are Three Little Pigs pork and duck liver mousse with port wine, cornichons, d’Affinois cheese, Tabasco pepper jelly and toasted baguette.
Dinner was crab bisque, recipe rec from @MunchkinRedux. It was very good although spicy as I got a little heavy handed with the Cajan seasoning, and the seasoned shrimp, which are hiding in the bottom of the bowl, added more. Crab melt with extra sharp cheddar and robusto gouda.
There will be bulles at midnight to toast out 2025 and toast in 2026 and what I hope will be the beginning of a return to sanity. Happy New Year to all.
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Happy New Year everyone! We started off with a Jamon roll up with Humboldt fog cheese, toasted pine nuts, fig preserves, and a reduced balsamic reduction, with an espresso martini; fried shrimp cocktail with homemade cocktail sauce; surf and turf with filet mignon topped with blue cheese and lobster tail, with roasted delicata squash. We enjoyed some more of that peanut butter Oreo pie for dessert. It all went great with a cabernet sauvignon.
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We had steak, smashed potatoes, broccoli and cheese toast. I had blue cheese and horseradish on my steak. It was much funner to make at home in pajamas instead of going out. Got a great price on the steaks too. Three Alberta beef striploins for $27! One for the dog for his Gotcha Day. Lots of leftovers. Brownies with the last of the candy cane ice cream for dessert.
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