December 25, 2008
Peoria, AZ
Geri and I wish everyone a very good holiday and all the best for a happy, healthy, and safe 2009.
Things continue to be calm on this end, as we've been taking it easy in the days ]leading up to Christmas. Geri made some awesome cookies that we shared with neighbors (although she's no longer allowed to play with red food coloring). We've made a couple of special meals with very favorable results. On Sunday, I made a grilled leg of lamb (well, not the whole leg, but a butterflied and marinated piece just right for two people), and it paired nicely with a 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin (red Burgundy) from the wine box.
Last night, we made Swedish Meatballs and an interesting new potato recipe. The meatballs were good but definitely not my Grandmother's; hers were authentic, since she came from "the old country". She used to make them, along with other Swedish dishes, as part of the traditional family meal on Christmas Eve, so last night was a good time to try. Good but I'll have to practice to get the cream-based gravy right. We saw Charlie Palmer make the potato recipe on TV and decided to give it a shot. It involves "Home Fry" style potato wedges, oven roasted with mushrooms and onions, topped with aged cheddar and sunny-side-up eggs. Yes, baked eggs. Well, the whole thing came out great, and it was a great batch to the meatballs (mashers are traditional, but I'm not exactly a mashed kind of guy).
We also got a 3-case shipment of wine from one of our California favorites (DiBruno-Curran Wines), so I had to rearrange a few things in the wine box to fit the new arrivals into the fold. I saved out a few bottles to sample, of course. We had a nice Gewurztraminer (this will go well with our homemade Lo Mein recipe) and liked both the DiBruno and Curran (it's a husband-wife team ad they each make their own wines) Sangiovese (Tuscan grape, but these are from the Santa Barbara area). Their "Badge" Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are top-of-the-line wines from the Santa Rita Hills appellation.
Today, we're headed to visit our friends Ana and Larry for Christmas dinner, and we'll have a great time there. We'll bring the last of Geri's cookies, a couple of bottles of wine, and a special treat: Geri's "Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls". Yum!
The weather's supposed to clear tomorrow, and the 15-day forecast calls for sunshine and low-70s for the duration, so we'll be back into the project list (coach and house) before we know it. Next stop: New Years!
1 comment:
MMM Swedish meatballs were the accompanied by lefsa and lutefisk? We have enjoyed many a Swedish Christmas dinners in the past but lately prim rib has been the choice of entree.
Now that you have had a Merry Christmas may 2009 be everything you will hope for.awlerb
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