Christmas has come and gone

Sarah and Aaron were here for ALMOST a week. Things went awry because of the snowstorm that shut down (almost) everyplace in the US except Kentucky, it seemed. They were supposed to fly in on Sunday morning the 20th. On Friday we phoned them to suggest that they might want to get out of town before the storm hit, but they didn't; they were also planning a cocktail party for Saturday night. Saturday morning they discovered that their flight was already cancelled; they re-scheduled for Monday night (first available), and reserved the last one-way car rental available for Sunday in NY, they think. Sunday the computer said their Monday flight was cancelled, but Delta said it wasn't. Sunday afternoon after it stopped actually snowing, they decided to get out of town, collected the car, and drove to KY, arriving about 2:30 a.m. on Monday. Interstates were cleared; nothing else was.

They missed Lessons and Carols as a consequence. The rest of the week is a blur, but we had a great time...we made cookies and a Yule Log (Buche de Noel). Martin made things. I finally actually made the cassoulet and froze it; we'll eat it later.

Martin made a gingerbread train, and two batches of fudge (one perfect, the other needs a sledgehammer to cut), and a batch of brownies with Reese's miniatures in them.

We also made Mexican wedding cookies, gingerbread men (decorated), pizzelle, canneles, can't remember what all. Brenda phoned the 23rd and asked if I had an extra Christmas pudding lying around as she couldn't find one anywhere. I didn't, but I made Christmas pudding (if you've never had it, it's basically an English fruitcake, steamed in a mold for something like 6 hours, served with brandy hard sauce), and it was too much for my mold, so I actually made two. Gave the second one to Therese. Have to download the photos of the Buche de Noel; it's a masterpiece, and it ought to be, given how much of a pain it was to make.

We went to the Curtz's on Christmas Eve for their traditional buffet: boiled shrimp, foie gras, beef tenderloin, some wonderful cheese they bought at some place they discovered in Boston, asparagus, etc., desserts of various sorts, generally a blow-out. Later we went to the late service at Christ Church; music was good, sermon by the Bishop was pretty bad. All of us went, and Martin was of course in the choir.

Christmas day we had a great time, even if I did spend too much of it cooking. Jim Krupa came, as well as Kay and Madhu (both graduate student, Kay a student of Phil's...they are from India), Therese and the boys came as usual. John dislocated his shoulder and recently had surgery on it; he's still doing poorly, as they say.

The kids left this morning, and I am absolutely whacked. I think we all are, but I have a wonderful stack of books to read (Christmas presents), so I think I'll tuck in...

Lillie

cassoulet

I'm in a mood to go back to France, even though the weather there is at least as bad as it is here, and all my joints hurt here, so it really wouldn't be better there. But it smells different...looks different...things like that.

I did something drastic a week ago, and ordered a Cassoulet "kit" from d'Artagnan. Included not only confit duck legs (which I can make myself), but also the right kind of beans, sausage, garlic sausage, and a couple of other things I can't get here OR make myself. Have started the beans, so I need to make the cassoulet tomorrow. We'll see if it's any good.

I'm also trying to figure out what to make during Christmas week. We're not having turkey, rather leg of lamb, which is okay to make, but I don't eat lamb (allergies...), AND a leg of lamb won't be enough to feed as many people as we'll have here for Christmas dinner.

Am thinking about making a Buche de Noel. Sarah and I have been threatening to make one for years; it's a traditional Christmas dessert in France.

I may also make a Beef Wellington while Sarah and Aaron are here, but won't make it with pate and truffles as the "stuffing" (the stuff wrapped around the beef tenderloin between the meat and the pastry), but rather a mushroom stuffing, including some rather strange mushrooms, as well as the regular ones. Not sure what else.

Please advise...

Cheers, Lillie

Christmas and a few other things

Well, we had the semi-annual lab party last Saturday. Can't believe I keep agreeing to do this. We invite all of Phil's graduate students, plus students who just have him on their committees (I think), a few faculty types in ecology, and occasionally some unrelated people. This year I did Indian food (and Kay and Madhu are actually INDIAN from INDIA, talk about coals to Newcastle...). It turned out pretty well, though, despite the fact that there was no definite number of bodies until they actually arrived, so I was prepared for 30-50 people. Made a great deal of chicken curry, basmati rice, koftas (pork meatballs in spicy yogurt sauce, supposed to be made from ground lamb but I couldn't find any...), raita (made the yogurt myself, thank you very much), potato stuff (supposed to be turned into samosas, but I ran out of steam...), gujerati green beans, papadums, condiments, etc., can't remember what all else, but I think there were a couple of other things...

Lydia Curtz and Ben saved my skin on the deal; they organized the service, made some punch in that thing on the back porch, set everything out, etc. I would have been seriously under water without them...

But it was actually fun.

So there...

Lillie

p.s. turned out there were 41 people who put in appearance, and ONLY ONE annoyed me by not talking to me...I guess some of these people either don't know who I am and don't bother to find out whose house they're at, or find me scary...