January 04, 2012

And there go the holidays...

As fast as they came, they were gone.
I'm talking about The Holidays. That time of year when the more sparkles the better.



The more lights the merrier.




And the more presents, the cheerier.  


And what holiday would be complete without a feast?!?  I can't think of any.  We invited the family over and set the table for those naughty or nice.  


As a recovered vegetarian, I don't have a lot of experience with cooking turkeys but if ever there was a time to try one, this was it.  I made a bed of apples, carrots, onions and dill to roast the turkey on.  


And then I gave it a bottle of wine.  I figured the turkey deserved to have a little fun too.  


I rubbed it down with salt, pepper and various secret herbs.  


Four and half hours later, the turkey was pulled from the oven, golden and crisp.


The results?  Juicy and full of flavor.  No disrespect to the turkey roasters out there, but it really wasn't that difficult.  



Add some mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce and steamed broccoli and you have yourself a traditional holiday meal.  I'd love to show you the brisket and latkes that were served alongside but they were consumed faster than I could photograph them.  And besides, sometimes you need to put down the camera and just enjoy the moment.  (I hope that last line isn't quoted back to me next time I make Captain McBlack wait to eat while my shutter is clicking away).


The Holidays are the only time of year when peppermint is not only appropriate, but encouraged.  Every dessert, drink and candy is dripping with it.  I happily jumped on the train and decided to try making my own candy.  


It was as easy as melting chocolate into a mold, adding crushed candy canes and letting it solidify.  


I took it one step further and made white chocolate peppermint bark.  Easy to do with impressive results- what more could you ask for?



After the cooking, the entertaining and the unwrapping of gifts it was time to unwind and enjoy the last few days of 2011.  We spent a relaxing afternoon 27 stories above downtown Denver, watching the sun set over the Rocky Mountains. 




Even though the thermometer was well below freezing, we chose drinks with fruity island flavors and day-dreamt about sunny vacations on the beach.    



Which isn't to say our current locale wasn't enjoyable.


The sun set,


the city lights brightened the sky,


and the last day of the year came to a close.  

2011 may have been filled with life changes, but it was smothered in love, happiness and plenty of good eats.  My plans for 2012?  To continue living the food life.  


On New Year's morning, I felt it appropriate to drink out of my favorite mug and start the year out with the perfect piece of advice.


Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined. 

Happy 2012!


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1 comment:

  1. Beautiful photos of Denver. Yummy photos of your turkey dinner. And inspiring words for 2012.

    ReplyDelete