Christmas Decor!

 I have had so much fun decorating the new house this year- the first year in the last five that I have had time to decorate.  I was either slammed with work (end of the year is notoriously bad for commercial real estate lawyers) or very pregnant.

 A simple boxwood wreath on the front door and windows.

I like things very natural for Christmas- fresh greenery, clove-studded oranges, nativities and some glass ornaments thrown around.

My first staircase!  And first staircase garland!

It's a cedar garland- I wired in some magnolia, fir, pinecones and oranges.  It smells divine.  I'm sure next year's attempt will be a bit better, but I like it for my first try.

I'm going to add some color to the vases on the mantel- probably some pepper berry.  You see my magnolia garland?  Pretty, huh? It should be, because it took me about three hours to wire that shit together.

Dell Harper did an excellent job sticking all the cloves in my oranges.

This metal folk art nativity was my Christmas present  last year.  It makes me very happy.

My new nativity made by my very talented Mama.  I need to add in some greenery and arrange, but I really just want to play with the figures, ha!

My kitchen is looking rather cheery as well, but I need to clear off the counters before I expose that to the world.

The rest of the house tour will come eventually. . . once I recover from the magnolia garland making.

Christmas Eve Tenderloin with Roasted Cauliflower

This is an excellent (albeit rather expensive) dinner.  It's easy enough for a busy weeknight, yet fancy enough for guests.  It would be perfect for Christmas Eve- it's even Christmas colors when you add the pomegranate seeds.  We always have tenderloin on Christmas Eve (except on this year due to a special duty for Deeds- more on that later).

Adapted from Country Living:
1 2 lb trimmed and tied beef tenderloin (I used 2 chateaubriand cuts)
6 T olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 heads cauliflower, separated into florets
5 large shallots, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard
1 bunch kale, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup pomegrante seeds (optional)

Heat oven to 475 degrees.  Place beef on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Rub with one teaspoon olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake at 475 for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss 2 tablespoons oil with cauliflower and shallot, season with additional salt and pepper.  Quickly scatter vegetables around beef in the pan and continue to bake, stirring vegetables once, 18 more minutes (for medium-rare ((mine was medium at this time))) or until meat reaches desired degree of doneness.

Remove beef from pan and core with foil; let stand for 15 minutes.  stir kale into hot pan with vegetables, cook for an additional five minutes.  Whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice and mustard, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle vegetable with mixture and stir in the pomegranate seeds, if using.  Slice beef and serve with vegetables.

Mmmm. look at all those roasted veggies cooked to perfection with all that tenderloin flavor.  YUM!  Morgan was a big fan of this as well.  Normally I like my beef practically mooing, but this was excellent cooked to the medium side of medium rare.

A Cozy Winter Dinner

Y'all know I have a problem with cookbooks.  I just love them- especially ancient spiral bound junior league ones.  My second favorite is any cookbook comprised of menus.  My imagination runs wild picturing the 1964 ladies bridge luncheon described, or a holiday tea, or picnic on a blanket for a crowd, etc.  I was pretty pumped to discover "Uptown Down South- A Collection Of Preferred Menus" published by the Junior League of Greenville, South Carolina, in my treasure trove of gifted old cookbooks.

I adapted a "Rainy Day 'Pick Me Up' Lunch" for a cozy little dinner at home.  

Sausage Lentil Soup

Caesar Salad

Apple Claflouti

Take that winter!

 Sausage Lentil Soup:

Ingredients:
2 cups lentils, rinsed and culled
1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, oregano, and basil
1 bay leaf
1 pound Italian sausage
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, diced
6 stalks of celery diced (include the leaves)
1 box good quality beef broth

In a large dutch oven,  cover the lentils with water and add the spices.  Bring water to a boil and simmer the lentils covered for about 40 minutes.  Meanwhile, brown and crumble the Italian sausage over medium heat.  Add the vegetables and sauté until soft.  Drain (if there is a lot of fat), and add to the pot with the lentils, along with the tomatoes.  Add 4 cups of beef broth.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Caesar Salad
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese grated
1/2 cup olive oil (plus a little extra for croutons)
1 egg
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon pepper
1 anchovy (optional)
1 head romaine lettuce
1 head bibb lettuce
1 small baguette

Combine cheese, oil, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire, garlic, anchovy and pepper in blender and process for 10 seconds.

For croutons, slice or tear baguette into chunks, and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and bake at 400 for about 5-10 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Toss everything together and enjoy!

Apple Claflouti

3 large apples, cored and peeled (I used honey crisps)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon almond extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut apples into 1/4 inch wedges.  Melt butter in skillet and simmer apples with almond extract and lemon juice for 5-10 minutes until tender.  Remove from heat and cool.  In medium bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir in honey, cream and eggs until smooth and blended.  Pour 1/3 of batter in greased shallow baking dish or 9 inch pie plate, spread evenly.  Bake until set, 4-5 minutes.  Arrange apple mixture on top and pour on remaining batter, spreading evenly.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or drizzle with honey.  Cut in wedges.

I slightly overcooked mine pictured above, and it was still delicious.  I gave myself a major tummy ache the next morning by eating over half the pan for breakfast.

Apparently, it has taken me three weeks to finish this post.   Blame the holidays, work, volunteer work and children.  The usual suspects, no?  Anyway, this dinner would be perfect fro trimming the tree!