A New Year's Eve Wedding

Usually I find New Year's Eve depressing. I invariably end up at home, doing something un-extraordinary like, say, surfing the internet or reading a book.  I always take my NYE hermitage as a sign that I'm about to embark on another year of feeling kind of shiftless and out of the loop. This year I didn't have to dread that awkward transitory evening; my mother decided to get married on it! Although it made for a busier than usual holiday season, I appreciated the opportunity to get dressed up, travel, bake, and celebrate! My mother and (now) step-father decided to have a small wedding, but liked the idea of going somewhere special for it. They decided on a Bed & Breakfast in upstate Vermont. The place was beautiful, and I had a lovely peach-walled room to myself, window seats and all. I packed comfortable clothes for walking around downtown as well as my laptop (love the free wifi) and a couple of new books.  I managed to read almost nothing because I got sucked into watching The Human Centipede, a movie I can't even stand to think about for fear of getting re-grossed out.  Suffice it to say, a friend posted about it on Facebook, saying she made the mistake of watching the preview, and I took the challenge.  I think that says a lot about the kind of person I am.  Tell me no and I say yes.  Tell me yes and I say no.  Sometimes.

Anyway, the ceremony was short and sweet, the officiant being an old family friend.  The officiant's husband and I rounded out the wedding party.  My mother and I made a grand entrance, walking (in my case, stumbling) down the B&B's front staircase in our fancy dresses. We assembled in the wedding suite's sitting room and vows were read.  Afterward we all drove over to a different B&B for their special NYE dinner.  Let me just say that I have never, EVER gotten grossed out  by the richness of a meal. I swear I've never eaten so much cream in one sitting in my whole entire life. I started with lobster bisque, followed by creamy spinach-stuffed artichokes, beef wellington (tender beef smothered in a paste of mushrooms and liver, then wrapped in puff pastry), caramelized onion risotto, rainbow baby carrots, and maple syrup creme brulee. Oh, and I had a Manhattan, too, and I drank the whole damn thing. I felt like I was raising the spirit of my British ancestors between the drink and the Wellington. My mother ate lobster--not an easy feat when you're wearing a ball gown. I took a funny photo of her holding a lobster claw in front of her sequined, napkin-draped chest. By 11 we made it back to our B&B, where we managed to cram more champagne, German dessert wine (OMG, best thing ever!), and wedding cake into our stomachs. After the officiant and her husband left, my mom, step-dad, and I watched the ball drop, after which T.I. performed live (um, in NYC, on the TV, not in our B&B). My mom stood up and began doing an interpretive dance to his rapping, and I took that as my cue to leave them to their wedding night!
























When my mother announced her engagement I immediately offered to make their wedding cake. I didn't expect that everything would be happening so fast! In the end I made a simple two-layer cake in red velvet, to honor my mother's bold personality as well as the holiday season. This was my second time making a red velvet cake, and I've discovered it's not my favorite. It just doesn't have the richness I expect in a cake. The recipe can be found here, if I haven't already scared you away! I covered it with a white vanilla buttercream, so that the cake looked traditional on the outside. I wanted the drama of cutting into something colorful and unexpected.  And buttercream is my mother's favorite frosting, which never hurts. I used a new recipe, always a dangerous thing, but it came out well.  I was nervous about having to make the cake two days prior to the wedding and then transporting it in the car and in and out of the B&B's refrigerator, so I used a special buttercream frosting that incorporates meringue powder, thus firming up the frosting. It worked well--the cake looked beautiful on New Year's Eve, and the frosting was still just as soft as a traditional buttercream.

We all had a wonderful time, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of the process. And hey, it'll be a piece of cake remembering my mother's anniversary. Pun intended.

Christmas, finally

Christmas: it happened.  It was busy.  It was mostly fun.  I cooked a lot and I drove around a lot.

For the past two years, my dad and I have cooked Christmas eve dinner together.  He takes on the main, meaty course, and I do an accompaniment.  The side dish is always meat-free because my step-mother is vegetarian.  Although I spent a portion of my 20s vegetarian (and one tragic week of veganism), I'm not used to veggie recipes.  Most of the recipes I'm attracted to contain meat, be it a hunk of beef or chicken stock.  So this year when my dad announced he'd be making a ribeye roast, I immediately thought of my favorite butternut squash risotto...which contains copious amounts of bacon fat and chicken broth.  Up for a challenge, I purchased the best veggie stock I could find (Pacifica brand), and substituted several pieces of bacon and bacon grease with more butter.  Let me tell you, butter really does make everything better!  The risotto came out great and I really didn't miss the meat at all.  The original recipe is from Ina Garten and can be found here.  My dad rounded out the meal with roasted baby potatoes, carrots, and turnips and my step-mother made a delicious salad with diced avocado, orange, nuts, and other tasty crunchy things.

After dinner we exchanged gifts, then sat down in front of the wood stove and had coffee, tea, peppermint chocolate truffles, and Eton Mess.  I made both of the desserts.  The truffles were a new recipe that caught my eye because of their simplicity and peppermint-chocolate flavor combo (which is one of my favorites!).  I think I let the truffles chill too long before the step where they are rolled in the crushed candy canes.  None of the peppermint pieces adhered to the truffles, so they didn't have the festive appearance I had hoped for.  They did taste very good, however, due to the peppermint extract in the chocolate mixture.  I'll be darned if I know where the recipe went, but if I find it I will post it here.  Eton Mess is a dessert I've made several times (and may have actually blogged about already, come to think of it).  In any case, it's a very simple trifle-like dessert consisting of layers of freshly whipped cream mixed with crushed meringues and fresh fruit.  My grandmother, who was with us for Christmas eve dinner, can't tolerate seeds, so instead of using berries I chopped up ripe pears and apples.  The combination of unsweetened whipped cream and super-sweet, crunchy meringues is heavenly!

On Christmas day I met up with the other side of the family for a big, boisterous mid-day meal.  I brought a key lime pie and a pecan pie.  Both were made using Cook's Illustrated The New Best Recipe Cookbook, which is my go-to cookbook when I'm looking for the absolute best, tastiest, and prettiest results (i.e. - when I'm cooking for others).  The key lime pie was effing fantastic; hats off to the editors at Cook's Illustrated.  Making the graham cracker crust was easy with the aid of my food processor.  Juicing the key limes was a tedious, time-consuming task, but it was really my own fault because I purchased them before reading the cookbook's suggestion that regular limes be used--they said the taste-testers couldn't even tell the difference.  The pecan pie also came out well, although a bit denser and drier than the only other pecan pie I've made.  I don't know if that's a result of the recipe or if I did something in the process of making it.  My hosting aunt made roast pork with applesauce, and other relatives supplied everything from stuffed shells to lemon tartlets to huge homemade truffles.

Other than the tasty food, there was a very memorable Yankee Swap, where my mother's friend, a vegetarian, ended up with a jar of Baconnaise and a generic Snuggie.  I got a framed photo my cousin took in Arizona, where he lives for the moment.  It's a beautiful shot of palm trees (and a tiny Uhaul sign in the distance, as my other cousin pointed out).  I felt a bit of guilt making out with such a nice gift after seeing my mom's friend holding the Baconnaise, trying hard not to look disgusted.  By the time I returned home late Christmas night, bearing overloaded bags of gifts and leftovers, I was so totally ready for a few quiet days alone!  And I mean that in the best of ways.

The Fruitcake Bingo...

...and Ugly Sweater party was a good time.  After several hours of making peppermint meringues, artichoke squares, and brownies,:

there were rousing games of fruitcake bingo.  I won a private viewing of Santa Claus Defeats the Aliens with two of my friends AND a used personal massager.  I gave the latter to Luka, who was bummed not to have won a game.  The massager has since been chewed and mangled by his dog, so it's really no loss!

I also made "injured" gingerbread people using cookie cutters my friend Danna gave me:

They weren't particularly tasty, but it sure was fun to make bloody gingerbread!

There was also an amaretto-rum punch, which I sipped with copious amounts of maraschino cherries:

And vegan mini-knishes, which were a bitch to make, but pretty tasty (see recipe at end):

It was fun being mock competitive over bingo and silly prizes, and I enjoyed seeing my friends look dorkier than usual in their goofy, festive clothes!  I am definitely planning a Fruitcake Bingo-Ugly Sweater Party II.

  Potato Knish

4 c flour

1 t kosher salt, plus more to taste

6 T canola oil, plus more for greasing

4 russet potatoes (2 ½ lb), peeled and cut into 1” pieces

3 onions, minced

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 egg, beaten with 1 T water

1.      Whisk together flour and 1 t salt in a medium bowl.  Make a well in center and add 1 c plus 2 T warm water and 2 T oil.  Stir to form a dough and knead briefly.  Divide dough into 4 pieces.  Wrap in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

2.     Meanwhile, put potatoes into a 4-qt saucepan and add water to cover by 1”.  Season with salt, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain potatoes and pass through a food mill or potato ricer into a large bowl.  Heat remaining oil in a 12” skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes.  Whip onions into potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

3.     Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Working with one piece of dough at a time, put dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll to 1/16” thickness.  Using a 3” cookie cutter, cut out 16 circles.  Spoon 1 T of potato mixture onto center of each circle.  Brush edges with egg wash and bring up edges with your fingers and seal to form a purse.  Transfer knishes to 2 greased baking sheets and brush with egg wash.  Repeat, filling 2 greased baking sheets in all.  Bake knishes until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly; serve warm.

Makes 64 mini knishes.

Source:  Saveur magazine, December 2010.

Holiday 101: How to be Rich.

A thoughtful look at the things we remember, and what we really love.  Thanks to Beth for the link.

It's officially crazy-busy season.  I hate that the time when I should be posting most is so busy!  I'm hosting a small holiday party this week, so preparations are being made for that.  It's a combination Fruitcake Bingo and Ugly Sweater party.  I think I invented Fruitcake Bingo.  It's normal bingo, except everyone brings a throwaway gift, re-gift, handmade item, or other "fruitcake" to contribute to the prize pool.  I did not invent Ugly Sweater parties (unfortunately).  Today I went to the thrift store to look for one.  They didn't have any.  I cursed myself for all the times in the past few months I've seen the perfect Christmas-themed, Quacker Factory sweater and didn't buy it.  Bah humbug.  The party's theme somehow evolved into a celebration of all things tacky and deliciously bad.  I *am* making fruitcake (my first attempt ever; I'll let you know how it comes out), as well as chocolate-peppermint brownie bites, mini knishes, and artichoke quiche squares...basically anything that can be stuck with a tasseled red or green toothpick.  :)  Oh, and an amaretto-bourbon punch.  Can't forget that.  I'll update with photos this weekend!

I went on my 3rd annual Christmas tree hunt with my father and step-mother this past weekend.  The weather was chilly, but without the snow or mud of the past years.  I was very strong and settled on a smaller tree to please my housemate, who wanted to be able to reach the top.  It fits our space perfectly and is now adorned with a mishmash of our favorite ornaments. 

Just kidding!  Neither of us have love for the beer.  Here's our real tree:

And adorned with my favorite canine, who apparently thought the tree skirt was just for her pleasure:

It's time I come out.  I have an affinity for Dolly Parton.  At this time of year, that means I listen to this a lot!  It's a Hard Candy Christmas.  Can you believe I've never seen The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?

Today is a very special day.

It is my official start to the Christmas season.  I can now put up lights, get a tree, hang the wreath, and blare carols in my car without feeling guilty!  And, just in time, I discovered another well-known musician who has put out a holiday album this year.  Fred Schneider from the B-52s joined up with a couple of lesser-known musicians and formed the Superions.  Their new work features gems like "Who Threw That Ham at Me," a ditty about creative ways to get out of shoplifting mishaps, "Crummy Christmas Tree,"" and "Fruitcake," which needs no explanation.  The Superions are an acquired taste, but if you like the sometimes harsh sound and campiness of the B-52s you will probably like Schneider's new work.  I really think John Waters and the Superions need to hook up and create something special together!

Here's article that turned me on to the Superions and their holiday music:  Fred Claus.