and thus endeth the gluttony

...well, almost. There's still tonight!

My Christmas Eve dinner was a success. I decided not to make the homemade pasta though. Or rather, I did make a batch of dough, and then I realized that my pasta machine is really terrible. I never thought it was that great anyway but I couldn't even get it to cut the flattened dough effectively--I ended up with a mass of not-quite-completely-cut strands that stuck together. I tried to hand-cut a few but it was too labor intensive. I would have had to make another batch for my guests and I knew I would be too stressed out, so I jettisoned that idea. There was more than enough food already anyway. Which included this beef tenderloin, potatoes mashed with parsnips, and these brussels sprouts. My friend brought triple-cream cheese with fig jam for an appetizer, then we had vin santo (which I carried over myself from Tuscany last May) and cantuccini. The meat turned out really well. I was concerned about overcooking it--I made a leg of lamb last Easter and it cooked faster than I expected, so it ended up being medium to medium-well. It was still good, but I was disappointed. So with the tenderloin I probably checked it with the meat thermometer about five times. All my guests were pleased. I had a lot left over so I sent some home with people and have been eating it cold too. Unfortunately I was too busy cooking to get some pictures.

After everyone left, I realized it had snowed, and I took a bunch of photos of the snow-covered limbs of the tree outside my building.. Then I just sat on my couch with the lights off staring at the Christmas tree. I was really in a state of zen joy that I can't really explain. I didn't want to stop looking at it, so I ended up sleeping on the couch!

And now it's New Year's Eve. I'm not a huge fan of going out and kind of wanted to stay home. But now I'm going to stop off at a friend's for a drink on the early side and then may hit another friend's party later if I'm up for it. It's just as well--I bought some pre-prepared foie gras that I was really excited about eating, and it was terrible. Totally inedible--it had a really pronounced metallic taste. At $35 for two slices, that shouldn't happen. I'm going to call the little wine store I bought it from and see if I can get a refund. But the wine--a bottle of Petite Syrah 2007 from Vincent Arroyo that I bought in Napa last year--was, is, excellent.

And fortunately it's been unusually warm today--50s during the day (although rainy) and only going down to the 40s tonight, so maybe I can wear a short dress without freezing.

Happy New Year!

Christmas decor

I was pretty pleased with my efforts at Christmas trimming this year, especially the wreaths, which I made myself (ahem).

"What is this thing doing on my napping spot?"

Unfortunately Christmas shopping makes me cranky and now I'm getting sick. Still, I seem to have more Christmas cheer this year than usual, a good thing since I'm having people over for dinner Christmas Eve. I have been looking longingly at recipes for pot-au-feu, which would seem to be a terrific special-occasion dish, but I know all the shopping and preparation on my own is a little too ambitious. Instead I'm thinking of some type of rib roast, plus homemade pasta. And then vin santo and cantuccini for dessert.

Wherever you are, Joyeux Noel, Buon Natale, Merry Christmas, Auguri, and Happy New Year!

Seeing France in New Orleans

Poor ignored blog! I have meant to put something up for a while if only to push that picture of the dead pig further down.

My friend and I were talking about possibly going to France with her husband's band this fall--well, that ended up getting downgraded to a weekend in New Orleans.  New Orleans is kind of like France--but with more crime and to-go cups!

The good news is that the city really is coming back, albeit largely due to the blood, sweat, and toil of the residents, who are really dedicated to their home. And rightly so. New Orleans is a true cultural treasure. There is no place like it in the United States thanks to its history--which I learned a lot about thanks to Cassady, my guide on a Confederacy of Cruises bike tour. Check them out if you go--NO is a great place to explore on two wheels.

We didn't go into the lower 9th Ward, which I understand is still in kind of bad shape, but we did go into other areas of the 9th Ward where some houses were boarded up and you could still see the spraypainted symbols from emergency teams as they searched for survivors and bodies. Still, the area seemed lively and upbeat, which was nice to see.

Cassady, our tour guide

Cassady was a rolling encyclopedia of all things New Orleans. I mentioned I had stopped to get coffee and a muffin at a cafe near the meeting point and he told me about the history of the name of the cafe and probably knew the owners too.

I didn't take too many pictures of food, unfortunately. We did eat a lot of oysters, and our best meal was at Cochon, a contemporary Cajun place that several people recommended to us. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I don't care much for Creole food--it's not my favorite. Cajun, yes, but most traditional restaurants in New Orleans (Emeril's, Commander's Palace, etc) are Creole-inspired, not Cajun. But as you might expect, the town excels at French and French-inspired fare, so our second night we went to Lilette and were not disappointed.

People are so friendly down there too. Cassady said if we got lost or needed a restaurant recommendation to ask a local: "He might mug you later but he'll give you good information!" We didn't get mugged but we did meet a lot of nice folks.

A mobile barbecue smoker

It was the middle of November, but it was quite warm and sunny--in the mid to upper 70s, maybe even 80 our last day there. Of course, facing the onset of real winter weather at home, I thought about how nice it would be to enjoy mild temperatures through the colder months. On the other hand, summers there must be a challenge.

My next house? I wish.

It's all about taking it easy and enjoying life.

I'm too old and mired in the bad housing market to consider moving anywhere else at this point, but if I had a good reason to I'd definitely move to New Orleans. At least I'd like to visit it more often. Actually, I think I am just a little jealous of New Orleanians, the way I am jealous of Italian or French people. It must be nice to be born into that culture and live it every day--something I'll never be able to do no matter how much I try to emulate it.