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!