Images of the Holidays - 2013

Since I did not blog (too much) between Christmas and New Year, I thought my first post should be images from our holiday season. I am sneaking in some from Thanksgiving too (I could not resist). Hope you enjoy!!!

Our almost Charlie Brown Christmas Tree: We have a small place, so we get a small tree. Our ornaments are things we have collected from our trips, cute stuff, and cats (We have lots of cat ornaments - since we have a cat).

My Thanksgiving Minis. Vanilla Cupcake with sprinkles, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Cupcake with powdered sugar. Still working on a couple of this... but they are so yummy!

 

First-time Latkes. In a true Mad-Gourmet fashion, I used spaghetti squash and a touch of kale. It came out yummy, but not quite latkes (more like winter squash patties). At least it bound.  

Enjoying the Fruits (and Veggies) of the Season: Brussels Sprouts Slaw fresh from the Farmer's Market. Recipe from Michael Symon's "5 in 5" (Page 139)

Potluck time: I wanted to make things easy for me this year, so I just brought my semi-healthy brownie recipe. I used mashed bananas instead of butter and a small amount of coconut oil. I was going for a tropical theme, so I added rum extract (Think choco-banana colada). I think I need more rum extract (or real rum) though. The white chocolate chips also added texture. I avoided adding nuts or toffee for the kidzies (who may have nut allergies).

Giant Brownie! What I did with the excess batter.... and it's all mine!!! I added toffee and nuts in this, since I know I do not have allergies. Obviously, I baked this in a ramekin (my larger one).

Typical December Lunch: Tomato Soup with Holiday Colors. This one is Tomato-Red Pepper with Wasabi Peas (believe me, it's great together) and pomegranate arils. I could title this "Thanks Trader Joe's."

Christmas Minis: Regular Cheesecake, Apple Crumble, Bread Pudding, (Attempted) Pecan Pie. Expect some of these in a blog post soon (other recipes are still in progress). I did miss out on the Panettone this year.

Christmas Haul: This is actually just part of my haul. Finally a Food Processor and a Spice Grinder. I can't wait to make pesto.

 

 

New Year's Day: Wanted to have an easy breakfast: Green tea, Vanilla Cream Puff from Beard Papa, and the Rose Parade. Hits the spot (Yay! No hangovers).

Happy New Year! Looking forward to a great blogging year ahead.