Prepping for Christmas at Patty & Chris's - we had to make our own ornaments and one of the themes was birds. Alex and I were the only ones who made them. These are mine; I strung them with colored satin and grosgrain ribbon and wrote facts about each bird on the back including wingspan and diet.
On Christmas Eve we opened presents. I got Alex a 1TB external drive that he has been wanting for his music, and he got me a Le Creuset grill pan AND hand felted some river rocks for me. I was so touched.
Alex made truffles for Xmas dessert. We'd never done anything like this before so we had no idea what we were in for. They turned out good but the chocolate was a bit bitter. Now we know for next time. He also threw in a little Highland Park scotch into the mix (aged 12 yrs - yummy!).
William at Chris & Patty's. They live all the way out in Jackson Heights but getting there by train wasn't too bad. Considering we had 3 bottles of booze, a casserole and a giant tote bag stuffed with food and tupperware.
Aside from the chestnut-pancetta stuffing I made (turned out really good, made with day old ciabatta and was the perfect consistency...) I also found this crunchy broccoli salad recipe on 101 Cookbooks. You just blanch the broccoli and slice apples and red onions. The dressing calls for almond butter but since I had cashew butter in our fridge that's what I used and it was just as good. Just whisk cashew butter, lemon juice, a bit of olive oil, pepper, some honey and garlic paste (made from chopping and smashing garlic with salt) and add hot water til it's creamy. Toss with the salad and top with candied walnuts. So healthy and yummy you'd never know it was vegan.
Alex made a giant origami crane that became the tree topper. Note the Portland Trailblazers ornament!
After the 3rd basketball game everyone was pretty much sick of watching sports so Footloose was the next best thing we could find. Bucking religious B.S. on Christmas - yay!
The day after Xmas we headed to Park Slope to check out Premium Goods, this hipster sneaker store on 5th Ave. Lots of Brooklyn gear. Next door is Wndrlnd, the girls' side. Big sales at both, 40% off! Cute things but mostly a little too young for me though I did pick up a bottle of Essie Shorty Pants nail polish which isn't available anymore. Bright bright yellow! I've been looking for it for a while so I'm glad I lucked out...and it was on sale for $3. I'm tempted to go back and get the rest. They're limited edition (came out this summer) and I haven't found them anywhere else.
Wow. I just blogged about limited edition nail polish. Wtf?
After all that walking we were thirsty and hungry so we headed to one of our favorite spots, Beer Table on 7th Ave. Rare and international beers plus complementary (not complimentary) appetizers and small dishes. I really wish this spot was a bit closer but we do have Bar Olivino (a wine bar that serves cheese, olives, meats) about three blocks from us so I can't complain.
Not for the squeamish. I needed a little color in my life during these drab days so I happied up my toe and fingernails.
Happy holidays!
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