Setting the Christmas table is a function that is handled by my wife and my
daughter.  The table starts with a nice flower arrangement for a center
piece.  This years is a silver angel with greens and mums as well as lilies
and roses.  And as the dish storage packs are opened it looks like it will
all work well this year.Read More

I ended up with a new friend for the kitchen.  And what a friend she is
going to be!  I love Calphalon, more to the point I love Calphalon straight
Stainless Steel.  I picked up the 12 inch
Calphalon Everyday Pan and it arrived Christmas Eve from the Santa Claus in <... Read More

Well since the house if full for the Christmas Holidays, we will be chewing
through a lot of food.  I will begin posting some of the comings and goings
of the weekend and holiday on this thread.  If any of you have pics feel
free to start a post and add a link to them.

First the wines selected for the five days.  I will... Read More

Everyone has arrived safely to La casa de Ballantyne.  The festivities
roll on through the weekend and into Christmas Eve.  Did the special 18
minute prime rib method for dinner, and it turned out well.  But first the
mise en place!  Peeled and seeded a butternut squash.  Then diced it
up.

Read More

A nice time was had by all when I served a nice Christmas meal to the nice residents of Mesa View Retirement Community; a nice place to live. It was a nice Saturday afternoon in the nice dining room on the nice third floor of Mesa View. All the residents were nicely dressed and a lot of them had invited only the nice members of their nice families to share this nice m... Read More

So Christmas Eve is just days away, if you count that in adult time (translation: not enough to get everything finished…)

Every family has their own memories and their own way to celebrate. According to the Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith, in his wonderful book The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas, the French have oysters on the half shell on Christmas
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This is something cute from my friend Barb…thought I would share the “recipe” with you all

Christmas Beef Bourguignonne (sung to the Christmas Carol)

12 stems of parsley
11 black peppercorns
10 onions, quartered
9 carrots, chunky
8 cups of red wine
7 cups of beef stock
6 cloves of garlic
5 tsp. rosemar... Read More

Kids are all back at school for a week now.  The wife and I have
finished our Christmas shopping.  Still have to clean some things up prior
to company.  It has been a while now since I did any catering.  I love the slow time, drives some nuts, makes me happy I can screw around in my own kitchen and test and try and see what my wife like... Read More

So you find Thanksgiving over, leftovers for lunch, then dinner.  And
now what to do with the CARCASS?

Soup of course, the Turkey carcass makes a fantastic soup.  I like to
separate the carcass into the flight end and the walking end.  The legs and thighs and supporting muscle making a fantastic dark and robust stock.  The fl... Read More