Holiday Time!

Sunday morning the cats got to unpack their stockings! S knitted each of our lttle darlings their own, complete with monogram! They got sardines in tomato sauce, chicken sausages, and catnip mice! They must have loved everything because they spent all morning chasing the mice around.

Saturday night S's brother stopped by for dinner and a quick family Christmas celabration. We tried Ina Garten's Boeuf Bourguignon for the first time. As with most recipes from her book (Barefoot in Paris), it was delicious and the instructions were perfect. We're big fans. We served it with the new talk of the bread world, Bittman Bread. That stuff is incredible. I have never tasted bread like this from a home oven. We also roasted some asparagus and S made a polenta cake with cranberry and pear compote. Excellent. Oh, and we stole one other trick from the Barefoot Contessa: A little Chambord mixed with champagne. Very Holiday.

Speeking of the Contessa, I have a few theories about the majesty that is her Hamptons Lifestyle. She seems to be friends with all gay men in East Hampton, while at the same time, trying to kill them with butter. What is it with that? And how does Jeffrey feel about all this entertaining while he is away? Is he complicit in the genocide? On the other hand, I guess we all have to die sometime, and being killed by a cauliflower gratin isn't the worst way to go!

Getting ready for Saturday's Holiday Feast: