Our 2 Days of Christmas

I hope this blog post finds you and yours happy, healthy, and simply tickled with the satisfaction of having a few days off for the holidays. I know I certainly am; what could be better than sipping a mug of your favorite tea while painting your nails with a new Essie nail polish Santa left in your stocking (called "Damsel in a Dress" - by far the best nail polish brand out there) and looking back at the past few days' pictures and reflecting on the memories made this year? Nothing, nothing is better than that.

To top it all off, my family's health seems to be on the up and up as well! We have all been struck by either the stomach virus or winter cold throughout the past week, and have taken turns fulfilling the duties of Christmas preparation while the others are nursed back to health. After all, the show must go on. Thank goodness I wasn't sick until Christmas Day, meaning that I, along with the irreplaceable help of my sister, was still well enough to prepare all of the Christmas feasts, which includes Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day brunch.

As you go about your day, most likely picking up where you left off last week at the office or in school work, please take a moment to savor the feeling of family togetherness and kinship, and try to sustain that throughout the year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Tarragon honey glazed baby carrots

Parmesan, orange, and toasted walnut salad

 Homemade balsamic orange vinaigrette

My Nannan's (my mom's grandma) pillowy soft sweet rolls. I think I finally managed to get close to her  baked masterpieces.

One of my Dad's favorites: scalloped potatoes, straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook.

Checking for a perfect 140 degrees medium rare on our beef tenderloin...

...rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and lots of fresh rosemary.

Our Christmas Eve dinner table, set oh so beautifully by my sister