Over Before We Knew It

We spent hours, days even, planning the menu, shopping for ingredients and prepping for our Christmas dinner and it was over in the blink of an eye; or at least that's how it felt.

This year my husband and I decided to veer from our traditional Christmas feast which would've included several courses; soup, pasta and meat. Instead we did just one large meal with all the recipes coming from the December 2008 Bon Appetit magazine.

Our entree was a very impressive Standing Rib Roast stuffed with spinach and porcini mushrooms and served with an Irish whiskey gravy and horseradish cream. There wasn't a lot of stuffing to this recipe but the flavors of the spinach and porcini mushroom complemented the meat perfectly. If I had to change one thing it would be the gravy. Although we enjoyed it, we agreed that it was a bit much for the meat. A little salty and a little overpowering.


On the side we made

Potato Mushroom Gratin...definitely my new favorite way to make potatoes. Thinly sliced potatoes layered with heavy cream and grated Parmesan topped with mushrooms, sliced garlic and thyme. What could possibly not taste good about this?


For vegetables we did Sherry Vinegar and Molasses Glazed Carrots

and Brocollini with Pecan Brown Butter. Some people say that brocollini is baby broccoli. Others say it's a cross between broccoli and Chinese chard. Whatever it is it's delicious especially sauteed with brown butter and pecans.

And what would standing rib roast be without Yorkshire pudding? These individual puddings were filled with sharp cheddar cheese and chives.

We ended dinner with some chestnuts that we roasted on the outdoor grill

and my husband's famous Oreo Cheesecake with Cherries. He's been making this every Christmas for as long as I've known him. Which, by the way, is a very long time.

Now that Christmas is behind us it's time to start planning for our next big meal....