restaurants i love: mama's plantation

I feel like maybe I should have been born in the South. I love comfort food more than any other kind of food. I've always been in love with mac n' cheese, peach cobbler, cornbread, yams and other Southern fair. My first real experience with Southern Comfort Food was at Folks in Atalanta as a teenager. I couldn't get fried green tomatoes off the brain. When I visited my friend Liz in New York years ago, she knew about my love and took me to Spoonbread in Harlem (funny story, that's where I met my good friend Rachel for the first time, but we didn't become friends until years later—when I first moved to Salt Lake). I've also become a convert to Roscoe's Chicken n' Waffles in LA thanks to Broek and Renée. I have long since lamented the lack of this kind of food here in Utah, and how it seems that I have to globe trot to satiate my cravings, but recently went with some friends to (the new to us) Mama's Plantation in Sandy. I've been back about 4 or 5 times since my first visit in late February. I LOVE this place! I love the catfish, fried okra, yams, and the cornbread is sooo amazing. This is definitely one of my new favorite spots, and recommend it to anyone and everyone. You will be full for like two days afterwards, but it will be a fullness of food, comfort and joy.

(all my photos were taken with my phone in low light, so forgive the excessive use of filters to make up for this)

 delicious cornbread

 amazing fried okra

scrumptious yams

delightful peach cobbler

PS: If this post seems like a name-dropper post, I apologize, I just happen to know super legitimate people and they love food like I do. We can't help it.

dinner rolls with rosemary and flaked fluer de sel

(Sorry this photo is so crappy, but it's hard to take pics when you are busy and stressed while making food for 30 people!)

I made these rolls for another dinner I worked on with my awesome chef friend, Tom Call. He asked me to come up with some yummy and buttery dinner rolls. I went to my Go-To Baking Mentor (my mom) and asked what she would recommend trying. She suggested this recipe from Sarabeth's Bakery cookbook. I'm so glad she did! It looks like a lot of instruction, but it's pretty simple to put together. Plus, I added the rosemary and fluer de sel to try to make them a little more special. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. For the dinner, we made these more of a "tasting size" in little mini muffin tins instead of making them in the two pans like in the recipe below. If you make them that way, I would suggest using a scale and weighing the dough. Each mini roll weighed about 30 grams.

Dinner Rolls with Rosemary and Flaked Fluer de Sel (adapted from Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours)

3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk, divided
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, as needed
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, well softened
4 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, divided
1-2 tablespoons flaked fluer de sel

Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup, 105° to 115°F, milk in a small bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens, about 5 minutes, then stir well to dissolve. Pour into the mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup cold milk, the sugar, egg, and yolk, whisk to combine.

Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed, adding 2 cups of the flour and the salt. One tablespoon at a time, beat in the butter, letting each addition become absorbed before adding another. Add another cup of the flour and 2 teaspoons of the chopped rosemary to make a soft dough that cleans the sides of the bowl.

Using a silicone spatula, scrape the dough into the center of the bowl. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed until the dough is supple, about 4 minutes. One tablespoon at a time, add as much of the remaining flour as needed for the dough to become smooth.

Generously butter a medium bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a ball. Place the ball, smooth side down, in the bowl, and turn right side up to lightly coat the ball in butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Cut the dough into 18 equal portions (if you have a kitchen scale, each portion will weigh 2 ounces.) To shape into balls, one portion at a time, place the dough on an unfloured work surface. Cup one hand over the dough and move your hand in a tight circular motion, letting your palm gently touch the top of the dough. For each pan, arrange 7 balls inside the perimeter of the pan, with 2 balls in the center, spacing the balls equally apart. There will be space between the balls until they proof. Choose a warm spot in the kitchen for the proofing. Cover with a tea towel. Let stand until the rolls look puffy, about 45 minutes.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Remove the tea towel and spray rolls with water, sprinkle with the last two teaspoons of fresh rosemary and lightly sprinkle with flaked fluer de sel. Bake unti the rolls are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans, then separate the rolls from each other and serve hot.

NOTE: If you need to re-heat the rolls, generously sprinkle them with water and put them in a 350°F oven for about 5-10 minutes. Just keep a razor sharp eye on them so that they don't get too golden and dry out.

buttermilk biscuits

I love cookbooks. I could collect all of them for days and I wouldn't have enough. Even it it's just to look at them. I have a huge wish list that is ever-growing. My mom got the Sarabeth's Bakery cookbook last Christmas from my dad, and I made no secret of my envy. Imagine my delight when I received it this year from my parents! It's so simple and clean and I want to make and eat everything in it. This biscuit recipe is the first recipe I've made from it, and oh my goodness, they were divine. Salty, buttery, light and flaky. In a word: Perfect. Next time you want/need a savory baked good, make this happen to your face and belly.

Adapted from Sarabeth's Bakery

3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used 1 1/2 cups milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together into the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. Add the butter. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces of butter. Add the buttermilk (or milk with lemon juice), mixing just until the dough barely comes together.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until the dough is smooth. Sprinke the top of the dough with flour and roll our a little more than 3/4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, dipping the cutter into flour between cuts, cut out the biscuits and place 1 inch apart on the pan. Gently press the scraps together (do not overhandle the dough—this is very important!). Repeat rolling and cutting.

Bake until the biscuits are well risen and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve hot or warm. To reheat the biscuits, wrap them in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes.

vacation: re-visited

It's time for my obligatory Christmas vacation trip re-cap. Of course, the food was incredible, and amazing and was one of the main focuses of my trip. I'm going to post all the photos and names below. If you guys want any of the recipes that aren't linked, let me know which ones, and I'll try to coax them from my Mom. The only one I know for sure that she won't give up is the Special Christmas Torte She Holds Sacred So Don't Even Ask. (All the photos taken by my phone, mostly with Instagram.)

Whole Wheat Waffles with fruit and yogurt and a sauce from the Clinton Street Baking Company cookbook (which I covet greatly - remember how I ate there in New York?). 

 Citrus Wassail (recipe here)

My adorable Mom writes out a menu for the time that I'm home.  

Winter Fruit Salad with Pomegranates (recipe here) 

Butterhorn Dinner Rolls (recipe here) 

Roasted Beets 

 Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Compote

Special Christmas Torte She Holds Sacred So Don't Even Ask 

The best Eggs Benedict In The World, made by my Mom. 

Fig Prosciutto Pizza with Spinach, adapted from this recipe 

Prosciutto wrapped Water Chestnuts

Chocolate Dipped Salted Caramels with Fluer De Sel, adapted from this recipe

Apple Pan Dore. Recipe adapted from Mama's Cafe 

Fancy Hot Chocolate. (You whip cream with cocoa and chocolate syrup then put in in warm milk then drink it!)

One of my favorite things to eat of all time. Croque Madame from Cafe De La Presse in San Francisco.

Chocolate Malted Crunch Ice Cream from Thrifty's. (My favorite!) 

Blackberry Cobbler, made by 2.0. Recipe from Joy of Cooking.

family foods

I was just in Southern California to see family for a last minute, much needed getaway. I really wanted to hang out with this girl (and the rest of my family, too).

I'm sure it goes without saying, that when I'm around my family, the food is always in delicious abundance. Here are a few things we ate/made.

 

My sister made homemade chicken noodle soup (homemade noodles, too!), and My sister-in-law made this amazing sourdough artisan bread, which she's been working on perfecting for a bit. I'd say she hit the mark. My goodness, it was fantastic! I will see if she'll do a guest post and give us all her secrets.

 

Sis-in-law, will heretofore be known as 2.0 (that's my nickname as her, seeing as how we have the exact same name, but she's more awesome than me, hence the v.2.0). Anywho, 2.0 made some awesome sourdough pancakes and put shredded apples in them. They were a delight.

 Here is a photo of the start. I'll share the sourdough recipe at the end of the post. You're welcome. (You'll need a sourdough starter to make this)

And one of my favorites, and 2.0's as well, Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cake.

Now for the Sourdough Pancakes recipe:

1 egg

2 T. oil

¼ c. milk

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 T. sugar

Add 2 cups warm water and 2 ½ cup flour to 1 cup start. Mix together and let sit overnight. In morning, put one cup in with starter again, leaving you with 4 ½ cup batter. Add any fruit or other lil' nuggets you like to the pancakes. For shredded apples, you add it to the whole batter, if you add chocolate chips or blueberries, add them to freshly poured batter. Griddle or pan should be at medium heat, flip when doughy side bubbles. When pancakes are cooked as golden as you like, EAT THEM UP.

              

***For Sourdough Waffles, add 2 more tablespoons of oil.

bakesale betty's fried chicken sandwiches and lemon ice

A long time ago, I posted about going to Bakesale Betty's in Oakland. It was so inspiring and delicious. If I opened my own storefront, I'd love to run it similar to her business model. The last week I was in SF for work, I stayed the weekend to hang with the parents, and I dragged them out to this giant White Elephant Sale, then to Bakesale Betty's. I've been craving that lemon ice since I first had it years ago and I just wanted them to see this place that really inspired me to want to do my own thing with food one of these days (someday? hopefully?). When we were ordering in line and Ms. Bakesale herself realized my mom had never been there and we were just getting lemon ice's, she gave us two of their famous fried chicken sandwiches—on the house. Seriously, I love this woman! We took it home and split them up between the parents and myself. We were all blown away. A few weeks later, my dad did his thing and found the recipe for this online and for the lemon ice that haunts me on the daily. Fast forward to Memorial weekend, when my parents and I were visiting two of my sibs in Southern California. Needless to see, we made these ridiculously good sandwiches and the drink. Everyone LOVED it! The cole slaw that you make really puts it over the top. My rad sis-in-law who haaaaaates onions totally got down with these bad boys. I'd call this success for all parties. See recipes below.

Bakesale Betty's Fried Chicken Sandwich

Serves 4
You'll have some breading left over, even after dipping twice. This makes a hefty sandwich in all regards - you'll need two hands to eat it.

INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each (we sliced the chicken breasts in half, to make sure they weren't too thick. Or you could pound them to be flatter, if you don't want to slice them)
Kosher salt to taste
1 quart buttermilk
The vinaigrette1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
The coleslaw1 small red onion, very thinly sliced (we used half this amount)
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 jalapenos, seeded, cut in half and sliced crosswise
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 green cabbage, core and outer leaves removed, and very thinly sliced
Kosher salt
The breading1 pound all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt + more to taste
11/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
4 Acme Bakery torpedo rolls, sliced lengthwise (we found rolls as close to this as possible. We also buttered and toasted the buns, to avoid soggy bread)

Instructions: Season chicken breasts with kosher salt. Let sit at least 5 minutes. Fill a wide, shallow nonreactive bowl or casserole dish with buttermilk. Add the chicken and soak in the refrigerator for 1 hour up to overnight.
For the vinaigrette: Combine mustard, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well blended.
For the coleslaw: Macerate onions in red wine vinegar, and let sit at least 20 minutes. Remove onions and discard vinegar. Toss onions with jalapeno, parsley, cabbage and salt. Toss with vinaigrette until evenly coated.
To fry chicken: Pour vegetable oil into a large stockpot. Do not fill up more than halfway, or the oil could splatter. Bring oil up to 365°, using a digital thermometer/candy thermometer to monitor the heat. Prepare the the breading while waiting for oil to heat up.

In a wide shallow bowl, mix flour, cayenne, salt and pepper. Pull a chicken breast out of the buttermilk one by one, letting excess drip off, and dredge completely in flour. To create a thick crust, place in buttermilk and dredge in flour a second time. Do not drain or shake off excess buttermilk or flour during the breading process.

When the oil is at 365°, carefully place chicken pieces into oil one by one. Let it cook for a minute before disturbing chicken, then help it "swim" in the oil with tongs, until it is evenly cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels. Season immediately with salt.

For the sandwich: Place fried chicken breast on bottom of torpedo roll and top generously with coleslaw.

(recipe found via)

Bakesale Betty's Lemon Ice
Makes about 5 drinks
This recipe is from Alison Barakat (a.k.a. Betty), owner of Bakesale Betty in Oakland, where the lemon ice is kept frozen in a slush machine. This is an adapted version for home cooks.

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup hot water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
Instructions: In a 2-quart pitcher, whisk sugar with hot water until sugar is dissolved. Add 2 cups cold water and the lemon juice, and stir until combined.

Pour 2 1/2 cups of the lemon mixture into ice cube trays and freeze. Store the rest in the refrigerator. Add lemon ice cubes and liquid mixture to a blender and pulse until you get a slushy consistency. Pour into 5 glasses and serve immediately.

(We used an ice cream maker and mixed it until it was slushy enough, since we didn't have time to make the cubes.)

recipe found via

event: market-inspired summer dinner with chef tom call

You guys, something very fun and exciting is happening. My good friend, Tom Call, is an amazing chef in San Francisco (you can read all about him here). I should know—cause he practically lived at our house in SF—and would always cook for us. My roommates and I would be all whiney and complainy about how we didn't know what to make with our four random ingredients and he would whip up the most amazing, delicious, legit meals. You have some tomatoes, corn, cheese and potatoes? Oh, perfect. Tom will hand-make some gnocchi with polenta and a tomato sauce. AND BLOW YOUR MIND. Just to name one of many examples. Anywho, he and his lovely wife, Sarah, and their awesome new baby are coming out here in June, and he is hosting a pop-up dinner. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the concept—it's basically a dinner that is not in a restaurant, but in a private location and that is prepared by a legitimate chef. He has started to do these in SF, and will be gracing us with one here. And guess what? I'm helping. I'll be supplying the desserts. I'm very excited and a lil' nervous about making something that is good enough to be paired with his food. Let me know if any of you would like to reserve a seat. Or just RSVP to Tom@FoodMadebyTom.com.

Ok, that's all for now... I'm going to go rack my brain about what I can make. I'll be testing recipes all month, so if you iz my homie, you'll probs get some taste tests within the next few weeks. Hope you are hungry...

ode to tartine

The main thing I miss about traveling to SF every week (besides seeing my parents) is getting together with friends to eat amazing food at least once a week. I have a whole list of my favorite spots that I send to people when they travel there, and it was getting outdated because there are so many new and great places. My new favorite is Outerlands in the Outer Sunset neighborhood. I have many classics, but the one I will wax poetic about  right now is Tartine. I've talked about them before. Their cookbook contains my all-time, absolute favorite lemon bars recipe. It's a must-see spot. On my last week of travel, I discovered that my friend Ruel had never been. So we decided we must go to indoctrinate him, and satiate my cravings for it, since it will be a while till I get back to the city. We ordered the Pastrami sandwich that had two of my favorite ingredients: gruyére and horseradish. We'd be chatting and one of us would have to stop and take a moment while the horseradish drew a tear or two. SO. GOOD. 

We ordered two desserts, and I was only able to manage to get a picture of one, cause we devoured the other  (bread pudding—you know how I love my bread pudding) before I could think of documenting the evidence. Dessert #2: Banana Cream Tart. Here is the description on the menu: Flaky pastry coated in dark chocolate with caramel, pastry cream, and lightly sweetened cream.Yup. It's as good as it sounds.

In summation. Go to San Francisco. Then, whatever you do, EAT HERE.

(ps, sorry about the crappy camera phone photography)

masoor dal

I realize this doesn't fall under the category of baking, but since I'm short on time for a while, I'm putting up stuff I'm making to sustain myself on the weekends that I'm home. I have a very dear friend who is an expert at making this Dal dish, and he made it for me a lot, but now he's back in the dumb ole U.K., so I had to take matters in my own hands when I was craving this super delicious dish. I googled a ton of recipes and this one looked closest to what seemed like my friend's recipe. This is my first try making anything like this, and I really liked it! It takes a lot of spices that aren't readily in your local grocery store, so you might need to venture out to an Indian market, if you have one. Some Asian markets carry some of these spices as well. Also, sorry the picture isn't more legit, I was just trying to eat, you know? So, it's taken from my phone.

Ingredients:
2 cups masoor dal (red lentils)
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 onions, chopped
1 head garlic, separated, chopped (I used probably about 2 cloves)
1 (1-inch piece) ginger root, chopped
2 jalapeno chiles, chopped (I didn't have these so I just added about 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch coriander (cilantro), chopped
Water

Preparation:
• Rinse massor dhal thoroughly, until water is clear. In pot bring1 quart water to boil. Add massor daal.
• Cook half way, about 10 to 15 minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and salt. As massor dhal cooks, uncovered, water will evaporate and mixture will thicken.
• Add more water to keep dal loose, like texture of thick cream. When dal is soft, turn off heat. Heat oil in wok. When oil is very hot, add onions and cook until tender and translucent but not browned.
• Add garlic, ginger and chiles. Continue to fry until onions are deep-yellow. Add remaining 1 teaspoon each garam masala and turmeric.
• Do not allow spices to burn. Keep stirring until mixture starts to stick. Add tomatoes and cilantro. Cook until tomato softens.
• Pour in pot of masoor dal and simmer to blend flavors. Taste and add more salt if needed.


**coming soon is a post on raspberry cranberry crumb bars. they were so good!

i know it's a bit late...

...but, i've been busy and out of town for work. and prepping for that and recovering have been... intense. anyway, i just wanted to share with you what i had the privilege of eating at my parent's house when i was home for the holidays. (sorry, i know it's unfair and sort of braggy, but wouldn't you do the same?)

this was for our Christmas eve dinner.

butterhorns

i made the brussel sprouts with some olive oil, apple cider vinegar and pine nuts. pretty good, if i do say so myself!

the largest twice baked potatoes of all time.

citrus salad. and we had some other foods, but those were my favorite.

also, this dessert. my mom only makes it for christmas. for a few reasons, one being it's the most delicious thing you'll ever eat in your life so it needs to stay special. and two, it's... not... healthy. in any way. at all. (but so worth it!)

we had hot chocolate and scones Christmas morning before we opened presents. oh and we used some homemade marshmallows i brought home for everyone to try in the hot chocolate. so dreamy!

other breakfast goodies:

don't worry about it. that's just overnight french toast with orange syrup and mixed berries. just another day at our house.

and one of my favorite breakfast goodies: raspberry cream cheese coffee cake.

again, i'm sorry.

who's hungry?

ok, i've been crazy swamped so i haven't had time to make things and blog and take pictures, etc. but i did make this pumpkin black bean soup last night and it's delish! i highly recommend it. all i want to eat is soup lately, so i love finding new recipes.

also, i really, really want to make/eat this gingerbread apple upside cake. but i think i'll try it with pears. dreamy!

ok, i'll try to blog soon. i'm already dreaming of all the christmas food that is awaiting me when i visit home later this month.

mac n' cheese

so, one of my favorite dinners is what i like to call "soul food sunday" i've done this a few times a year since i lived in san francisco. i started it to have an excuse to eat pecan pie on a day besides thanksgiving. then i found a really great recipe for mac n' cheese on martha stewart and "sould food sunday" became a must. not to mention my playlist with some of my favorite music, including otis redding, marvin gaye, the supremes, sam cooke, smokey robinson, etc. etc.

back to the mac n' cheese... seriously, i am obsessed with this recipe. it's so good with the crunchy topping and two kinds of cheese and just plain deliciousness.

i'm gonna give the photo credit to my friend damian. he took these tuxturiffic photos. i'm in the background of this other picture working on the bread pudding which i will post later. i also made the obligatory pecan pie and some cornbread.

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

christmas food

my family is all about food. as long as i can remember, all of our family traditions have revolved around food or taking roadtrips in our old van to disneyland. even the roadtrips involved food. so this christmas, i thought i'd take some pictures of some food we made and ate. it's amazing i returned back to salt lake in the same size jeans i left in. i can thank a stomach that won't let me eat very much for that, i guess. so i'll start with these cookies that we love. pfeffernusse. we used to call them "pepper-nuts" when we were little cause we couldn't pronounce this little spice cookie the right way.

normally, for christmas eve, we make a big fancy dinner. but this year, since it was just me and my parents, we decided to do a dinner of appetizers for christmas eve and safe the fancyness for christmas day. my mom had some marinated shrimp at an office party, i found some potato latkes on one of my favorite food blogs, and my friend casey told me about this crushed cranberry sauce you pour over cream cheese, so we made those and a few other things for our dinner of appetizers and it was soooo good.




for christmas morning, my mom made this bread pudding that had little bits of cream cheese in it and a caramel sauce over it. yes, i know i'm spoiled. thank you.

and for dinner, i made roasted brussel sprouts, yams with pine nuts, and my dad made pork tenderloin which was garnished with a blueberry chutney my mom made. along with the famous butterhorn rolls and twice baked potatoes. plus a pair salad with goat cheese and a pomegranate dressing. yuuuum.





somehow i was too enraptured with the traditional dessert my mom makes, a pecan turtle tort, to actually take pictures of it. i have no one to blame but myself. but i think i am probably sparing anyone who reads this a major case of mouth-watering jealousy. and you'd probably gain weight just looking at the pictures. it is not a light dessert.

so that was my christmas and it was awesome. i hope everyone had a great one, too!
love,
caroline