fair is fair

From JMG : We give you the Johnson Holders........

Best of luck, Matt and Kenn! 

ATLANTA!

Obama reassures Newtown you are not alone at vigil for victims of Connec...

dinner

Ham

Field Peas

Swiss Chard

KNOW YOUR VEGETABLES

Organic Rainbow Swiss Chard

 I can take or leave the organic . I grew up in the 70's I'm sure my innards are a toxic waste dump. But, there are some veggies that my Wegmans only carries in the organic section. Which is just massive , they have everything.

These are so beautiful - 2.29, perfect for us, larger family use two bunches. Clean just like you would a collard, except here you eat the stem. Do cut off the brown very tip of each stalk.

 As with most everything, a little olive oil and a sliced onion for about 10 or so min, get it nice and sweet and tender- slice up one garlic clove, not too much, add it for about a min, then add your stalks. Toss around and cook for a while, couple of minutes, then add just a bit of water... 1/8th of a cup, really not much.

 Wash and chop the greens -

 Toss around and cook for a while, couple of minutes, then add just a bit of water... 1/8th of a cup, really not much

 Then add your still wettish greens, and you only flash cook these, like cooking escarole,just heat and wilt. NOW season with salt and pepper.

Cook down for just a minute - don't over cook them , no reason too. I always finish off with some acid of some sort, today was lime juice, but any good flavored vinegar will do, just a little bit teaspoonish... 

 And Enjoy!

Adventures in Christmasing

LONG time readers may recall the monogram butter pats
that almost put me over ....

A very lovely very fancy - very family friendly - Christmas party hosted by a friend of Dahn and David at the ever so nice Genessee Valley Club in Rochester. This was your all out kitchen sink of a really very nice party!
LOTS of people - really five - six hundred? A good one hundred children... This place is large, really large - a massive main dining room and 8,9,10 smaller rooms on two levels.. and they were all full. There was a Santa,a DJ, Clowns, face painting, roving magicians, balloon animal guy, this crazy make a cast of your hand thing that all the kiddies were doing... There may have been even more kid / family stuff.

Jamie with some of their kids loot

A big full bar plus three or four beer and wine only bars - really anything at all you wanted to drink and a HUGE buffet - make that TWO huge buffets! There was a hidden one upstairs.

Started out with a massive pasta section, sort of made to order if you wanted something special and three or four hotel pans full of different ones to take if you did not want made to order. 

Then lovely salads,then kiddie food, all you can eat french fries! pigs in a blanket, chicken fingers , mini burgers and either little quiches or tiny pizza things ,I could not tell and did not taste.

THEN your carving stations! KILLER GOOD Tenderloin of roast beef, just butter in your mouth,Salmon and fantastic roasted turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce.

A few veggies here as well... with this repeated upstairs!

Like I said , full top chef bar - beer , wine....

along with the huge dessert bar!

I did not take good photos of this - too tempting, but 6 or 7 cakes, cup cakes , cannolies /profiteroles  with cream - cookies along with the huge ice cream / candy bar...

Giant underlit block of ice with chocolate, vanilla or peppermint ice creams!

with just ever topping you can think of - whip cream and hot fudge or butterscotch...

 There was a full fledged GO TO PROM photographer set up... the line was long, Im not sure how you got your photos....

 We were there because Neil, Dahn, David, Allen, Tara and others were the Carolers - see , they are wearing scarves... they are out caroling....

St. J's in the house!

Neil and Tara

I would have loved to have seen the invitation to this party because the ladies dresses were just all over the map - I was dressed pseudo Caroler... Ball Gowns to suits to pure hoochie to pants and a shirt... some way over , some way under.....

making the Yuletide gay

A lovely time was had by all 

and it was very nice to be included! 

 HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!

The Genesee Valley Carolers