house smells good
I check the weather conditions first thing every day as I sit up in bed. I look out the big windows from our bedroom and squint enough to determine if it’s snow, clouds, sun, dark. This morning I got excited because the hillsides were white!
looks like snow
But instead, it was a freezing fog that rolled in overnight. We had nothing on the ground so far. I got to work on various food prep and house cleaning things right away. It was pretty much non-stop. I tried a new recipe: roasted butternut squash soup.
halved and ready to bake
puréed squash with other ingredients
test serving… success!
Before I knew it, Jeremy was home and helping me in the kitchen. I was running about 30 minutes behind schedule. Fiona and Tony were supposed to arrive at 6:00 pm. When the doorbell rang at 5:40, I was freaking out. However, it wasn’t them, but a delivery guy. But, we already got our (twenty-)three day blinds delivery earlier today… It was a redEnvelope package from Amos and Louie!
teas for the chinese new year
There were actually two boxes and the other box had a set of heart-shaped measuring cups for valentine’s day. You can never have too many measuring cups. That was very sweet.
Luckily, Tony and Fiona arrived a little late (giving me enough time to wash my stinky self). We got to meet Sarah, their 3-month old little baby girl. Sarah is so mellow and well-behaved. Kaweah was a spaz, so we sequestered her in the office. For appetizers, I served crudités with spinach dip, and a plate of antipasto. To serve the soup, I dropped a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream in the center. Then I topped it with a few rehydrated dried cranberries, crumbled bacon, and a sprig of marjoram. The bacon makes it. The crusted beef rib-eye loin roast came out the best ever. I think using a soft french bread for the crust instead of the crusty french works better to adhere to the roast. Rounded out with roasted potatoes and a green salad with orange and jicama, it was satisfying but not overly starchy. Boca negra made an appearance for dessert and by then, we were all full.
new parents
a sweet baby
It was wonderful to see Fiona and Tony again. In many ways, I wish they hadn’t moved away because they are fun and thoughtful people. Fiona is my all time favorite dinner guest.
Andrew Bird is coming to Boulder!
