A Very Merry Christmas

We sure did have a nice Christmas, and it was great just hanging out and not having to be anywhere or do anything other than eat and open presents. We thought the presents were just right, great choices and not overwhelming in quanitity. The kids were ecstatic and scored on some really cool things.

Naturally, because it was Christmas Day, A&N were sleep deprived because they couldn’t sleep due to their excitement and woke up early because of the same. This brought up some challenging moments, but nothing insurmountable.

It’s a lot of fun watching the kids open presents, not only because they get such cool stuff from their grandparents and uncle/aunt, but because it’s not this frenzy of destruction where everything is ripped apart and then left to gather dust. A&N tend to open something and then play with it and explore it for bit, then let it sit and gather dust. The beauty of this approach is that it really prolongs the process into an all day event, and it results in a more gradual letdown once the process has ended. I rather like that.

The present selection was wonderful as usual, and they were thrilled by what they got. Their Uncle PR and Aunt DR do a great job of choosing stuff that really captures their imagination, and their grandparents are simply amazing at present selection. In fact, they got a slot car kit, and I heard the phrase, “... the greatest Christmas present ever,” said on more than one occasion.

Score one for RR and JR.

We had a nice lunch of pea soup which A said was tasty even though it looked like barf, and then after a long day of racing slot cars (for the record, N picked it up immediately and proceeded to destroy the competition, meaning A, R, and myself, but more on that later) and taking long naps by the fire, and then it was time for dinner.

We tried something new for Christmas supper and actually made filet mignons, which turned out nicely. Now I’ve heard from my Mentor, who is a gourmand, that the best steaks in town can be found at BG’s, but it is not grass fed or for that matter, local. I couldn’t find grass fed filet at the Coop, they were sold out, and their prices were a bit steep ($24/lb!). I was tempted to go with BG’s, but they didn’t have any either, so I contacted our reliable meat supplier, Cloudland Farms, and she said they had some steaks.

Now Cloudland has fabulous beef, some of the best I’ve had, but I’ve yet to really try their steaks, though a friend of mine who buys a share in a cow says the steaks are amazing. The one drawback is that they are a bit of jaunt to get to, and their storefront hours are limited, especially during the holidays. If I can get ahold of CE, she’ll usually arrange to meet me to get the beef, which we use for our dumplings.

Either way, we got the steaks, and next up was how to cook them. I have trouble with filet because they are so thick, which makes cooking them rare easy, but we’re not necessarily a rare-meat eating family. In my steak eating glory days, I would without exception go rare, but now lean more towards the medium end.

I opted to pan-sear the steaks and then finish in the oven, mainly because it seemed like the best hybrid of Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray. There was also a recipe for a red-wine sauce, which thereby included Julia Child in the mix. With those three behind me, I couldn’t go wrong.

Now first off, they say to bring the meat to room temperature, then rub with salt and pepper. The meat looked beautiful. I seared both sides for 3 minutes, and in retrospect, should have gone for 5.

I had the oven going at 400 because we were making roasted green beans, butternut squash, and baked sweet potatoes. For the record, baked sweet potatoes are a great way to eat them, so easy, and you don’t have to peel and slice. I realized this morning that I’d forgotten to make Yorkshire pudding, darn!

After searing, I put the steaks on a baking sheet and cooked for 10 minutes at 425, and then let them rest for 10 minutes.

They filets were fabulous, so tender and delicious, though a bit rarer than I’d hoped for. I know steak afficionados will tell you to eat it rare, but I wanted them a bit more done. Next time I’ll go 5 minutes each side on a hotter pan, and then bake for 10 at 425. We don’t eat steak much, so I don’t have a chance to practice my technique.

Also, we made a red-wine sauce in the pan with butter and herbs and all that good stuff. Everyone loved the steak, we really enjoyed it, and hats off to Cloudland Farms for coming through with the quality goods. I love getting our meat from them.

After supper, we had a load of sweets to choose from. We were planning on baking a pie (N had just read a picture book about making pies, so we figured why not), but we had so many sweets that I decided not to. One less thing to worry about. Besides, R received her usual box of amazing treats from her friend ST in WI, and R’s parents sent us loads of chocolate covered treats.

We then sat down to watch a movie together, and ran into the conundrum of what to see. We passed right over all the Christmas stuff and opted for the movie Up, a family favorite, and available on Netflix to stream.

I love when that happens.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and happy holidays.