Grapefruit Mimosas

Pirogi's Grapefruit Mimosas
Add 1/4 cup champagne and 1 oz triple sec to a medium wine glass with ice.  Top with grapefruit juice.

Happy New Year!

Favorite Christmas Movies

Top 5 Christmas Movies (2010 edition)

Jill
We’re No Angels
A Christmas Carol (1984--George C. Scott)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1964)
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Ernest Saves Christmas

Haley
White Christmas
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Ebbie
The Holiday
While You Were Sleeping

Justin
White Christmas
Love Actually
Elf
Frosty the Snowman
Christmas Vacation

Finn
A Pink Christmas
Frosty the Snowman
Disney’s Christmas Sing-a-long
A Charlie Brown Christmas

Nadine
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Nutcracker: The Motion Picture
White Christmas
Love Actually
Eloise at Christmastime

Gabe
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Die Hard
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas

Jody

Christmas Vacation

Miracle on 34th Street (1974--Natalie Wood)

One Magic Christmas

Christmas in Connecticut (1945--Barbara Stanwyck)

It's a Wonderful Life

Rich

A Christmas Carol (1984--George C. Scott)

Home Alone

A Christmas Story

Christmas Vacation

Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Richelle

Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

One Magic Christmas

Elf

Christmas Vacation

A Christmas Story

Elijah

Elf

Yo Gabba Gabba Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Mac

It's a Wonderful Life

The Year Without Santa Claus

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Christmas Carol (1938--Reginald Owen)

Christmas Vacation

Please post your updated list in the comments!  Mine hasn't changed.

-paneer

Hard Tack Candy

Pictures from the hard tack candy production factory December 2010:

Derby!

Now, you might think that the Kentucky Derby is an event celebrated only by those in the South, those interested in horses or gambling, or those with TVs who can actually watch the event. But you would be wrong! Derby Day can and should be celebrated by anyone with a love of goofy hats or delicious minty cocktails.

To the left you will see an example of an acceptable hat for Derby Day celebrations.

Now, when Pirogi and I do celebrations, we generally have to go all out--make a day of it. We also needed to clean out my fridge, which had an inordinate amount of meat in it. Normally, I buy/eat meat once or twice a week. In my fridge, I had chicken, kielbasa, steak, and bacon. The bacon and steak were both from farms near where Pirogi's parents live and pretty delicious.

So, Derby Day began with a proper breakfast.

French toast with strawberries, bacon, pineapple, coffee. I have never succeeded at making french toast before, so this was super exciting.

Dinner was barbecue chicken,
asparagus, onion, and biscuits. But, of course, the highlight of the evening, the entire reason for Derby Day (besides the horses, I suppose) was the mint juleps.

First step: minty syrup (my job)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped mint

Boil until sugar is completely dissolved, then remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour. Strain and cool.

Second step (Pirogi's job)
bourbon
mint syrup
Mix and serve over crushed ice with mint sprig garnish.

Sanna Sanna Ho

Easter Eve (Holy Saturday?) dinner:
Breakfast (consumed noonish): Lemon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze from the kitchn


Dinner: Eggs Benedict and asparagus


I made the hollandaise sauce using Alton Brown's method. It was super easy, but attention-needing so I was glad that Pirogi was taking care of the other egg-related preparations. I don't have a double-boiler or a metal bowl, so I had to balance a corel bowl in my saucepan.