A Lemon Kind of Day

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade . . .

Or set a pretty table to enjoy your new Citrus Salad Plates from Williams-Sonoma . . .

And some of your other favorite lemony things.

Like the lemon embroidered napkins that a friend gave you . . .

To go with the little lemon bowls that she found, I think, at Pier1 a while back.

These plates are so fresh looking, my mouth is puckering just thinking about lemons!

But, what can you make besides lemonade with this wonderful fruit?

Well, Crab Cakes, with a Remoulade Sauce and a squirt of lemon juice might be the very thing . . .

Followed by some Lemon Vegetable Rice . . .

And ending with Lemon Mousse.  I took the Silver Palate recipe for Lime Mousse and simply replaced limes with lemons.  Here's the recipe posted a while back:  Lime Mousse.  It was sublime!

Despite all the lemons, the taste was subtle in each of the dishes and left us feeling refreshed.  And now, I wish I had seen this quote before I started:  "When life gives you lemons, it's time to do Tequila Shots."  (Or Lemon Meringue Pie, or Lemon Squares, or . . . ).

Happy New 2022

 A new year "Good Luck dinner, because if we ever needed some good luck, now is the time!  So, I amped my chances with the Three Johns:  Hoppin' John, Jalapeño Johnny Cake, and my son, John, who is visiting and was our First Footer this year.

May the pandemic subside, may our political leaders return to sanity.  Health, wealth and happiness to all my friends and family!

Christmas Eve Part 2: The food, the fam, the gifts . . .

I've been remiss in posting Part 2 of our wonderful Christmas Eve celebration promptly, but I have been a bit distracted with . . . MY BRAND SPANKING NEW KINDLE!!!!!!!!!

I had barely begun warming up to the idea of an e-reader, and voilà!  Santa was listening!  Ho, Ho, Ho to me!

How come no one ever mentioned to me the cool pictures that appear on the cover every time you turn off the Kindle?  It's taking me ten extra minutes staring at the cover before I start reading!  They are so awesome!

Check out this other one . . .

Here's the coolest thing for me so far . . . We've been practicing homeopathy for over 20 years and I'm forever lugging about several reference books to help diagnose symptoms . . . BUT NO MORE!!!!!  I found the books online at a fraction of the cost and weight of the paper versions!

Here it is now!  Right in my very own little Kindle!  Boy, traveling will never be the same again!

Anyway, on to the Christmas Eve menu:

Appetizers

Black Olives

Brie en Croute

Cheddar cheese, fresh fruit

Chicago Flat crackers

Salad of romaine lettuce, cranberries, walnuts and blue cheese crumbles, dressed with a pomegranate-infused balsamic vinaigrette

Roast Pork Shoulder with garlic marinade

Black Bean Soup, Cuban Style

Steamed White Rice

Yuca con Mojo (Casava with garlic-lime marinade)

Dessert

Flan de Leche

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting (made by my sister-in-law, Kathy)

This menu is for garlic lovers.  Cuban cuisine is not spicy hot, but it makes up for it with the garlic!

No self-respecting Cuban would be caught dead without a rice cooker . . .

Or two . . .  Together they made 15 cups of rice . . .

My godson, Scott, and his wife, Jackie, hadn't been with us for the last two years but called us at the last minute to say they were coming.  I was so happy!  They walked in, smelled the garlic, and Scotty promptly said:  "On our way over, I was telling Jackie:  'Boy, she better be making the Cuban dinner!' "  This confirmed my decision to stick to the tried and true menu above and not experiment with new dishes.  It was so nice to relax and enjoy my family without having to worry about fussing in the kitchen . . .

My brother Al and beautiful sister-in-law, Kathy . . .

My boys, John and David with their Mama . . .

My nephews, Colin and Kevin . . .

The whole gang . . .  My battery died just before this picture was taken, so this one was taken with Jackie's point-and-shoot camera propped up on top of four Harry Potter books . . .

It was such a wonderful  night . . .