merry CHRISTmas.

photos taken by jessi cross.

my first turkey, etc.

This post is a bit late but since I literally have never had so much culinary luck in my life I am going to give you pretty much every recipe Gwynnie and I used on Thanksgiving!

 extra cranberries. backyard snippits. ball jars. candles. = free centerpieces.

 my reward after cooking for 2 days.

the cooks.

First off: G is the best cooking partner ever.  I don't think we have cooked dinner together since 2007 in Fredericksburg, VA when we made some avocado-ey rachel ray 30 min 90 min meal with her roommates   I do remember it being good but that might have been because we had ben and jerry's creme brulee for dessert.

Anyways.  This time we planned like crazy and expected a least a couple failures since the only things we had made before were the classic mashed potatoes/cranberry sauce (me) and the turkey (gwynne).  I had never touched a turkey and some of the recipes were pinterest-ed and let's face it, pinterest recipes are MAJOR flops sometimes.

Here is the menu....try it all.  Big props to bon appetite magazine which once again stole the show with the stuffing.  I will make this stuffing for all future thanksgivings.

A lot of these recipes would be awesome for Christmas (gingerbread, gratin, most beautiful pomegranate salad, etc.) or this weeks dinner so try and let me know what you think!

bon appetite november 2012 cornbread, sausage & pecan dressing

(click on image to enlarge)

 bon appetite november 2012 red & green beautiful salad

apple cider vinaigrette:

puree 1 chopped granny smith apple, 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice in blender.

strain mixture through a sieve into a medium bowl, pressing down on solids with spatula.  discard solids.  

whisk in 1 Tbsp. minced shallot and 1 tsp. sugar

Whisk in 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp safflower or grapeseed oil until well blended.

season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

cover and chill.  rewhisk before using.  

sweet potato gratin

chocolate gingerbread

here it all is (including classic mashed potatoes, pumpkin custard, martha stewart turkey & cranberry sauce.)

and gwynne and i's wine comparison.  

december.

 our street on Sunday evening.

 the twins at 29 weeks old.

 even though he has been slammed at work he hasn't neglected his little family or his sidewalk.

this little snugglebug is...dare i say this on the world wide web...

pottytrained!  ?!  ?!  ?!  ?!

we shall see.

Christmas.  January.  Twins.  

In less than 10 weeks I will be able to feel their tiny hands around my fingers while they (prayerfully, hopefully, tandem-ly) nurse.

thank you Lord.  for all of it.