Sunday, December 28, 2014

Beef Wellington and Beatle's 45s More or Less


After 5 hours in the kitchen,
 we were treated to Beef Wellington,
Potatoes Anna, a grapefruit-orange-feta salad,
 and brussel sprouts roasted with bacon. 
That man loves to cook.


I fell asleep on the couch 
while they were doing the "En Croute" 
part of the Wellington
and no one took any pictures...damn..
I hear the process was hilarious.

There were five vintage rolling pins
out on the counter when I went to clean up?

Whenever the kids are here and they are 
cooking, playing a game, or just visiting,
the sound of their voices is like a lullaby to me and
zzzzzzzzzz I'm off to dreamland.
They made fun of me snoring I hear, and 
were amazed I slept through it all 
as they were quite loud, and I was a mere
5 feet from all the action.
These few shots were taken by 
DD on her phone.



Ben had already cut into it so you miss the "presentation"
So beef tenderloin encrusted with a shallot mushroom 
mustard paste wrapped in phyllo and roasted.
Oh my, it was incredibly delicious.
The real Wellington calls for a layer
of Foie Gras. 
That was voted out.


 First Christmas dinner in over 40 years
 I have not prepared.



We ate at a simple setting family style,
turning the little used turntable
that came with my dining table, and doing self serve.
No elaborate dishes, crystal, or silver were needed this year,
AND we ate Christmas Eve not Christmas Day...
and ya know what
it was delightfully stress free and easy..
well easy for me anyway.
I think we have a new tradition.

I received the cutest little turn table for Christmas
and we had a blast playing my old 45 Beatles records
and Fogelberg, Moody Blues, Carole King,
Loggins, The Big Chill Soundtrack and more all
Christmas morning. 
Hannah had never placed a needle
on a record before and had to be taught the difference
between a 45 and a 33.
What a Hoot!

Ben and Anam headed back to LA today.
Hannah is still here until Her Beau Blake returns 
from Memphis.
We have some sewing plans and she'll be going
to work with me a few days to help with 
inventory.

I decorated far less
 Shopped far less
Spent far less
Left the house far less
Cooked FAR less
Cleaned far less

Visited far more
Laughed far more
Relaxed far more
Slept far more
Enjoyed far more

Lessons learned

Hope your holiday was merry 
and still going strong...

Happy New Year to all
May Peace finds it's way to 
the hearts of man.
Z

14 comments:

moosecraft said...

What an amazing Christmas and meal! :-) I did all those "far lesses" and enjoyed al of those "far mores" too! It's amazing how one day a person realizes we don't need all the "stuff" to enjoy the people we love most! :-) Blessing to you and yours in the New Year!

Tracey Broome said...

Less is more, wish I had learned these lessons twenty years ago! Your holiday sounds enchanted!

Kit said...

What a wonderful dinner and I love the part about not having to cook it. Glad you had such a great time with your kids. Enjoy more fun with your daughter. :) Kit

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Kids cooking lunch, The Beatles and a bit of snoring ….. sounds the perfect Christmas to me Z !!!
Wishing you and your family a wonderful 2015. XXXX

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Z, what a wonderful Christmas! I didn't cook this year at all and I loved it. I too took a less is more approach to the holidays and think that is the new way for me to go. Things are now switching to my daughters house and the Grand. Next year there will be two little one's! So happy I moved closer to my daughter and now with my Mom here, it's been even better.
hugs,
Linda

Terra said...

Oh, now I want to make Beef Wellington, it sounds delish. How fabulous your dh made it (5 rolling pins!). Our Christmas was relaxed and fun too, with family and a feast. Roast lamb and wild rice, etc.

Kathy said...

sounds simply delightful!!

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

A Christmas Eve meal tradition is a great idea. That way, Christmas day can be all about desert.
Happy Holidays!

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

Sounds like a blissful holiday!
Happy New Year!!

joanne said...

you found the secret to a blessed Christmas celebration. Looks like a fantastic dinner and of course, the company of your beautiful children makes it all worth living. So happy you had such joy.

Val said...

We share the same favorite music. :) And your holiday sounds blissfully relaxed, indeed! I think that's the way to go anymore. I decided I wanted Christmas Eve to be much easier for me and my husband this year, and I kid you not: We ate sloppy Joes, french fries, and carrots and green peppers with vegetable dip. Gloriously easy, a meal we don't eat often, and it made my holiday much more relaxed than it was the other years when I put together big "special" meals for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day breakfast, and Christmas dinner. If you're with loved ones, you have what you need anyway. I'm glad you had a sweet Christmas. ♥

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

Sounds to me like you've had the perfect Christmas!

And wow, awesome menu and you didn't have to cook!

Happy, Healthy 2015 to all -

The Boston Lady said...

We eventually learn don't we ? The baton has been passed to my kids and I just go with the flow. It's delightfully liberating and now I actually enjoy the day! Scrumptious looking meal. Best wishes for 2015, Ann

Nella Miller said...

Sounds perfectly wonderful to me! I did a lot less too this time and nothing was missed....wishing you a beautiful year ahead, love of family and friends, and good health and happiness...N.xo