Every year I can't help but be relived when all the holiday hubbub is over. As I look around my house--a disaster of dishes, ribbons and bits of paper, I think about a lovely day now over as a "whew" issues forth from my lips.
Here are some photos:
Here are some photos:
My brother, the Christmas Warrior 
I turned around to get my camera and they devoured the ham
My super-sweet potato casserole
The desserts: A fruited and rum-infused cake, and cuban leche flan
Thundercat discovered that it's possible to climb INTO the Christmas tree
Pickle, decked out in her holiday finery
Mr.W tells Sandy a Christmas story
I will leave you with one recipe that I served yesterday to great raves. This is, by far THE BEST quinoa dish I've made to date.
Broccoli, Quinoa and Bacon
serves 8
3/4 pound bacon, cut up
olive oil
1 medium onion, vertically sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1 pound bag frozen broccoli
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crispy and drain on paper towels; set aside.
If you want to be good, reserve only two tablespoons of bacon grease and discard the rest, adding a good 1/4 cup olive oil to make up for the grease you just threw out. But if you want to be very, very bad--and I know you do--just keep all the bacon grease and skip the olive oil altogether.
Cook onions until transparent; add garlic, dried chili flakes, salt and pepper and stir (depending on how salty your bacon is, and how much grease you use, be careful with the salt); cook until garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add frozen broccoli and toss to coat with onion mixture. Saute five minutes.
Add broth and quinoa; bring to a simmer, cover with a lid or foil and cook until most liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
To serve, plate broccoli-quinoa mixture covered with cooked bacon.
Broccoli, Quinoa and Bacon
serves 8
3/4 pound bacon, cut up
olive oil
1 medium onion, vertically sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1 pound bag frozen broccoli
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crispy and drain on paper towels; set aside.
If you want to be good, reserve only two tablespoons of bacon grease and discard the rest, adding a good 1/4 cup olive oil to make up for the grease you just threw out. But if you want to be very, very bad--and I know you do--just keep all the bacon grease and skip the olive oil altogether.
Cook onions until transparent; add garlic, dried chili flakes, salt and pepper and stir (depending on how salty your bacon is, and how much grease you use, be careful with the salt); cook until garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Add frozen broccoli and toss to coat with onion mixture. Saute five minutes.
Add broth and quinoa; bring to a simmer, cover with a lid or foil and cook until most liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
To serve, plate broccoli-quinoa mixture covered with cooked bacon.
No comments:
Post a Comment