use real butter

savory bread pudding
The recipe I tried looked pretty good on paper. I have made several bread puddings that are sweet which I love, but I tend to like savories more than sweets. I thought it would be a hit. The flavors this recipe calls for are asparagus, swiss, gruyère, parmesan, marjoram, parsley, and green onions. I added some sautéed crimini mushrooms. The rest of the ingredients are the standard bread, eggs, and milk.

i prefer to rip the bread rather than cut it

grating parmesan

blanched asparagus

I didn’t care for the marjoram so much. I think it was too strong. Next time I’m going to add a little crumbled bacon, remove the marjoram, and replace the swiss with more gruyère.

savory bread pudding

sparkling fruity cordial
This beverage is a marriage of a cordial recipe from my dear Kell, and my own favorite drink - the Politzer. I think it is ideal for summer and would also taste fabulous with vodka. I made a simple sugar syrup and added freshly squeezed grapefruit and lemon juices to the cooled syrup. The drink is one part citrus cordial, one part pomegranate juice (get the real kind like pom or naked juice), and two parts soda water. I prefer the kind with raspberry accents. Be sure not to get the sweetened kind, that is nasty.

adding pomegranate juice

garnish with a (key) lime wedge

We got home shortly before sunset after tele in the morning and xcountry in the afternoon, and proceeded to make a giant plate of goodies to nosh on: prosciutto, boursin, havarti, smokey oysters, sardines, and baguette. I also made some slushy cocktails since this entire day was associated with water in frozen form. For Jeremy, I made a mudslide, and for myself, a lava flow [Edit:: I just realized that both of these drinks are named for geomorphic events - woohoo!]

lava flow: piña colada topped with strawberry daiquiri

It’s past midnight on the east coast. Best wishes to all in the coming year. Happy New Year!

We managed to get to the Fairmont Hotel for afternoon tea today! The little plates were very nice.

starting with a plate of finger sandwiches

next was a perfectly baked currant scone with devonshire cream

the finale was a plate of amazing little cakes and sweets

Despite the wonderful array of pastries and sandwiches, the tea and coffee were meh and it’s hard to justify ponying up the $28 price tag per person with thoughts of the fabulous Huntington Gardens tea lingering in our minds. Boy, am I spoiled.

Today was more relaxed and mellow with Grandma. The weather was overcast and eventually rainy, but we had a good time talking and enjoying one another’s company. I don’t know where the time goes, but it’s good to be able to take Grandma to stores and carry things around for her. Although I am glad we didn’t move here because I am so not into the culture (particularly the Chinese- American culture) in this area. For dinner tonight, we went to Chef Chu’s and had chicken sizzling rice soup, seafood e-mien, and hunan tofu. It was fabulous.

chef chu’s always serves up an excellent meal

We dropped Grandma off after dinner at her place and said good-bye. She seemed happy with our visit and I assured her we would visit again. Grandma used to cry whenever I left in the past, but I think lately we’re both okay with our good-byes. I hope she lives to 100, but I’ll take any time I can get with Grandma.