Friday, December 25, 2009

As you know, the discussion over this year's Christmas menu was very low-key and uneventful. The final product (pepper soup, timpano, porchetta, green and yellow string beans, king oyster and cremini mushrooms, dessert table) was not. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the menu, it was an intense culinary undertaking that tried our patience, adaptability, and counter space.





The big difference this year was that Dave and I didn't get into any raised voice conversations over food preparation or cooking time or anything really. Dave prepared his dish downstairs while I worked my magic upstairs, and it was that physical distance that kept us close together in the end.





There were a few moments where I doubted my kitchen acumen, particularly when assembling the timpano, but my father (God bless him for not throwing pasta sauce at me) was there to calm me down and reassure me and tell me it will all be okay. I'm so happy we didn't have to resort to the back up meatballs and pasta al forno I had in the freezer.