Holidays are all about the family, and this year was no exception for us. This year we gathered at our house. Our daughters Jenny and Beth were here, as well as our son-in law, Anh, and our grandchildren, Chloe and Liam. They all came from Hiawatha, Iowa!
The girls and I spent the whole day on Christmas Eve pampering ourselves with manicures at Ann Le’s Nail Bar, hair styling at Salon Paragon, lunch at DiMillo’s, and make-up applications at The Regency Spa. Then we all went home to change before meeting back at The Regency for a lovely dinner at 20 Milk Street. Then, back home to open all of our gifts. What a night!
On Christmas morning, we had our traditional breakfast of my French toast with warmed pure Maine maple syrup, filet mignon, asparagus with hollandaise sauce and chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne.
For Christmas dinner this year, we had ham, scalloped potatoes and northwest blend vegetables with lovely rustic rolls. For dessert, we had buche de noel and carrot cake.
But the highlight of the week was watching Chuck and Chloe (now 13 years old) work in the kitchen together. The teacher in Chuck sure came out! He taught Chloe how to make caesar salad, chicken parmesan, and angel hair pasta. He wanted to teach her how to make pasta from scratch, but there was not enough time. Chloe served all of us, down to the pouring of the wine. Look how she holds the punt of the bottle! That’s my girl! Maybe we do have someone interested in taking over the business when we decide to retire… just not ready for that yet!
Try my french toast recipe and Chuck’s caesar salad dressing recipe. You will not be disappointed! YUMMMMMMM!
Nancy’s French Toast
NOTE: Must be prepared 24 hours in advance.
1 loaf of 2-day-old baguette
1 quart of heavy cream
4 eggs
Dash of nutmeg and cinnamon
¼ cup of confectioner’s sugar
Mix all together well, sprinkle ½ cup of confectioners sugar over the mixture, and refrigerate covered at least overnight. Deep fry until browned and crispy and serve immediately.
Chuck’s Caesar Salad Dressing
Mix together with a whisk or place into a mason jar and shake vigorously:
6 TB EVOO
1 beaten egg
4 minced garlic cloves
2 TB mayonnaise
3 TB red wine vinegar
2 TB balsamic vinegar
1 smashed anchovy
1 TB Dijon mustard
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Culinary Capers At CVC 