We had our Yule feast a little bit early; my little witches came out to plant the onions this afternoon and we spent the day gardening and feasting. We began with a French onion soup made from last years onions served with crispy fried flatbread. Then a couple of hours in the garden, taking turns throwing the ball for Roscoe and his girlfriend Milka who is visiting for a couple of weeks. It's hard to concentrate on planting onions with a big slobbery dog licking your face and begging you to play.
It's amazing how quickly the onions get planted when young nimble knees and clever little hands are helping. Once I got the kids going I picked green beans, cut a couple of(already blooming)Broccoli, picked a few green tomatoes and a Japanese eggplant then went to work in the kitchen.
They got done and walked around the neighborhood, climbed the big tree out front and generally just did what kids do while I prepared a fried appetizer course and started in on a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau.
Fried Green tomatoes, eggplant, queso frito, and duritos served with ranch dressing as a dipping sauce and for the kids a cold bottle of white zinfandel. After that it was nap time while I tidied up the kitchen and began prepping the main course.
Green Beans, Broccoli and Lambcchops served with a balsamic citrus reduction sauce.
The bread was loaf of walnut rye.
After that we exchanged gifts, cash to the one who needed cash the most, Noelle got a gen 5 Ipod Touch, several books, new and used passed between us, I got A Feast of Ice and Fire, the Game of Thrones companion cookbook. A wealth of medieval and modern cookery.
Then on to dessert. Chef Fabio Viviani's apple cake with whipped cream. Simple, elegant, delicious! I've never made a cake with extra virgin Olive oil before but who am I to argue with the chef?
We all had a cup of lychee flavored black tea with that then an hour or so of conversation and the kids took their leave.
Somewhere along in there I had slipped the white zin into the freezer to chill it and forgotten about it so as I write this I'm sipping white zin slushie from the bottle.

Blessed be!

Good coffee, good weed, and time on my hands...