Christmas, 2008

We had a lovely time yesterday. Good friends joined us for Christmas dinner of Hungarian Goulasch, homemade spaetzle (little German noodles) and braised red cabbage.

The appetizer was hummus which I made very quickly in the food processor.


Ingredients were:

1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 large handful of fresh Italian parsley
1 clove of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
a few dashes of hot sauce
enough olive oil to make a smooth paste
top with finely diced red pepper and capers

H cut whole wheat pita bread into chips, sprayed them with olive oil spray and baked them in a 425 degree oven til crisp and lightly browned. Sprinkle them with seasoned salt. YUM! A nice, healthy and very tasty appetizer.

The rolls, of course, were baked from a recipe from the much mentioned "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" cookbook. I made them from the Eastern European Potato - Rye dough.

Dessert was an old Italian delicacy called Panforte di Siena. It's a very dense, moist, spicy, fruit and nut filled cake, almost more of a confection. A tiny slice goes a long way. These honey cakes were first baked in the 13th century in Siena. I googled it and found the recipe and historical information on the net. Quite interesting.


The day was full of fun, good friends, good wine and good food and as the sun slowly sank in the west, a warm, holiday glow filled the house.

As we watched the sun, slowly sink behind Mount Desert Island, contentment and happiness settled in......

..... and Spike, draped over the back of the couch, was obviously the most content of all!

Life is Good,

Hugs, Giddy