Christmas 2008 recap

I woke my house full of sleepy heads with the scent of baking waffles, and then we ate them with creme fraiche and cherry butter. For this batch I used the Really Great Food Company gluten-free pancake mix with an extra splash of vanilla. The cherry butter was a new find, I also mixed it with a little chocolate ganache and used it as the filling for a chocolate cake and it was spectacular.

Of course, there were presents. They were all opened for us by my mother-in-law who took child-like delight in ripping into the packaging. Ahem. She did hand over the gifts to the intended recipients and none of the rest of us had to risk a paper cut or broken nail.

I received this fabulous handbag from my loving husband who even let me go to the store with him to pick it out.

Also for me, a long-coveted cake stand which was put to use immediately for the birthday cake for my husband that is part of our Christmas tradition. You'd think that having a Christmas birthday would have been a burden on him as a child, but to the contrary, he grew up thinking that Christmas was all about him, tree, presents and all. Typical only-child syndrome, I suspect.

Then we all put on our assorted new finery and went out. First to feed a friend's chinchillas and then on to Coolidge Corner hoping to find somewhere to have coffee. I was surprised that the only businesses open seemed to be the Starbucks, JP Licks, a couple of falafel places and, of course, the theatre. Maybe everyone was in Florida? We did find our coffee and a warm place to sit so it all worked out.

After we got home I baked Apricot Dream Bars to fulfill my husband's annual birthday wish to have the house smell like cookies all day long.

Once they were out of the oven I put Baka to work stirring the wild mushroom risotto and sent the birthday boy outside to grill filet mignon for our Christmas/birthday lunch. We ate a lot, rested, and then had cake. It was a very good day.