christmas recap

My mom pointed out to me this morning that I failed to post photos and recap my own Christmas Story. Nobody got their tongue stuck to a pole and nobody shot their eye out, but it was still a very exciting and festive occasion. Steve and I were holiday hosts for the first time ever and it was wonderful. We were so grateful to be able to spend our first Christmas as a family in our own home with our dogs, but also to have my family here to celebrate with. Christmas Eve was spent dining on the water at Six Seven. The meal was delicious and the presentation was superb. If you live in the Seattle area and haven't ever eaten here, I highly recommend it. I love that my family is the sharing type because I was able to sample the "local fare", everything from penn cove mussels to cedar planked black cod to pork shoulder. I myself chose the lamb. It was quite delectable. The wine was fantastic as well. Living in California, my brother has developed quite a palate for wines. We tried a couple different Pinot Noirs from Willamette Valley, and I believe he was impressed. I only wish I could remember the names of the wines we sampled. There was one in particular that I really enjoyed. Needless to say, the evening was perfect. We all awoke on Christmas Day to gorgeous sunshine. The weather was fantastic the entire time my family was here. They always seem to bring the sun! We enjoyed mouth-watering pastries from Bakery Nouveau (only the best little bakery in all of Seattle) and then opened presents by the tree. After relaxing for a bit, we took the dogs on a walk at Schmitz park and then went down to Alki to take in the views. Just the way that Steve and I usually like to spend our Sundays. As soon as we got back, my sister-in-law, Lilli and I immediately went to work preparing our culinary masterpiece for dinner. We make beef tenderloin, with herb roasted vegetables, broiled asparagus, and pear salad. It took forever, and we didn't eat until close to 9:00 pm, but it was worth the wait! It turned out perfectly and I couldn't have done it without Lilli! For dessert we had a superb pumpkin roulade with ginger buttercream. Thank you Barefoot Contessa! The rest of the trip was just as wonderful as the holiday. We enjoyed a friendly game of Apples to Apples, rode a ferry to Vashon, took a tour of the Seattle Underground, and just relaxed together. It was a splendid visit and I was sad to see them go. The holidays always seem to go by so quickly, but the memories last much longer. Feliz Navidad! Sadly I didn't take many photos, but as soon as I gather some from the others I will update the post with a few of my favorites.