Christmas Eve

Just returned from five days in Woodstock where I was the chef for Christmas Eve dinner.
Sea Scallop Rumaki, Moules Marnieres, Prime Rib, Leg of Lamb marinated with Olive Oil, Dijon mustard, shallots and Rosmary, Goose stuffed with Braised Dates filled with foie gras and port wine reduction, Tarte Tatin, Tarte Fraise and Tangerine Flan.... and every wine under the sun.
Very successful and would do it again in a heartbeat. Great friends, food and drink in an idyllic setting. Certainly beat last Chrissy when I was by myself on my couch with a busted dvd of Sex & the City/The Movie. I was determined NOT to have to go through that again, thus--Gooseapalooza '09.
Next day was lamb stew and lamb sandwiches with Bearnaise sauce which does NOT keep well.
Have realized that my new favourite colour is egg yolk and sugar whipped into gold ribbons. :)
The hostess gave me her Breadmaker and three All-Clad pans which I hope to be buried with!
Five days of this was enough, because I swear... gout is imminent! I don't understand how the gourmets do it. Living like Louis XIV would kill me after a month. Anne Rice said, "The days of Wine and Roses are fabulous... but they're BRIEF!".
Got home last night and baked a loaf of bread. Didn't rise all the way, so will get to the bottom of that--and watched Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell, which was just the most awful movie. You'd like to think that if you're gonna commit to a character that there might be SOME chance of redemption for him/her... Feh.
Anyway... tonight, it's supposed to drop into the single digits and we're gonna freeze our tuchii off.
Happy New Year everybody...
OH--if anyone knows anything about the complimentary technique classes at Williams/Sonoma, please fill me in. I want to go, but not if it's just a chance for them to hawk merchandise for an hour.