Noel a deux

Random picture taken the other day at Place de Concorde. If you look carefully you can see Eiffey to the right of the obelisk.

This is the first time that we'll be celebrating Christmas just the two of us. Despite the fact that we would love nothing more than to be with our families this year, we've managed to make the most of it. I have to admit that it's taken me a while to get into the holiday spirit this year, and I am definitely a lucky girl to Erik around to get things organized. He chose the tree, and put up all the decorations on Saturday as a surprise for me when I got home for work.

Please excuse my feet in the second picture, I'm on the phone with you, Nancy. :) And Joan, don't worry, the vienertarta in the first picture has been in the fridge since we recieved it. It's just been banished temporarily...

We've managed to get ourselves organized, and took full advantage of most stores being open on Sunday by doing a massive grocery shop and some last minute gift shopping. And I have to say the stores were pretty quiet! Almost no line-ups at the Monoprix and same at the Bon Marche. Maybe it pays to wait till the last minute? Hopefully I'm not developing any bad habits...

Our plan for tonight and tomorrow is as follows, for all who are interested.

I've spent the afternoon doing some last minute preparations for tomorrow's meal, and as a result our fridge is full to overflowing (literally. There is a bag of cheese that has been banished to hang outside the window. Partly because it's stinky, but mostly because there isn't enough room). Tonight we're making pizza and drinking beer (maybe a new tradition?) and are planning on going for a walk later to check out some Christmas lights. Erik has mentioned a couple of times today that this will be his first Christmas Eve that he hasn't been to church, so maybe we'll stop in somewhere just so we don't break a winning streak. Although I think we're definitely ahead after standing through the marathon service in Latin we endured last year in Italy. I never thought I'd get bored of looking at such a beautiful church.


One of the few times I've wished we had a bigger fridge.

Anyway. Really, the big day for us is all about the food, especially since we both know what we're getting from the other person. So much for surprises. Luckily we like to eat, and have a couple of bottles of wine that we're looking forward to opening, that should make it a bit more special.

Here's the menu:

Petit dejeuner/Brunch
Sparkling wine and orange juice
Fruit salad
Boozy baked French toast

Gouter/Mid afternoon snack
French onion soup from the Williams Sonoma Paris cookbook

Diner
Roquette salad with warm mushrooms from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris
Roast Pork with green peppercorns, also from Ina's Paris cookbook
Roast vegetables
Green beans with shallots and pancetta
Cheese course: gruyere, brie de meaux, bleu de gex, rochefort, and chevre enrobes
Chocolate and coconut buche de noel

Of course you're all invited!

Hope this tides you over until we have some more interesting things to share. Steve and Yoshimi arrive on Saturday, and we've already got a list of things that we need to do with them. It will be great to see them.

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope that you have a wonderful day filled with food, family and friends.

Bonnes fetes!