Christmas Eve Dinner

Per request, I made beef bourguignon for Christmas eve dinner. I took one look at Julia Child's recipe and deemed it too long and complex and found a different version online. It was basically all the same ingredients so I figured the end result would be the same anyway. I added a few tweaks here and there but it came out pretty well regardless. I had always thought it would be difficult since Amy Adam's portrayal in Julie & Julia made it seem super hard but I found it to be a simple dish. Everything just went into the pot and simmered.  I also didn't have to cook it for the full 3.5-4 hours recommended. It was tender at the 2.5-3 hour mark. Eat your heart out, Julia Child!

Enough food to feed 15 people. Recipe said 8 servings! Oops.

Yup, we ate out of paper bowls. Classy, I know. Less clean up!

I'm all about one pot meals but it seemed weird to have just one dish for Christmas eve so I also made phyllo wrapped Brie with raspberry jam, butternut squash soup, roasted potatoes with parsley and sauteed green beans with sundried tomatoes. Now that I'm listing the food, it clearly was too much for the number of people we had at dinner. It seemed just right at the time.  I have an awful overfeeding complex and I really don't know how to fix it!

Wow, this looks like a mess. Fortunately it tasted great. I discovered one thing I suck at in the kitchen--wrapping Brie wheels in phyllo dough.

Way too much butternut squash soup.

My garnish of choice? Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. Try it.

Roasted potatoes with parsley or as my sister says "french fries." Yes, she ate them with ketchup.

Yum. Veggies.

Dessert included a tiramisu cake from Schubert's in San Francisco.

Nothing Bundt Cakes cakes. :)

Again, we were all stuffed after this meal but it was lovely and well worth the overall discomfort that followed. I was starting to believe that my entire vacation would end in a food coma every night. Unfortunately there isn't much to do in San Jose besides eat and think about what I want to eat next. I'm secretly glad I'm never home more than a week since I would surely be packing on the pounds if I was here longer. A week isn't enough to really derail my normal diet and exercise regimen. However, I do feel that while I'm here, might as well enjoy myself. So.....Bon Appetit!