It's All About Simplicity

Item 1: Teenaged Daughterness
This is a quote, from my beloved teenaged daughter, as explanation for why she'd requested that I discontinue speaking: "The vibration of your talking is irritating my sense of well being." This is why ego is useless.

Item 2: The Quality of Simplicity
Here is my menu for an upcoming very small holiday dinner at my place, as demonstration of the principle that quality ingredients prepared simply are the secret to culinary happiness:

Menu

Champagne

Caviar on crackers with crème fraiche

Very Light Salad

Cheese soufflé with lobster sauce

Hot chocolate with peppermint Schnapps or Frangelico

Gingered Sugar Cookies, Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Yes, all simple. Nothing to cover up, nothing to obscure. If any of these ingredients were less than fresh or less than fine the meal would suffer horribly (and thus the guests). So, we'll work with live lobster, fresh (even though the inexpensive domestic kind) caviar, good eggs, local cream and milk, fine cheese and chocolate, homemade cookies baked that day, and the freshest salad makings (Kelly is bringing them, and I know she won't go astray). That's it.

Seasonal Seasonness

This is a fun holiday season for me. My second winter in the Square, I am beginning to get into the swing of the rhythm of the Parlor Tour and a few parties and changes in the park and the people and it's really all just quite nice. Oh -- one of my food blogs was picked up by a portal. Go look! While you're there please click on the VOTE icon. Please?

And 'tis the third year for going with Metal Ox to Powell for the SLSO holiday concert. This year it will be the "Holiday Songbook," traditional carols and hymns and things. I really can't wait! This weekend. And see my pretty tree:

It turned out well, didn't it? All silver and white and blue decorations. It's the first year in may years that I've had a "real" tree. In the past many, well, when the kids were little we had very real trees -- with the root balls on, which were later planted in the yard at the South Forest house. Then I found a marvelous huge stick, branch, whatever, barkless, and put lights and the ornaments on that, and it was quite pretty. Then I lived in smaller places and had a very small fiber optic tree (ya, I know, ick). Then last year MO picked up this nice, tall artificial tree for me after the holiday, on sale.

So, one trip to Hobby Lobby and one to The Future Antiques later, wa-la! A tree! Happy me! Too bad I'm an empty nester and must enjoy it all alone. With my little glass of Bailey's. And the quiet. And the peace. Smile.

Just as a Matter of Record

Poor me, I never did get my tomato soup and grilled cheese. There just wasn't time in the day to make it happen. But, yesterday, with the help of an aesthetically astute friend, I did get my Christmas tree up! And decorated! And it's very pretty.

Oh! Oh! And one of my food blogs, Smith Family Recipes and Stories, was invited to become a featured publisher on the food blog portal foodbuzz.com! And they pay me! And they are pretty cool and so far I'm likin' it, ya!