We had a lovely holiday - and hope you did too. There were fewer hours to teach, so more hours to work on the bathroom, some time for stitching, lots of time at the nursing home with Mutti, telephone calls and Skypes with far-away loved ones and walks and lazy mornings. The weather was wet and too warm for the season, and we'll take that over freezing rain, but a bit more snow would have been welcome!
Our Christmas Eve dinner you've already read about - a roast filet of beef as a centerpiece. It showed up again later in another form.
Christmas Day, we were on our own and opted for duck breast, red cabbage and home-made potato dumplings. That was a first for me, potato dumplings, and not quite as daunting a task as I'd imagined. Of course, it was all yummy. And, of course, a smidge too much for one meal.
Here in Germany, the Christmas holiday is extended and there's not only the Eve and the Day of Christmas but a 2nd Christmas Day - also a federal holiday, so you plan ahead for food and company.
We went to Ursel's where we got together with her neighbors, also old acquaintences, and had a chance to welcome Ursel's son Tille back to Germany after three years in Utah doing post-doc research. She wanted to make things easy, so we had smoked eel - no cooking! I know, not everyone's thing, including Hilmar who had Würstchen (hot dogs!) instead. Who cares? That's OK since company and conversation were the main courses anyway.
Then there were a couple of days in between for leftovers. Pan fried left-over potato dumplings with left-over Christmas Eve beef in mushroom sauce, all enhanced a bit. Another day, cold sliced duck from Christmas Day with a salad of fresh mixed greens. I have to say, left overs are at least as good as the first servings!
We had to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" on one night since Werner had never seen the whole movie and since it was a movie I had to have popcorn. Home made. No microwave. Wonderful.
And suddenly it's New Year's Eve! We get together with the usual suspects for a cultural event and then welcome the New Year. This year we had tickets to an Operetta (Orhloff's Les Brigands - The Bandits) - that all my companions denounced as too sexist and too sexy. Not being as well-versed in the genre, I thought it was amusing and fun and frankly just the right note for a not-at-all-serious "Holiday" - really. New Year's is so NOT a serious holiday!
But after-operetta and before-midnight, you have to eat something. Too late to make fondue, so little bites. Little yummy bites. I don't think we left Ilsemarie with too many overs. And don't forget the Berliner - jelly-filled doughnuts that you eat for good luck. OK!
And finally the NEW YEAR. 2013. Wow. Who thought this year would ever come? Here it is.
Since we'd had to forgo the Cheese Fondue on the Eve of 2013, I had to have it on the Day of New Year and Werner was happy to comply. It was so yummy.
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