Cozy Christmas Photo Montage

by Leslie Patson | 2nd January 2009

We did so much in the 4 short days the Florida gang was here, where to start?
Howabout Christmas Eve at Chez Weldon!
Florida family LuAnn, John and Vinnie fly in Christmas Eve morning just in time to help me prep for dinner that night!
The menu:
Assorted cheeses courtesy of Auntie Em’s and Cowgirl Creamery in Sonoma
Mushrooms stuffed with Spinach and pinenuts
Barefoot Contessa’s Parmesan Thyme Toasts

Pomegranate Martinis (instantly makes people happy!)

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with croutons and Parmesan
Scallop Gratin (Barefoot Contessa again!)
Lemon Parsley Rice
Carmelized Fennel, shallots and green beans

And for desert, warm chocolate puddings (thanks Bill Granger from Australia!)

Christmas morning, coffee, tea and warm cinnamon buns! (thanks Pillsbury!)

And now on to Lisa’s house where happily there were no Grinches but we did love watching and singing!!! (how on earth is it that we remember these words???)

First course crab cakes, second course White Truffle Risotto. Shown here with handmade “Idiot” ornament!

Decanted wines at Lisa and Neils. I lost count!!!

The Idiot as Santa…he changes seasonally – you can see he is quite chameleon-like courtesey of his creator Neil!

The fabulous Christmas dinner menu continues with:
Beef Tenderloin (wow!!!)
Mushroom Bread Pudding
Roasted Broccoli with Balsamic glaze
Cheese Course and Homemade cookies! (thanks for the goodie bag Lis!)

The next day a walk through Pasadena, some inspiring houses…

Old Town Pasadena, they do this every year!

Somehow this walk inspired us to go back to Weldon and make spaghetti and meatballs! (so dang good and lots of leftovers!)
The next day, and our last day, we rendez-vous’d in Woodland Hills to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
What a great movie, all 2 hours and 45 minutes of it! Really beautifully done, we loved it!
A quick Indian dinner in Woodland Hills and off we raced to the airport.