enjoying the thanksgiving and christmas holidays 2018

I have been getting into the spirit of the holidays more so this year than usual.  There have been alot of changes this year, with Gump's filing bankruptcy--and me taking a new job at Bloomingdale's as a result.  Change is always challenging, but I have been very blessed with having lots of friend get togethers, birthday dinners, lunches and my great book club gang to name a few to make me feel more settled and vowed to myself that I would make every effort to enjoy the time.  I had a lovely, simple Thanksgiving, visiting friends and family all day by phone and text.  I cooked a cute little 9 lb bird that made great lunches for the next 5 days.  I also made an old favorite recipe of mine that I had published in a Neiman Marcus cookbook many years ago, spinach souffle casserole. This is a decadent recipe of cheesy goodness that tastes as good cold as it does right out of the oven.  I topped off the day by starting the all red holiday decorations with a new little tree that I got this year for the entrance way--it sits just right on the chest and has a nice reflection in the mirror.  One more tree to go!

spinach souffle casserole recipe:
4  10oz frozen boxes/bags of chopped spinach

1 1/2 cups grated medium cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese

(3 cups total)

2 green onions thinly sliced

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ tsp salt (scant)

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

4 eggs, separated

Defrost spinach and place in a colander and drain well---press down with paper towels, till very dry.  Spray a 9x12 glass casserole dish with non-stick spray and set aside.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly beat egg yolks till frothy.   Beat egg whites till light peaks form.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except the egg whites.  Fold the egg whites lightly into the mixture---turn into the baking dish and bake approx. 35 minutes till lightly puffed and golden.  Rest before cutting.

holiday traditions at filoli

I had a lovely evening at Filoli last night.  Friday, November 25th was the Premier Access Shopping Evening featuring an amazing holiday boutique with piano melodies, wine and hors d’oeuvres. This beautiful estate located in Woodside, hosts a variety of events throughout the year, but the Holiday Traditions events are certainly part of the most anticipated. Check the Filoli website for a list of all events, prices, and availability.

Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century.

Filoli was built for Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn, prominent San Franciscans whose chief source of wealth was the Empire Mine, a hard-rock gold mine in Grass Valley, California. Mr. Bourn was also owner and president of the Spring Valley Water Company whose property comprised Crystal Springs Lake and the surrounding lands, areas that are now part of the San Francisco Water Department. He selected the southern end of Crystal Springs Lake as the site for his estate. 

The estate was purchased in 1937 by Mr. and Mrs. William P. Roth, who owned the Matson Navigation Company. Under the Roths' supervision the property was maintained and the formal garden gained worldwide recognition. Mrs. Roth made Filoli her home until 1975 when she donated 125 acres, which included the House and formal garden, to the National Trust for Historic
Preservation for the enjoyment and inspiration of future generations. The remaining acreage was given to Filoli Center.  Happy Holidays!

christmas dinner at joseph leon's

This year, I stayed in SF for Christmas.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I was really excited to be invited to Joseph's and Dan's for Christmas dinner.  Well, a good thing too, because Joseph loves great food, but truth be told, cooking is not his thing. 

When I arrived (early, to help) he had a frig full of delicious Whole Foods ingredients and,  like an episode of "Chopped"  all we needed to do was put them together and create a great meal!  A bag of green beans became roasted green beans with Parmesan cheese, baby carrots were candied in brown sugar and butter, potatoes mashed with sour cream and stuffed chicken breasts roasted, sliced and smothered with wild mushroom gravy. Scott started us off with baked brie with roasted garlic and crisp Granny Smith apple slices. All that and the beautiful table scape and great company made for a wonderful and memorable Christmas dinner.

a little christmas cheer

It's a pretty lo-key Christmas this year but there were two things I insisted on doing.  One was to put up my tree (I haven't done that the last couple of years) and to actually have friends over to enjoy it.  Last night Deidre Joyner and Tom Bogue came over for some holiday cheer.  When I do decorate I like a monochromatic theme, and I have in the past decorated in all red, all purple and all pink. (Funny, even though I don't put up decorations every year, I continue to buy them).  So last year at the after holiday sales I bought all teal blue decorations and the color turned out very pretty.  So throw in a little Osha Thai food, champagne and two of my dearest friends and that is great Christmas cheer!