Its way past midnight, the guests are gone, the last plate, glass and dishes are  washed and put away,  and it is safe to say that Christmas is over.

My Christmas morning started off well, I jumped out of bed excited, even though I knew there were no gifts to unwrap or anyone else waiting for their gifts, since I had already unwrapped all the gifts I got in the mail from my friends and I had only made a feeble attempt of shopping for friends. But my excitement was that I did not have to wake up to a jarring alarm clock, with me hitting snooze 10 times and that the 2 days of rain had stopped and the sun was trying to come out of hiding.

I realize as I get older that it is the little things that make it a wonderful Christmas day.  I still miss being home with my family and friends, but I will settle for the next best things I can have.

Despite knowing that I had a lot of food that needs to get cooked, there was no way I could not take advantage of a warm day. So before I start cooking and baking, I put on my shoes and head out for a 5 mile run. That was my Christmas gift to myself, after which I sat at the coffee shop, catching up with a few friends, refusing to think of the insanity that will begin once I head to my kitchen.

Back home in the kitchen, I turn the music on and head to the kitchen and I realize that maybe I was being overly ambitious with everything I planed, I got a tad bit carried away with the menu planning and maybe that holiday joy got me a little too excited about the food part. I suddenly felt overwhelmed by everything I had taken on and as much as I am someone who enjoys my time in the kitchen alone, I decided I had to call in for help.

My mind was on overdrive working overtime on ideas. I had a plan or so I thought, the more I got into it, the ideas kept evolving and getting more elaborate and finally I had to reign myself in.

Between my friend and I, we managed to pull it together before the rest of them started to trickle in.

Appetizer – Oysters with garlic butter sauce
Puff Pastry with Apricot Preserves, Brie & Pecans

Main Course – Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
Oven roasted fish with lemon & parsley pesto
Pork Tenderloin with apples & apple sauce

Herb crusted rack of lamb

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with apples

Sides –   Roasted root vegetables
Brussels Sprouts with apples
Quinoa with asparagus and mushrooms

Desert – White Chocolate Mousse with Pistachios & freeze-dried cranberries
Panetonne Bread Pudding

White Chocolate Mousse

I might have spent hours cooking/baking, but the look on everyone’s face when all the food made it to the table made it all worthwhile.

Now that everyone has left, there is a bunch of empty dishes sitting in my kitchen, I wonder should I ignore this mess and go to bed or put everything away. I turn the music on, put my apron on and start washing dishes.

All the dishes are one, I can grab a glass of wine, sit back down and reflect on my day and think what I would do differently. I might cut back on what I take on and keep it to what I can handle on my own. As a friend said to me, when it comes to being in the kitchen with me, I run a tight ship and a bit too obsessive on perfection.

But at the end I am happy that I had one of the best Christmas’s in a while. It is after all the little things  and I proved to myself that I might miss my family during this time, but having a few good friends could make all the difference.