pager holiday
as in, “i’ll be spending this festive week on page”, not “yay, a break from the boxy little banshee.” yes — this week, i will get to find out what happens to diabetics when they OD on christmas cookies and candy canes. hopefully nothing worth paging me for.
actually — dare i say it — i am kind of looking forward to the next seven days. this will be my last full week on call for over two months (!!), and historically it’s been a bit quieter, or at least that’s what they tell me. i have some work projects i’d like to make some headway on, and sitting at my laptop with a cup of hot tea on one side and the pager on the other doesn’t even sound that bad to me right now.
PLUS: it will be a big week in terms of setting goals and wrapping up this past year! coming up before the end of the year will be . . .
✰ resolution countdown (staring tomorrow)
✰ highlights of 2010
✰ top ____ of 2010 (music, books, movies, candy, fro-yo, pens, and hair products. you know, the essentials).
winter solstice
i enjoy putting a theme to dinner gatherings — even for just another sunday night. i am not sure where the idea of a scandinavian winter solstice dinner came from, but it may become an annual tradition.
as i mentioned yesterday, i consulted dr. jenny. she sent me lots of info, including a link to this awesomeness:
we all had fun trying to pronounce “hasselbackspotatis”
based on her recommendations, i put together a simple meal with mostly seasonal ingredients. the menu was not very authentic — more like classic new world winter fare with a scandinavian spark behind it.
smoked salmon and herbed creme fraiche on savory gouda biscotti (from caitlin‘s kitchen!)
“i caught one THIS BIG!”
(while making a ridiculous face)
the colorful plate
included are:
✦ roasted salmon with lemon and dill
✦ my attempt at hasselbackspotatis
✦ an improvised greek yogurt & dill sauce
✦ purple cabbage salad with freshly squeezed orange vinaigrette + pomegranate arils
wardrobe disclaimer: dr. m drove over to join us straight from the hospital (he was not allowed to pass go, nor collect $200, nor change out of his scrubs). the mood was festive despite the fact that we were celebrating (nearly) the longest night of the year. the evening’s soundtrack was also carefully selected: beach house’s “norway”, fleet foxes “winter hymnal”, bjork, sigur ros — well, at least until we degenerated into 80s madonna + timbaland/timberlake’s “carry-out.”
dessert, also inspired by jenny, was delicious:
joy of baking chewy gingerbread cookies, stilton, and fig preserves
we served it with this lovely late-harvest zinfandel we had been hoarding for far too long. ’tis the season, right?
20/20: day 7
the assignment was to buy flowers and sit for 10 minutes. i did buy the flowers, but never got around to sitting. however, i spent a lovely evening cooking and baking with my own two hands, laughing with friends, and cleaning up — and that’s zen enough for me.
happy monday!
1 Comment
Oh yum – the food looks amazing 🙂