Hello again - I already shared my go to apple pie recipe I made for my family's Christmas but over the holidays, it has become a tradition for us to host some of my wife's family (those of us without children or for those where the children have grown and have their own traditions). We used to go to an early meal at a little family Italian restaurant-but about 3 years ago, the owners decided after about 3 decades to retire and closed the shop. So I volunteered to take it on at our house.. Each year the menu changes a little bit but we stay in the Italian theme.
I included links to the recipes - and their sources - in the spirit of full disclosure. Everyone of them were GREAT!
I hope to have some pics of that but here was the menu for Christmas Eve at Ike's house:
Home Made Bolognese sauce
lasagna and bolognese
Home made Marina sauce,
Lasagna (with the Bolognese),
Home made Pasta, (all kinds of noodles)
pasta recipe
Home Made Lobster Ravioli - using the pasta recipe above (with Cognac Cream sauce)
Lobster ravioli
Home made Trifle - with raspberries, blueberries and home grown strawberries from my Aunt.
It was pretty good if I do say so myself. My brother and sister in laws brought salad and wine and some bread... Sounds like we were carbo loading (we were-and we weren't running a marathon the next day either).
My wife purchase for me a commercial pasta cooker, one that holds about 5 gallons of water and has 4 separate "buckets" to cook individual pasta to order... Just dropped in the fresh pasta, cook for a few minutes and finish in a skillet with the sauce to order... Man I love that thing :)
 |
| Pasta cooker |
But here is what I have some pics of... a New Years day Italian sausage and tomato quiche and a home made pizza I made with some of the left over sausage..... While I didn't make the quiche crust from scratch I did make the pizza dough..... I wish I could afford one of those brick ovens to cook pizza in.. :)
 |
| Tomato quiche |
 |
Home made pizza with sausage, mushroom and goat cheese
|
Took Ike hunting again and he did pretty well... Better than I did - Man it was cold that day and so was my shooting (again)... One little story is worth telling though.. We were calling it a day and were on our way back to the truck when he got birdy - so I let him work and sure enough a rooster flushed - from behind some trees and heading right into the sun 180 degrees away from me.. so I got off a shot and hit him hard, as I saw both legs drop but he was still flying. He made it over the trees and out of sight but I had an idea of his direction but couldn't see how far or where for sure. I just knew he wasn't going to make it and nothing bothers me more than to hit a bird and not find him. So, I loaded Ike up, and we went to the general direction of where I saw the bird go. When we got there I unloaded Ike, and told him to find that bird. We checked the ditches, and some treelines and sure enough after about 10 -15 minutes he went over a hill and down a tree line and as I crested the hill there he was standing over the bird. I swear he was waiting for me to come into sight so he could show me he found it. He picked it up as I walked up and if dogs could talk I bet he was telling me, "See I told you we would find it! Now if you could shoot better we wouldn't have this problem." Once again, Ike pulls my bacon out of the fryer... So again I close, "Ike, find that bird!"
