xmas 2009

lee and i passed a very nice xmas together this year. we were off the hook because lee's parents went to montreal and, well... i don't spend the holidays with my family. we had a lovely 2 days off together. my work was closed on xmas eve, so lee took the day off, too.

first, we went snowshoeing at walden pond.


we had never been there. i don't know that i'll go back--it was pretty, but i don't know what all the hubbub is about. it's a small place, and i can't imagine visiting in the summer when it's crowded. we pretty much had the place to ourselves. plus, as far as snowshoeing is concerned, the trails are very poorly marked (we spent a fair amount of time searching for the trails rather than just hiking), and it's not very challenging. but it was good for essentially "in the city" snowshoeing.

then we went to portsmouth, nh, on a whim. we had a delicious linner (lunch/dinner) there at a place called popovers. i had the conrad's grilled vegetables sandwich on gluten free bread (HEAVEN!), a coconut macaroon, and chocolate mint rooibos tea. here i am in the square after our amazing meal.


then we went to zoolights at the stone zoo in stoneham, ma. it was fun in a very kitch-y way!


on xmas day, we went to see a movie, as per our tradition. this year, we saw sherlock holmes. it was very entertaining and enjoyable, but i don't like how the ending left it wide open for a sequel. can't people just end movies anymore? if you haven't seen it, i do recommend it, though :) it was definitely fun.

then we came home and cooked our terrific meal: cioppino with garlic, basil millet bread, served with a side of leeks parmesan. perfetto! look at that pile of seafood that went into the stew! 2 pounds of haddock, 1/2 pound of each scallops and squid, and there are 2 pounds of mussels in the bag.


i started the cioppino with 1 diced red onion and 2 sliced stalks of celery. when those were cooked down, i added 2 whole sardines, plenty of salt and pepper, a couple of bay leaves and at least a 1/2 cup of white wine.


when the wine didn't smell too alcohol-y anymore, i added about half a container of pomi strained tomatoes, 2 cups of vegetable broth and about 2 cups of water. then the squid went right into the pan to simmer for about 25 minutes or so while i prepared the leeks.


then the fish went in to cook for about 3 minutes, followed by the scallops. then we realized that there was no way the mussels would fit into the pot. so they had to be cooked separately. oh well! the finished product was still delicious and looked lovely on our table :)


buon appetito!

and for the leeks, it was about 1 pound, cleaned and sliced into 1-inch pieces. they were simmered in about 1 1/2 inches of water for 6 minutes. then put into a buttered pie plate and baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes--covered in a little more than 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese. i'm salivating just thinking about it again!