Holiday Doubleheader

After traveling back to Buffalo, the stage was set for a Christmas Eve/Day cook-a-thon. I would provide the first days dinner and the family would colaborate in the kitchen for day two. Both of the days in question were fueled by day long snacking and white wine. Here are the menus:

-X-mas Eve-

Creamy Potato Soup w/ Bleu Cheese Fritters

Applewood Smoked Porkchops
Tomato Gratin

The soup and fritter combo (mentioned in a previous post) blended that whole creamy and crunchy thing well and was a good start for meal.


A stovetop smoker was used for the pork chops. Handle little kitchen gadget that smoker. Definitely worth a peek. It cooked the thick chops almost all the way then they were tossed in a hot pan to finish off the crust. You could definitely the taste of the smoking wood chips throughout the meat. I bet that would be awesome with bacon.......not that any means of cooking bacon has proved to be less than awesome. Tartare? Why Not??

-X-Mas Day-

Caesar Salad

Yorkshire Pudding with Glazed Brussel Sprouts and Baby Carrots

Mashed Yams

Cajun Rubbed Prime Rib Roast

In true Johnson Family form, meat was a featured member of both main dishes. And damn was it good.

The Christmas Dinner was an absolute gutbuster. The plate crammed with sides and a juicy steak definitely made it tough to stop eating....even after I hit the point of 'full'. The roast was crusty on the outside from the dry rub. Right under that was the thinnest layer of fat that made the meat really moist (taste over health in this case). A tasty drop of red tied the meal together well.

I think there's a tiny bit of space in the middle
where you can fit some more beef.










I didn't leave the house for 2 days, i'd say it was worth it. I'm sure 2007 will yield some further culinary excellence.....i'm hungry.

Happy New Year.