Bonus!

My husband moonlights as a tutor for a few middle school students who attend a private school in the area. One of the boys and his family have been exceptionally generous to us this year. Their gifts never fail to surprise and delight us.

For our honeymoon trip to Florida we were fortunate enough to get to stay in their lovely home in Seaside, Florida for ten days. It was amazing in many ways, but what we fell in love with most was the kitchen and, in specific, the two Le Creuset pans on the shelves. We adored them and cooked in the braiser nearly every single night. So, when I got a text message from my husband a few weeks ago it is nearly an understatement to say that he was elated to show me a picture of his Christmas bonus - our very own braiser!!

This Christmas day was low-key for us. We lingered over a large french press of coffee in the morning and then mozied over to my parent's house to share a late brunch with both them and Justin's parents. It was delightful. We found ourselves at home and relaxing on the sofa with nothing to do by early afternoon. It wasn't until our stomachs reminded us that it was dinnertime that I realized I'd been so intent on planning a great week leading up to the Christmas celebrations that I'd completely left anything for Christmas dinner off my shopping list. Oops.

But, never fear, imagination is your friend, especially if you are lucky enough to have a Le Creuset and a decently stocked pantry at your disposal. Serve up a warm bowl of fresh risotto and pour a glass of wine. Life is good.

Off the Cuff Spinach Risotto

2 T lemon e.v.o.o. (regular works great, too)*

1 T butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped fine

2 c arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine (or whatever you have)

4 c (1 carton) chicken broth

1 c Romano cheese (Parmesan or any other hard cheese would work just fine)

5 oz (1/2 bag) fresh spinach

Goat cheese for garnish (and deliciousness)

Heat lemon oil and butter over medium heat in a Le Creuset braiser. Add in onion and garlic and cook until onions are tender and starting to brown. Lower the heat to medium-low and add rice to the pan and toast for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add in the white wine and stir gently until nearly all of the moisture is absorbed by the rice. Add in one cup of the chicken broth and do the same, repeating until all of the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender. Mix in the cheese and spinach. Serve right away with goat cheese crumbled and an extra drizzle of lemon olive oil for garnish. Bon Appétit!

* Big thanks to my fabulous brother and sister-in-law who gifted us the sweet lemon olive oil - So yummy!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Date

Open a bottle of wine....good wine.

Put on the Carpenter's Christmas album....loud.

Wrap presents. Perfect evening.

Deck the Walls

Let me tell you a story about my friend, Beth. She is the best. We were roommates (along with three other girls) during my senior year at college. She was in her final semester and only had one class! (one class!) But that's ok. It worked out well for the rest of us. She would bake us cookies and talk to us when we came home from school. She was the momma of the house and we loved he

Momma Beth is still one of my favorite people on the planet and, even though she lives far, far away, I've gotten the chance to visit her a couple times over the last year. Last time I was in Tulsa she introduced me to my favorite coffee of all time (Topeca Coffee). This time, we met up again at Topeca, husbands in tow, to share a giant french press of perfectly roasted coffee and catch up.

She also surprised us with a really fabulous wedding gift. She found an old St. Louis penant in an antique store and had it framed. It's just perfect! We just hung it up over our sofa in the living room (along with some still-empty frames). I love the way it turned out! Thank you so much, Beth and Ben!