celebration...

wow...another year...flown by.
i completed a lot of the goals i set for myself in 2009.
and have made new ones.



i'm older, wiser & more opinionated than ever.
but i'm ready for twenty ten.
and i'm taking no prisoners!

if you've looked around my blog.
you know that i like to cook.
so tomorrow i launch a new blog
fork & camera...
dedicated to my loves of food & photography.

since i'm taking 2010 by storm...
i'll be participating in my third 365
and will be posting those images on my other new blog
twenty ten ... a photo a day.

last...but not least...
i have a zenfolio presence.

i'm looking forward to an adventerous 2010.
let's do this!

happy new year!

holiday goodies...

chestnuts...



roasting in my chestnut roaster...in the oven.

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making lots of...



headless gingerbread men.

***

putting the finishing touches on...



the raspberry trifle.

happy holidays...

this morning...we went to marin headlands for a sunrise photo shoot. we left the house a little after six...and arrived at the headlands right before the sunrise.



it was quite nippy out ... 33 degrees as we approached the exit. i'd already had a cup of tea...and had my thermos of hot coffee for the shoot.



after a bit...we went to the other side of the freeway...and took a few photos of the bridge from that angle. we then went to breakfast...and then...on to another location for more photos.



we arrived home in the early afternoon...and it was nap time! i didn't sleep long...as my to-do list was scrolling thru my head...and...i was anxious to get a look at my photos.

***

now...it's time to tackle the to-do list. i have dough chilling in the refrigerator...for gingerbread men; and my chestnut roaster is in the oven pre-heating...as the daughter scores the chestnuts.

tomorrow morning...i've a raspberry trifle to put together...before we head to my parents for the day.

the fireplace is blazing...the christmas music is queue'd...and it's time to finish wrapping my presents...while i sip on a brandy & eggnog.

cheers!

have a wonderful christmas!

come & get it...

so...today...i made pan-roasted chicken with prosciutto, rosemary, and lemon for dinner. you can find the link for the recipe on yesterday's post.

i cut the chicken in half...and will probably make a moroccan chicken tomorrow.



a few months ago i was intrigued by a corn bread salad recipe i saw...and made my own version of it today.

i bought some already prepared corn bread...cubed & baked it for croutons. the 250 degree oven was pretty slow...and i upped the temp to 350...since that was also the temp for the chicken.



the other ingredients we added were...

• heirloom tomatoes
• avocado
• lamb's ear lettuce
• green onions
• olive oil & lime juice vinaigrette

and...here's the finished product.



now...i must go rest because...in the process of roasting the chicken...i FORGOT i had taken the skillet from the oven and grabbed the handle.

all photos were taken one-handed...while the other hand grasped an ice pack.

can you say OUCH?

tyler's place...

today...my daughter and i went to tyler florence's store for his cooking & knife techniques demo. the store is located on throckmorton in mill valley. the demo was from 1:00 ~ 3:00.

i met some new people. shared a few laughs. met a fellow twitterer. and...learned a couple of new techniques.

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on the menu,,,

• roast pork tenderloin w/veal gravy
• mashed turnip roots
• roasted cippollini onions
• fried sage leaves as garnish

here...he's signing my book...and that's his mother-in-law in the background.



***

water w/citrus and cranberries.



tomorrow...i'm going to make his...

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Prosciutto, Rosemary, and Lemon recipe.

i'll let you know how we like it...and i'll probably have photos!

calendars for 2010...

yesterday we had our office holiday party. my gift to everyone this year is a calendar...featuring my photographs. since they won't arrive until monday...i gave each person the card below...printed on 4 x 6 photo paper...



with a photo of the cover..which i printed on 4 x 6 post-it photo paper...and attached to the back.



here are a couple of the photos featured in the calendar...

~ at play ~



and...

~ birdland ~



the photos i chose for the calendar were all taken in 2009...and i'm looking forward to receiving the finished product.

winter wonderland...

today. in northern california. it snowed.

i'm not talking a little sprinkling. i'm talking...stick to the ground...scrape your car windows...build a snowman snow.



and the snow was widespread. livermore. clayton. dublin. moraga. sacramento. everywhere it seems...except the town i live in.

fortunately for me...i have a view of mt. diablo from my office window...which was blanketed in snow. if it's still there this weekend...i will be too.

mt. diablo gets a bit of snow...pretty much every year. but...i don't think it's gotten this much...this early in a long time.




why will i get there this year...when i haven't gotten there in any of the previous years that it's snowed? well...i have a new-found photography friend...who likes to go 'on location' as much as i do.

so...this weekend...she and i are going to the snow. photos to follow. but...you already knew that. didn't you?

sunrise reflection...

taken while riding as a passenger in the car on the way to sfo.