Wednesday, December 27, 2017

The Busy Season


The last few days have been a flurry of activity with shopping, planning, dinners and parties.  On Christmas Day I joined my good friends Julie and Dave (many of you know them) at their house for an afternoon of cooking and then eating.  I took the top photo from their patio around the time the eating began.  The sun was getting low in the sky and lit up the distant mountain beautifully.


I caught Julie and my good friend David putting the finishing touches on the main dish.  We had a Moroccan themed meal for our Christmas dinner.  Julie picked all the recipes and our group got to work putting it all together.  We had a persimmon and pecan salad, a chilled mango soup, an aromatic and delicious lamb tagine and roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with spices and parmesan cheese.  I baked an orange almond cake for dessert and Julie made some orange and pistachio ice cream to go with it.

It was a nice enough day to have our first two courses on the patio.

I snapped this photo while we were enjoying our salads around the fire pit.  It took a few shots to get the fire lined up perfectly but, I finally got it.

12 comments:

Lowell said...

Julie and Dave certainly know how to do things right! What a party! And you know how to use your camera. Both photos are superb, but I love, love, love, the 2nd one! It looks like the fire is in the glass. Fantastic! And it sounds like a lot of fun for all concerned. You should now be energized enough to hit the stores for the "After-Christmas" sales! :)

Andy said...

What a wonderful way to spend the day. Merry belated Christmas!

Kate said...

All three photos are wonderful. Julie's kitchen is one I would love to have for myself. Tagine recipes are appreciated in our house, too. Love the landscape!

Judy Ryer said...

Glad you had such a lovely day! That last picture is very artistic.

Silver in AZ said...

Looks like you had an unusual but fun Christmas! Can't ask for more than that!

RedPat said...

That looks as if it was a wonderful day! So different from our snowy cold Christmas!

Aimz said...

What a nice view! Loving the vibrant bouganvillia :-)

Bill said...

Awesome photos, Sharon. Great view, wonderful friends and food. A perfect day for you to enjoy the holiday.

Jack said...

Three perfect photos. I like the framing by the gorgeous red flowers in the top photo, and your flaming drink photo is one I envy. Glad your Christmas was good. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

Karl said...

Great times, Sharon !

Steve Reed said...

Sounds like a terrific dinner. Moroccan is an interesting choice! And that Is a FABULOUS fire photo!

William Kendall said...

That is an incredible view, Sharon!