A Christmas Feast

For having to stay in NYC for Christmas, I think my friends who also couldn't afford the $600 tickets to California and I, did a pretty good job of making it something special. Christmas Eve that is, Christmas Day was a wash that I do not even need to get into here. So at first we decided we were going to do a gift exchange where you pick a name out of a hat and get one gift for someone — but then in the giving spirit of the season we decided, what the heck, why don't we each get everyone a present. I mean there were only four of us (and one added last minute surprise guest). And with the gift giving we would have a proper feast. 

I got really into cooking when I was living in Germany last year, but since I have been back in New York it's been harder to keep up for various reasons. But I got back into it for Xmas Eve and decided to make something I had never cooked before. A little risky for a special day, but I wanted to make something festive that looked amazing (or maybe a little scary for some) and hopefully tasted the same. So I bought each of us a whole trout and kept the heads for dramatic effect and made this recipe, along with some seared scallops. With the side dishes the girls made, it all turned out pretty delicious. 

But back to the presents: I had never really exchanged gifts like this with friends before but I'll tell you it was a good idea. We hang out with each other pretty much everyday, so I guess it was no surprise that we all ended up with perfect gifts that suited all our likes and styles. No faking an "Oh I love it" when opening a Christmas sweater from your Grandma this year. It was sweet and fun and we all felt like Christmas even though we were far away from our families. 

I took a bunch of photos while we cooked (look all the girls wore purple!) but my camera died right before dinner so the rest of the night went undocumented, maybe for the best as we may have been a little overindulgent with the wine. Naturally. Hope you had a special holiday too! Here's ours: 

Weekend Roundup: My Thanksgiving!

FOOD

AND FUN

I did it you guys! I successfully cooked my first Thanksgiving, turkey and all, see there it is. Yes yes, I know it was over a week late, but that is the amazing thing about living abroad, that just doesn't matter. Of course you don't get the day off in Germany and the weekend after was no good, so Saturday night we had 7 people over for a late feast, 5 of whom had never stuffed their faces with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and the works before (or been forced to play charades and tell everyone what they are thankful for against their will. Sorry about that guys....) Apparently not only have I turned into the type of person who does such aggressively cheesy things, I have also become the kind of person who obsesses about dinner parties. I spent the week before preparing, gathering recipes, treking all over Berlin in the snow to find all the not-so-common in Germany ingredients and laying in bed at night thinking about my turkey preparations. Weird I know, but the truth is I enjoyed it, such a project got me through a week of brutal cold nights that began at three in the afternoon. I mean, I truly don't think there is anything more fun than a good old house party, so a little obsessing can't hurt too much, right? But the real question is, what will my next project be?

Anyway, it is unfortunate that I did not take any photos of what I was wearing as I was running around preparing stuff until my friends arrived — just that awful one up there where you can just see a bit of the sheer below-the-knee dress from the 1970s I paired with vintage maroon flats. I am really loving the unexpected pink, red, orange color block combo that Rihanna (minus the hair) has been doing so much these days, so maybe there was some subtle inspiration there. I topped it all off with a gold belt and a gold floral headband that I only seem to wear on birthdays or special events, because you really can't be a host without dressing like a princess or a 1950s housewife, not in my book.

Berlin Weekend Roundup: Bloody Marys

Outfit: Striped poof sleeve sweatshirt (second-hand somewhere in NYC), tan maxi skirt (thrifted from Humana at Alexanderplatz), black boots (Aldo). Bloody Mary: tomato juice, tabasco, sriracha, worschestier, olive juice, lemon juice, vodka, celery)  

Usually on Mondays or Tuesdays I come here and tell you how amazing my weekend was blah, blah, blah — but the truth is this weekend was not that great. It was all my own doing, not because there were no places to go and no fun to be had, but because I have been in a bad mood and feeling rather blue lately for a few different reasons that include having to move again, the weather and a serious case of homesickness/life restlessness.


But I did have some enjoyable moments and learned a little life lesson: if you aren't getting what you want than just do it yourself. You see I went out on Friday night and just wasn't enjoying the scene one bit. I also have been going out to eat a lot lately and not enjoying my food (don't you hate that?). So on Saturday I went to a couple grocery stores to get some special ingredients and set out to make a feast and then at the last minute my boyfriend invited a friend over to join us. It was my first time cooking these dishes and I was nervous to actually make dinner for a guest, but I must admit it turned out quite well and the company wasn't too shabby either. Voilà! Good scene, good food! I am enjoying cooking these days, as well as mellow evenings away from the bar world. I really am getting old I guess. We also decided to make our own Bloody Marys that afternoon, which as you can see above was not a low point (I even did a little wink and jig). I mean, I really have nothing to complain about.


It all went something like this: dinner with roommate and Karsten, show at White Trash, early exit, new health food cafe breakfast, grocery shopping, bloody marys, cards, cooking, great dinner party chatting with Jay, caramelized chipotle chicken, butternut squash browned with butter and thyme, spinach, phone call with Sunny, phone call with Mom, hangover, McDonalds, fall walk through Hasenheid park, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Vicki Christina Barcelona, bed.