Home for the Holidays
Home for the holidays, indeed. And our home is over-the-top with decorations. Every holiday ornament, dish, napkin, light, and candle that has been in hiding for years is now out and about and making our house a red and green extravaganza. Why not!
By bringing out all the decorations, we are honoring all the people, places and memories that these treasures represent…there’s my Advent calendar from the 1940’s (oh, my), John’s Christmas stocking with a cowboy motif, the painted sleigh ornament made by his childhood Wisconsin neighbors, and the quilted Three Wise Men crafted by his mom. There’s the Twelve Days of Christmas “pop-up” book, red and green pillows designed by two friends and me years ago, a straw goat from Swedish days that sits in front of the lit tree, and my parents’ Tom and Jerry bowl and cups waiting to be used…and on it goes.
And then there’s the Christmas baking that I rarely do. But this year is different—biscotti…two recipes from Dorie Greenspan’s Cookies cookbook, one a breakfast biscotti, the other a chocolate chip biscotti. And of course the traditional baked goodie that I never make but always enjoy eating–panettone from our local market. (For the record, I did make panettone once ever-so-long-ago; it was so hard I used it as a holiday doorstop!)
And one of the biggest treats of all, my hubby continues to be on a mini-cooking roll. This week’s comfort food? Mac ‘n’ Cheese! The recipe was from the The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and the result was decadently perfect. For balance—ha!—I added a salad with as many types of greens I could find, and a Frances Coppola Oregon Pinot Noir. We ended the meal with lemon gelato drizzled with Limoncello accompanied by Amaretti cookies. Yum.
And so we will continue to enjoy and bless our home for offering us shelter, comfort and pleasure. And we will look forward to the upcoming Winter Solstice and all that it implies—a slow but sure returning of the Light. Yes, please.
May your holidays be blessed and may 2021 offer hope and health to all!
Wow….I wish I could visit the Archers for Christmas. This Jewish girl LOVES decorations and all of the trimmings of Christmas & Hanukkah.
Please take a few photos of my favorite house all dressed up. Oh and Mac & Cheese with chocolate chip biscotti….now that is a comfort food meal. What fun to use all of your many sets of dishes which you will need with all of the cooking going on in Cucina Archer. I will be channeling Lynn Archer for the holidays using Spode Christmas dishes and Lenox Hanukkah dishes just for fun. Cheers and Happy Christmas to the Archers. I will look forward to spending time with you both in the year ahead. Much love. xoxoxo
“Wow”💥 right back at you. You’re going over the top, too, it sounds. Might as well. Are there any holiday sweets you bake? Even John’s into it–just baked cookies called Double Dark Chocolate Chips…we just taste tested them…very good! Happy Holidays to you two, too, and yes, to a visit in healthy–YES– 2021🎀
I too have decorated over the top, just for my husband and me.
Limoncello over lemon gelato! Why didn’t I think of that. I LOVE lemon!
Merry Christmas
Mary Lou!
Good for you! Enjoy. Happy lemony escapades and Happy Holidays🎄🎈