Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas Gift

So Paul got me a Self Guiding Tracker: From anyone who has seen Total Recall, this might ring a bell . . .

This was the actual gift-

Now this is the scene from the movie. I am willing to bet $100, that the basis for the removal of the self removal of the tracking device was an olive picker upper. Fast forward to 55 seconds if you are in a rush.

back to blogging

Thought I would start posting again. Although I love the immediacy of Facebook, it just can't catch the nuances of mood and thought like a blog. And now that I have so many "friends" on Facebook, I would rather focus on a forum where I can update my closer friends on my life.

So, that said, Merry Christmas! This week has been incredibly busy. I took care of Neecy for a day, as she was a little too sick to go back to daycare. I fed her chocolate, which ended up all over her face.



Christmas Eve, I had to work, but Luis and I went out to a FABULOUS dinner at Bolla, in the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas. I got to dress up, and I wore the black shawl my mother made my for Christmas. We love the sous-chef, Curtis, who was in charge of the Christmas Menu and did an incredible job. Between the both of us, we tried everything. Had we had been at home, I would have LICKED the plate. It was so fabulous. I think Bolla has become "our restaurant."

1st course
Winter Squash Soup (Luis and I ate half and switched plates)
Gorgonzola. Fire Roasted Chestnuts. Smoked Quince
or
Potato & Arugula Salad (Luis and I ate half and switched plates)
Levante Anchovy. Robiolo. Caviar

2nd course
Poached Lobster (we both had this)
Pumpkin Ravioli. Pancetta. Olio Verde
or
Bronzini
Hazelnuts. Green Beans. Oregano-Orange Butter

3rd course
Breast of Duck (Luis)
Parmesan Parsnips. Black Truffles. Watercress
or
Beef Tenderloin (Dana)
Sunchoke Ragu. Porcini. Chianti. Salt & Pepper

4th Course
Chocolate Cake (Luis)
Amaretto Mousse. Chocolate Covered Cherries
or
Caramel Apple Bread Pudding (Dana)
Brandy Anglaise. Cinamon-Pecan Gelato

Some pics from the evening:

There are tons of outside cats in our neighborhood, and our cats have had minimal contact with ANY KIND of animal, let alone animals of their species. Here are some vids of the very aggressive cats in our area.