sophie's fair

Bugs, Daffy & Tweety (c) Warner Bros

traditionally, today would be the "third day of Christmas". my watch, however, says differently! i have been giddily observing this wondrous season for over a month (anticipation-stage not included).

my family and i went to church christmas eve and lighted the candles as we sang, "silent night, holy night." afterwards, we went straight to my uncle's, where a sumptuous feast was waiting for us. between gulps (the food was amazing!), i gave and listened to the family's week-in-review. my aunt related a shocking incident that occurred that afternoon. coming from new york, they decided to drop by jersey city to buy some sweets. the parking lot was full, but my uncle saw a soon-to-be-vacant spot. the thing was, one other guy was coveting the same spot. since my uncle's reflexes were faster, he beat the guy to it. the guy was furious and got out of his car. he walked up to my uncle, cussing! "you f*ckng couldnt f*ckng move etc f*ckng etc you wouldnt f*ckng want to f*ckng mess with me i've had a f*ckng bad day etc etc." what a turd. my uncle took a deep breath, controlling his temper. the guy was half his age! my aunt was in total shock because she isnt used to street slang. after two minutes of nonstop jabbering from the prick, my uncle said, "fine, i'll move." we all broke into laughter, and i said, "if i were with you, i'd have given him a piece of my mind," but my mum, equally shocked, said my uncle did the right thing by not succumbing to a fight because it wasnt worth it. now, thinking about it, i admire my uncle's forbearance. i just cant stop giggling everytime i remember my uber-refined cousin's remarks about the creep and his girl, "ghetto* and ghetto's hoe" (*acute accent on the o). the way my cousin said it was funny, not demoralising. story came after story, from the dining table, to the fireside... finally! the opening of presents. yipeeeee!!! i got 3 whopping gift bags.

first, to keep me prettified: a spa facial care assortment consisting of a facial steamer, facial cleanser and pore refiner, and an illuminated beauty mirror (oooohhh yesss, i'm vain!). second, to keep me warm: a luxurious, velvety soft, sueded, 54" x 63" pink down throw (prettified one, pamper thyself!). third, to keep me entertained: 3 dvds, message in a bottle, legends of the fall, and ever after (romantic pampered one, relax thy mind).

christmas day. we woke up late, showered, had brunch, and rushed to loews to see the phantom of the opera. the broadway musical-turned-movie was completely mesmerising. as a kid, i used to sing, "think of me", i cant remember, though, which guy was on my mind at the time. as we were all going out of the theatre, i noticed a bunch of people lined-up to watch the aviator... like i've said, that movie would catapult to classicdom.

we had a superb christmas and i give back all the glory to God -- my most memorable moment was strolling with my sister and cousin around the neighbourhood with the season's first smattering of snowflakes adorning my hair.
since the 12 days of christmas just basically started, i decided to share my blessings with peeps out there who would want to try yummy recipes linked with gmail invites. see below...

Filet Mignon with Mushroom Wine Sauce
recipe from the tender fillet

1 tbsp butter, divided
vegetable cooking spray
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
4 (4 oz) filet mignon steaks (about 1 inch thick)
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
1 1/2 cups dry red wine, divided
fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
1/2 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms (no stems)
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef consomme, undiluted and divided
2 tsp cornstarch
cracked pepper

melt 1/2 teaspoons butter in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. add shallots and mushrooms. sauté 4 minutes. add 1 cup wine and 3/4 cup consomme; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. remove mushrooms and place in a bowl. increase heat to high; cook wine mixture 5 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. add to mushrooms in a bowl; set aside. wipe skillet skillet with a paper towel. sprinkle desired amount of cracked pepper over steaks. melt remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. add steaks; cook 3 minutes on each side or until until browned. reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. place on a serving platter, and keep warm. combine soy sauce and cornstarch; stir well. add remaining 1/2 cup wine and consomme to skillet; scrape skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. bring to a boil. cook 1 minute. add mushroom mixture, cornstarch mixture, and chopped thyme; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. serve with steaks. garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Traditional Pecan Pie
recipe from the little big book of Christmas

Pastry:
1/4 pound plus 4 tablespoopns unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
about 1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
5 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons bourbon
3 cups pecan pieces, lightly toasted

in a mixing bowl, cut butter into the flour until it reaches the consistency of fine meal. sprinkle on the sugar and add lightly beaten egg yolks and ice water. lightly blend together. firm the dough into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and chill for at least 20 minutes. preheat oven to 350°F. in a bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients except the pecans and blend well. roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and fit it into a 9" pie pan. evenly coat the pastry with the pecan pieces. pour filling mixture over the nuts. bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown. cool to room temperature before serving.
serves 8 to 10

if you're here looking for more invites, but finding none, take heart, there's more. email me at sophiesfair [at] gmail [dot] com.