Roasted Olives with Orange and Rosemary

I love olives and Tim doesn't but he loved these. I was looking for a little appetizer to have before we went full on with the Lasagna and Sausage and Peppers.  It was an Italian Christmas in memory of my Mom who is no longer with us.  She loved my lasagna and Eggplant - one of the few things she was proud to have taught me.  She didn't like a lot of my cooking . She adored Tim's cooking. He could do no wrong. I had gone by Eataly in the city to pick up a couple things for Christmas meal and lugged them up from the city to have them for our meal.  The olives were delicious.  Definitely have to have to serve them warm.

ROASTED OLIVES WITH ORANGE AND ROSEMARY

INGREDIENTS:
2 Oranges
1 pound large green olives without pits ( Castelvetrano)
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Pinches Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 Teaspoon Fennel Powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grate the zest of one orange, remove the zest of the second orange with a vegetable peeler, and then juice both oranges.  In a 9 x 13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish, toss together the olives, olive oil, 2 sprigs of rosemary, the thyme, the rind removed with the peeler, orange juice, garlic, and 1 pinch crushed red pepper.  Bake, tossing every 10 minutes, until olives are slightly shriveled and juices have reduced to a glaze, about 30 minutes.
While the olives are still hot, break the remaining sprig of rosemary over the top.  Sprinkle with the finely grated zest, the fennel powder, and one more pinch crushed red pepper. Toss, and serve while still hot.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Dinner was delicious. I came up on Sunday night and had a couple days to cook. It was quiet around the house and gave me plenty of time to start with sauce and move onto Lasagna and Sausage and Peppers.  Christmas Day, all I had to do was roast the olives with the orange and make garlic bread so it was an easy day.  The meal was delicious and Tim made homemade Bread Pudding that he has made the last few years which was my Mom's favorite. It was very good. I had bought pignolis from Venieros to snack on. The Castelvetrano olives were an appetizer roasted with orange zest and rind that was delicious.  Definitely a repeater. Merry Christmas.

Christmas 2019

It was a very quiet Christmas for Tim and myself. It was the first Christmas without my Mom.   I felt kind of lost and had way too much time on my hands but it was a lovely day with Tim and I just hanging out and kicking back.  We got up and opened gifts.  We try to keep the gifts to a minimum - stocking size only but of course - Tim never pays attention.  So excited about the book and tickets to  Ali Wong.  One of the sweetest things Tim did, he had a stocking filled with all my Mom's favorite candy. The little bag of spice drops made me cry.

Shopping Local

Perfect day to shop local for outstanding Christmas gifts, food for the weekend and a nice long lunch at Binnekill restaurant.

Thanksgiving

No downtime. Off to Florida to visit my Aunt and Uncle.  My poor Aunt Gail had to have knee surgery and has had a rough year physically so I decided to go down to Florida and visit them and cook for the week to give both of them a break.  I ordered a Spiral Honey Baked Ham to pick up and spent a couple days making sides so I didn't have to do all the cooking in one day. It was gorgeous, warm Florida weather. I got to meet my Aunt and Uncle's new cats - Ollie and Ollie.  I went to Zabars and shipped a big box of goodies ahead of time so we had lots of treats - chocolate rugelah, cinnamon  babka, vodka sauce for penne, so many good things.  We had a lovely week, it was just nice to see them and relax and I love their porch watching the cats watch the Ibis come out to feed. Great time.

BDNY Show

I design Home Textiles. One of my big projects this year was launching our hospitality business at the Boutique Show at the Javitts Center. It was very exciting and I have a great team of people to work with for this division.  Lots of work but it was a great show and I think will lead to all sorts of opportunities for the company.  Lots of fun.

Jeans Candy Land Birthday

Tim's sister, Jean, turned 50 this year.  We assailed Tim's parents house the night before the party and decorated it in a Candy Land theme. It was so much fun.  We did a cooking class and then came back to the house for the party afterwards. So much fun.

Miss V's Visit

One of my dearest, most talented friends came to visit in August.  Virginia and I worked together for years back in my apparel days.  We traveled all over Paris together and she is one of the few people from those crazy days that I keep in touch with still. It was a gorgeous weekend and we hung out under the pergola, went hiking, Tim made a delicious dinner and had a lovely visit. So glad to have her back on the east coast and hope to see her more often.

Mom's Reception

Mom and Dad's Service was my hurdle and test this year. Thank goodness, we waited till July. Although a little warm, it was a perfect day and the gardens looked great.  The pergola was officially opened for the service and I think everyone had a very nice time. Tim's sister's son, Keith, took a ton of pics and sent them to me. The day was a blur for me. I was exhausted preparing for everyone, the service itself, the eulogy which took me months to write cause I would cry every time I sat down to write it.  It was lovely having my Mom's family all around us to celebrate my Mom and Dad's passing.