The night before Christmas

My first Christmas 

My happy Christmas moments started, with a grandfather with a toy store, getting double Santa's presents and being spoiled as being the first daughter and first granddaughter.


Living in houses with no fences, friendly neighbors. Friends go from home to home knocking at the door with a cuatro, maracas and furruco singing christmas carols gaitas and parrandas. Smell of Hallacas in every house, music everywhere, festive day and night. Then I moved to were I had white Xmas and a chimney with the smell of fresh pine, apple and cinnamon. Later moved again, smell of cookies and hot chocolate, I had the glorious joy of having three children, and Santa's came along....


Living in so many places, I have knit all those memories into one, family and friends, sharing and cooking.


Of coursed my beloved Christmas tree that brings light into the house. But nowadays I feel Xmas in a very nostalgic way, kids have grown up, family are far away, some can't make it for Christmas, others are not longer with us. Presents are not longer in the tree, have to be sent by mail and sometimes those moments have to be shared with my computer.


I just want to wish you the same as I tell my kids:

Continue be curious it's the road to creativity, never stop dreaming. Enjoy the small and simple moments maybe the most important one to remember in future. Always find time to be with your self, observe nature, move, eat conscious. Have tolerance and respect to others. Always have your heart open to give love and receive, and the most important: LIVE WITH PASSION.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
and a Happy Holiday.

Lola, xoxo

Jewely for napkin rings & chestnut soup

Looking for  napkin rings that I could use for my Christmas table, I found these giant stone rings. I thought it was perfect for what I wanted, so I tied them to a metal string and within seconds I had my napkin rings. The dishes I used, which I had bought at a flea market, had various black and white patterns. Perfect to use under my Royal Worcester golden soup plate.

The idea is to mix the old with the new using different textures and patterns, keeping it timeless & chic.


The chestnut soup with chocolate curls

I made it it last year on Christmas Eve as part of a nine-course tasting. The recipe is from Mireille Guiliano, author of the book French Women Do not Get Fat.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound of chestnuts or a jar
• 2 or 3 cups of vegetable or beef broth
• 1 / 2 cup of heavy cream
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche
• Dark chocolate, 60% to 70% cacao, for garnish

I prepared it using a jar of chestnuts which helped the whole process take less time. If they are natural cook them for about 50 minutes with two cups of broth, add more if necessary. When they are soft, blend them while adding the broth and the cream. Heat again for a few minutes until it simmers. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve individually with a touch of crème fraîche and chocolate curls.

A dish that does not go unnoticed, and gives an exciting opening to what is yet to come...

The Côté Bastide linen tablecloth, mini trees, candles votives and chocolate are sold at my online store: http://shop.lolalobato.com

Relax and have a cocktail

This is my tropical Christmas cocktail, being in Miami I shouldn't wait for a white xmas to come. I enjoy my Christmas tree with a see view and a nice sunny weather.

Holiday season: parties, celebrations, shopping, cooking, cleaning and planing the new year to come. I have been running from one place to an other with the online store and the holiday season.

It's nearly the same as having a real shop with a window.

We do sales, coupons, take pictures, write, send store products to different directories, social media, marketing, check inventory, packing, post office, answer questions online an over the phone..... plus running a home with daily emphasis on food  sounds good! but not when you are just one person doing it all.

That is when I say relax and have a cocktail  instead of run Lola run!

 For me a cocktail is taking your time, you have to enjoy it slowly and of course socially . A cocktail is a type of flirting with the glass and the drink, changing your mood and switching you to another atmosphere were every thing is slowed down, please don't misunderstand me I am not inducing anyone to drink, just  have only one.

So if you are over stressed with the holiday seasons relax and have a cocktail

Ingredients:

2 oz rum

1 oz lemongrass

1 oz  lemon juice

lemongrass syrup:

2 cups of water

1 cup of sugar

3  stalks of lemongrass, sliced

To prepared the syrup:

Add all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low and keep cooking slow for 30 minutes, stir, strain and let it chill.

In a cocktail shaker with ice combine all ingredients, shake, strain and serve.

you can make the lemongrass and keep it in the refrigerator for future use...

Thanksgiving

I made the cranberry sauce with 12 oz of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest.

For the center table arrangement,  I place a rosemary plant with salvia leaves and berries in an ice bucket. I like to use things in as many ways as possible.

I love casseroles you can take it from the oven to the table, specially if you have to warm up so many dishes at the same time.

The sweet potato with a dash of ginger is a totally comfort food.

That night I downloaded all the pictures that were from the night before when I started cooking, I was on the phone and doing three things at the time while I was erasing stuff in the computer and voilà.... without  realizing all my 50.000 pictures I had in stock were gone. I panicked got help and manage to rescue the whole packet , thank God, a few weeks ago I updated the computer and most of my pictures were safe. I lost most of the Thanksgiving pictures especially all the making of each dish...

Anyway, I did all the dishes I wrote on my menu except the pumpkin flan and the dill scones.

I got two delicious desserts from my friends a carrot cake and a tower of profiteroles au caramel.

If you are vegetarian do NOT READ THIS!!!

I had my concerns about the turkey, at first I thought about not making it but this time It was the first Thanksgiving I didn't have any left over turkey, It was crunchy outside and juicy inside, I was basting almost every 20 minutes until done for four hours and half.

For the meat lover this is the recipe, for the vegetarian I will write soon the veggies plates.

Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing

The night before: I cleaned the turkey, (organic & kosher) seasoned it, and did the stock.

For the seasoning paste: 

butter -  about 8 oz  in this case being kosher I used vegetable margarine

garlic - whole head

rosemary, sage and thyme - about a table spoon of each

worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

blend all the ingredients and make a paste, season with salt and pepper and rub the paste under the skin and all over outside. This with help to keep moist inside.

For the stock:

neck and giblets

1 celery

1 carrot

1 onion

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

4 cup of water

2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil and brown the neck and giblets, add remaining ingredients and simmer until reduced to about 4 cups. About 45 minutes. Strain. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerated.

For the stuffing:

12 ounces chestnuts (I used two packed roasted whole chestnut)

1 apple - chopped

3 celery ribs - chopped

1 large onion - chopped

1 country bread (I used a Tuscany country style bread) cut in small cubes

small bunch of  fresh sage, rosemary and thyme - minced

olive oil

salt

Toast the bread already cut into small cubes with olive oil and  minced rosemary, until become gold and crusty like croutons.

In olive oil cook onions, celery, apple, chestnuts and herbs until soft. Stir together with the toasted bread.

 While roasting:

64 oz (2 QT) chicken broth

1 cup white wine

Baking the turkey:

Fill main cavity and neck- end cavity loosely with stuffing. Sew cavities closed and tie legs together, secure wings to body with a small skewers.

Place turkey in roasting pan and add 1 cup of chicken broth.

I usually cover the the breast loosely with aluminum foil for the first hour of the cooking time, to get an uniform roasting.

The secret for me to have crisp and juice is to keep basting every 20 minutes and keep adding more broth or wine when is needed. And when a part of the turkey starts to get brown too quickly, I cover that part loosely with small piece of  aluminum foil. Even If I know for the weight and stuffing, mine will be done in approximately  41/2 hours, I used a thermometer to make sure It is properly done. Breast should register 165° (74°C) and thighs 175°F (80°C).

Leave it rest for about 25 minutes before carving.

For the gravy:

4 cups reserved from the turkey stock

pan and juices reserved from turkey

1/2 cup fat from pan and juices

6 tablespoon all purpose flour

Scrape bottom of roasting pant to loosen any browned bits, adding 1cup of the turkey stock pour into a large measuring cup. Let stand until fat rises to surface. Spoon fat off and reserve 1/2 cup. In a saucepan boil mixtures of juices with the rest of the turkey stock until reduced to 3 cups.

Meanwhile pour reserve 1/2 fat in a saucepan add flour cook until golden brown, stirring constantly. Add stock mixture and continue stirring. Cook until sauce thickens, check season to taste with salt and pepper .