My February challenge

Hello all! I have a big announcement to make! I’m excited about this one!

So I figured that in order to pass along the cold and lonely month of February (the month I dislike the most out of the whole year), I would put myself up to a challenge. I decided to cook one new recipe (a recipe that I have never done before) every day and post it up for your culinary enjoyment!

Starting on Wednesday, be sure to keep posted so you can follow me on my cooking journey of 29 days!

I hope you’ll enjoy…. I’m sure I will!

My cross stitch family

I few months ago I came across this great idea of making cross-stiching people. I instantly fell in love. I knew I had to make my own cross-stitch family.

The first step is to draw up the different members that you want to represent. I tried to add details that are specific to each person. For example, my dad always wears a bow-tie, so I added one on his cross-stich persona. Drawing out the cross-stitch people is the longest (and hardest) part but once that’s done everything goes well.

Here are my parents.

Myself and my sister Anne.

And last but not least, my sister Elizabeth.

Each square on the grid paper is equal to one little x of cross-stitching. All you have to do is follow the drawn up plan.

I framed-up my family portrait and offered it to my parents at Christmas. 

Bringing in the New Year

I want to start by wishing all of you my very best wishes for 2012. May health, happiness, and fulfilment outline your days and may 2012 be the year all your dreams come true!

I always ring in the new year the same way: the Ellyson New Years Eve Extravaganza. Ever New Years Eve, my sisters and I always plan a great dinner party for our parents as well as close friends of the family. Here’s a little glimpse as to what we cooked up this year!

Here I am, apron and all, preparing the table right before it is revealed to all of our guests!  

It’s a little tradition that we have. Every year, the table is kept hidden away from our guest until the last moment, when everyone is invited to join us at the table for the last meal of the year.

Our meal consisted of two courses plus the desert. Each courses is compossed of different elements that are placed on the table so that the guests are free to try what and as much (or as little) as they like!

Here goes for the first course:

Winter crunch salad with warm dipping sauce

Oyster platter (3 varieties)

Potato salad with smoked salmon and horseradish crème fraîche

Fresh mozzarella baked lemon

Lobster salad with avocado on endives

For the second course:

Pan-fried scallops with lentils, asparagus and lemon crème fraîche

Warn squash, arugula and parmesan salad

Braised short rib, stout and potato potpie

And for dessert:

Walnut, caramel and chocolate ganache min-tart

Thanks to my two wonderful sisters for helping me make this happen!