Winter pleasures

December dinner party with my folks, sister and brother-in-law, featuring kitchen muse pizza and five current winter obsessions...


#1 Swiss chard, cut into ribbons and ready for saute action

#2 Cara-Cara pink fleshed oranges, seen here with baby chioggia beets, and citrus vinaigrette for green salad. If you see Cara Cara in your grocery store, go for it! You won't be sorry! They're ruby red like a grapefruit but with an intense, sweet orange flavor.

#3 The antipasti tray. The Italians are really on to something, here. How could any party guest resist a little salty bite with their vino or brewski?



Pizza with Swiss chard, beet greens, and bacon (YUM!) and three-cheese white pizza with sage oil, both made possible by winter obsession #4: the pizza pan. Golden, chewy crust not possible without one. Mom brought hers so we could make two pies.

And for dessert, can you believe it? I actually baked. It's #5 chocolate peppermint crackles, the old family recipe with peppermint extract instead of vanilla. Wait, that one in the front looks wonky. I can't possibly serve it to my guests. I better eat it before it causes problems... Ah, that's better.

So much fun! Best dinner party yet. We'll have to do this more often. Hope you are rounding off the year with people you love and good things to eat!

Salut! L'chaim! Cheers!