Christmas cook-y.

I cooked pretty much all day yesterday. Let me just say that this was the most ambitious and fantastic meal that I have ever planned. (My parents helped with the preparation but I found all of the recipes and planned everything.) I am so proud!

Our dinner: Caramelized red onion tart with parmesan and thyme. Salad with mixed greens, toasted walnuts, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Maple-roasted turkey with sage, smoked bacon, and cornbread stuffing. Oven-roasted green beans. And for dessert, a ginger pear upside-down cake.

The bacon on the turkey was the most delicious bacon I have ever eaten--it was crispy from an hour in the oven and sweet from the maple basting glaze for the turkey. And since I made a 12-lb. turkey for 3 people, there are a LOT of leftovers.

(If you want to see some blurry and out-of-focus [are those the same thing?] pictures of the food and my tree, here you go. [Finally, something in my Flickr account besides Kate-is-drunk-on-Halloween pictures!])