{dark chocolate ganache, a golden buttery crust, and candycane dust are the beginning layers of this rich minty tart, yum!}

{each bite of this roasted zucchini, feta, avocado, and red onion salsa bursts with flavor as the juicy pomegranite pops in your mouth!}

The thing I look most forward too each year is spending Christmas in Atlanta. It’s a whirlwind impossibly packed into a couple days, but going home for the holidays is like being wrapped in a warm blanket and I just love it. There’s always lots of excellent food, trash talking games of scrabble, incredible wine, gift giving, and family fun. Here are two recipes that barely chip away at some of the delicious things we ate over Christmas weekend, one savory and one sweet.

Dark Chocolate and Peppermint Whipped Cream Tart (Bon Appetit)

*crust*

1 1/4 c flour, all purpose
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 ts baking powder
1/4 ts salt
10 tb unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 ts vanilla extract
4 1/2 ts whole milk, cold

Blend first 4 ingredients in a processor. Add butter and vanilla; pulse until pea sized pieces are achieved. Add milk and pulse until small clumps form. Gather dough in a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic, chill 1 hour.

Roll out into 12″ diameter between 2 shhets of floured parchement. Press into a 10″ tart pan with removable bottom. Fold over around the edges to produce thick sides and freeze for 20 minutes.

Pierce bottom with a fork and bake until golden at 350F, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

*filling*

1 1/4 c whipping cream
1/4 c corn syrup
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 c plus 1 tb crushed or ground candycanes

Bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer in a medium sauce pan, remove from heat. Add chocolate and wisk until smooth. Cool 30 minutes then pour into crust. Sprinkle 1/2 c candy, chill for about 3 hours.

*topping*

1 1/4 c whipping cream
3 1/2 c whipping cream, chilled
3/4 c powdered sugar
1 3/4 peppermint extract

using an electric mixer, whip the cream, peppermint extract, and sugar into stiff peaks. Pipe the cream on into a pretty cloud. Please do not follow our lead in this department as this could have been much perettier if any of us had any decorating skills or tools. Not bad for a baggie with the corner snipped off!

Zucchini, Avocado, and Pomegranite Salsa (Food & Wine)

2 zucchin, about 1/2 c cut in 1/2″ dice
2 tb olive oil
1 ts fresh oregano, finely chopped
3/4 ts coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c red onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, about 1 c cit into 1/2″ dice
1/2 c pomegranite seeds
1 tb crumpled feta
1 tb fresh lime juice
3-6 whole wheat 6″ pitas
olive oil for drizzling

{salsa curtesy of the lovely Mary Leslie who has been wrongly accused of not being able to cook. don’t believe it for one hot second, bravo ml, bravoh!!}

Toss zucchini, oregano, 1 tb oil, 1/ ts salt, and a few turns of pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet and roast for 25 minutes at 425F, let cool

Transfer zucchini to a medium bowl, add onion, avocado, pomegranite, feta, lime juice, 1 tb olive oil, 1/4 ts salt, and some black pepper. Gently stir to combine, refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Slice pitas into 6 triangles each, arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 ts salt, a few turns of black pepper, and bake until pale golden for about 5 minutes at ~400F.

Finally, a Christmas photo essay of other memorable snacks and images.

{these roasted peppers are *so* delicious, we ate them stuffed with chivre. i have to find them online and stuff them with italian tuna, mmmmm!}

{two kinds of limoncello, the blue bottle is er… *was* a creamy version that was out of this world. literally, poof!}

{christmas morning tradition, quiche and mimosas. perhapse the greatest quiche in all the land; recipe from Bistro Jeanty, i’ll post the recipe soon.}

{’06 srabble championships complete with the beautiful new board, excuse et moi! what do you mean thats not a word?}

{our last supper before the airport, sniff}

{the loot, the loot! isn’t the tree pretty?}

{special thanks to Bandit our Quality Control Officer without whose services we might not all be here today. thanks for another tomorrow bandito, your the best!}

{tags happy new year}