Christmas goose

Having a brother-in-law who is a chef (Jeremy Walchalter of Cobblestone Foods) is lovely all year round, but especially when you decide to do a traditional goose for Christmas lunch.  

Notice the new Sur la Table roasting pan: a Christmas gift for Jon from Andy.  

And notice Jon taking note of Jeremy's carving skills.

Bloody Mary bar

Jon put together this Bloody Mary bar for Christmas Day.  Thank you Pamela for the amazing McClure's Bloody Mary mix, from Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain.  It's a must-try: it has this amazing garlicky-pickle flavor unlike any other mix we've ever tried.

A visit from Santa

Max doesn't seem the quite grasp the concept of Santa Claus yet, but he sure enjoys opening presents.  He also doesn't grasp the idea that most Jews don't celebrate Christmas.

Christmas Eve dinner

Jon put together a simple and light meal of roasted veggies and Barefoot's individual bay scallop gratins.  It was a hit.

Stockings

Andy was very proud of the stocking holder he made "from scratch" (a custom cut 4x4, some white paint, and a few hooks, all from Home Depot).  Of course, he miscounted the number of stockings the first time around, and only had six evenly-spaced hooks.  But second time's a charm.  

Notice how Roger's stocking is literally overflowing with gifts.  He's so easy to shop for.

Kellie's bachelorette bash

The big event for Kellie's bachelorette party was a trip to the ... you guessed it: pumpkin patch in Rhinebeck. 

Chad gets most of the credit for this impressive display:

The big 3-0

For Andy's 30th birthday, Jenny flew in from L.A., Rick brought champagne, and we christened the new kitchen.  These photos represent the most glamorous portion of the day -- things got considerably, er, less picturesque later in the evening.  

Rick gave Andy a copy of the amazing tome More is More: Tony Duquette.